Members of a group dedicated to lowering the acceptable noise threshold in Nassau are hoping a push from Congress toward the FAA will make a difference to their cause.

QuietSkies.net is a group that addresses the need to curb airplane noise in Long Island neighborhoods. The group's president says the FAA needs to lower the acceptable noise threshold, which is currently 65 decibels.

"The kids don't sleep. A lot of young people moved in - they didn't realize this was going on, so now they are really upset. They are afraid the housing values are going to go down," said Len Schaier, QuietSkies president.

Shaier says the group hopes that a recent push by Rep. Steve Israel to lower the noise threshold from 65 to 55 decibels will make a difference. In the letter Israel wrote to the FAA he stated, "The current 65 decibel day/night average sound level metric is outdated and disconnected from the real impact that air traffic noise is having on our constituents."

If the FAA lowers the level to 55, it could make more Long Islanders eligible for federal grants to help pay for sound proofing methods to their homes like insulation.

Advocates for QuietSkies say sound insulation is a solution, but not the only solution. They would like to see different runways in use, flights at higher altitudes and a change to certain procedures.

The FAA did not return calls or emails to comment on this story.