I

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 536

To reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control in the

Environmental Protection Agency.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 4, 1997

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Mr. SHAYS, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. SKAGGS, Mrs.

KELLY, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. FROST, Mr. YATES, Mr. SABO, Ms. RIVERS,

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. RUSH, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. NADLER, Mr. VENTO, Mr. MANTON, Mr. PALLONE, Mr.

LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. BONIOR, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. BERMAN, and Mr. SERRANO) introduced the following bill; which was referred

to the Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control

in the Environmental Protection Agency.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Quiet Communities

5 Act of 1997’’.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 The Congress finds that:

3 (1) For too many Americans, noise from air4 craft, vehicular traffic, and a variety of other

5 sources is a constant source of torment. In fact,

6 nearly 20,000,000 Americans are exposed to noise

7 levels that can lead to psychological and physio8 logical damage, and another 40,000,000 people are

9 exposed to noise levels that cause sleep or work dis10 ruption.

11 (2) Chronic exposure to noise has been linked

12 to increased risk of cardiovascular problems, strokes,

13 and nervous disorders. Excessive noise also causes

14 sleep deprivation and task interruptions, both of

15 which pose untold costs on society in diminished

16 worker productivity.

17 (3) Pursuant to authorities granted under the

18 Clean Air Act of 1970, the Noise Control Act of

19 1972, and the Quiet Communities Act of 1978, the

20 Environmental Protection Agency established an Of21 fice of Noise Abatement and Control. Its responsibil22 ities included promulgating noise emission stand23 ards, requiring product labeling, facilitating the de24 velopment of low emission products, coordinating

25 Federal noise reduction programs, assisting State

26 and local abatement efforts, and promoting noise
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1 education and research. However, funding for the

2 Office of Noise Abatement and Control was termi3 nated in 1982 and no funds have been provided

4 since.

5 (4) Because the Environmental Protection

6 Agency remains legally responsible for enforcing reg7 ulations issued under the Noise Control Act of 1972

8 even though funding for these activities were termi9 nated, and because the Noise Control Act of 1972

10 prohibits State and local governments from regulat11 ing noise sources in many situations, noise abate12 ment programs across the country lie dormant.

13 (5) As population growth and air and vehicular

14 traffic continue to increase, noise pollution is likely

15 to become an even greater problem in the future.

16 The health and welfare of our citizens demands that

17 the Environmental Protection Agency, the lead Fed18 eral agency for the protection of public health and

19 welfare, once again assume a role in combating noise

20 pollution.

21 SEC. 3. REESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF NOISE ABATE22 MENT AND CONTROL.

23 (a) REESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the

24 Environmental Protection Agency shall reestablish within

25 the Environmental Protection Agency an Office of Noise
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1 Abatement and Control. This office shall be responsible

2 for coordinating Federal noise abatement activities, updat3 ing or developing new noise standards, providing technical

4 assistance to local communities, and promoting research

5 and education on the impacts of noise pollution. In meet6 ing these responsibilities, the Environmental Protection

7 Agency shall emphasize abatement approaches that rely

8 on local and State activity, market incentives, and coordi9 nation with other public and private agencies.

10 (b) STUDY.—Within the funds made available for the

11 Office of Noise Abatement and Control, the Administrator

12 shall conduct a study of airport noise. Such study, which

13 shall be completed no later than 18 months after the en14 actment of this Act, shall examine the Federal Aviation

15 Administration’s selection of noise measurement meth16 odologies, the threshold of noise at which health impacts

17 are felt, and the effectiveness of noise abatement programs

18 at airports around the nation. Such study shall include

19 specific recommendations to the Federal Aviation Admin20 istration on new measures that can be implemented to

21 mitigate the impact of aircraft noise on surrounding com22 munities.
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1 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

2 There are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000

3 for each of fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000, and

4 $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002.

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