119-hr3804

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3804 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3804

 To direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
 Sustainment to conduct a study on the feasibility of carrying out a 
grant program to assist communities affected by noise from space launch 
 activities of the Department of Defense.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 6, 2025

 Mr. Carbajal introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
 Sustainment to conduct a study on the feasibility of carrying out a 
grant program to assist communities affected by noise from space launch 
 activities of the Department of Defense.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Space Launch Noise Mitigation Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

 It is the sense of Congress that--

    (1) the commercial space launch industry is a fundamental 
 part of United States national security and contributes greatly 
 to assured access to space;

    (2) United States national security benefits from a 
 competitive and diverse launch industry;

    (3) space services are critical to sectors including 
 transportation, communication, agriculture, financial services, 
 and others; and

    (4) as referenced in the report of the Committee on Armed 
 Services of the House of Representatives accompanying H.R. 8070 
 of the 118th Congress, the increase of launches as a result of 
 national security and commercial launches can be disruptive to 
 nearby communities.

SEC. 3. STUDY ON SPACE LAUNCH NOISE MITIGATION.

    (a) Study.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and 
Sustainment shall complete a study on the feasibility of conducting a 
space launch noise mitigation grant program.

    (b) Matters Included.--The study under subsection

    (a) shall include 
the following:

    (1) An estimate of funds necessary to carry out a space 
 launch noise mitigation grant program, including estimated 
 breakdowns for different covered facilities, and how many 
 covered facilities are in each eligible community.

    (2) Recommendations on the geographic range for which 
 communities shall be eligible.

    (3) Recommendations on noise mitigating techniques and 
 technologies for eligible communities, and the estimated cost 
 for each recommendation.

    (4) Recommendations for ways the Space Force can work 
 better with eligible communities to avoid noise disturbances.

    (5) Recommendations for a community outreach program to 
 educate eligible communities near launch ranges on the benefits 
 of space.
            (c) Considerations.--In conducting the study under subsection

    (a) , 
the Under Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Commanders of 
Space Launch Delta 30 and Space Launch Delta 45, shall consider the 
following:

    (1) C-weighted single-event noise, including noise 
 generated by sonic booms, of 100 dB or greater.

    (2) A-weighted maximum sound level of 90 dB or greater.

    (3) C-weighted day night average sound level of 115 dB Peak 
 or greater.

    (4) PK 15.

    (5) A direct association between noise and its measured 
 effect on the geographic regions where sonic booms from space 
 activity can be heard.

    (6) A literature review of the research to date.

    (7) Structure responses to vibration from sound power 
 levels and overpressure.

    (8) Data from all Federal ranges with at least one or more 
 vertical space launches per year in 2024 and thereafter.

    (9) Sonic boom monitoring stations for a wide area in the 
 region surrounding the space launch range.

    (10) Any other metrics or indicators the Under Secretary 
 determines appropriate.
            (d) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) The term ``covered facility'' means a hospital, daycare 
 facility, school, facility serving senior citizens, or a 
 single- or multi-unit private residence, that is--
        (A) built before January 1, 2026; and
        (B) not owned by the Federal Government.

    (2) The term ``eligible community'' means a unit of local 
 government serving a geographic region that the Secretary of 
 the Air Force determines to be negatively affected by noise 
 from space launch activities of the Department of Defense.

    (3) The term ``PK 15'' means the calculated peak noise 
 level, without frequency weighting, expected to be exceeded by 
 15 percent of all space launch activities of the Department of 
 Defense.

    (4) The term ``space launch noise mitigation grant 
 program'' means a potential grant program administered by the 
 Secretary of Defense under which eligible communities install 
 technologies to mitigate noise from the space launch activities 
 of the Department of Defense.
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