119-hr5151

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5151 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5151

 To reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control in the 
 Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 4, 2025

Ms. Meng (for herself, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Min, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Brownley, 
 Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
Peters, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Levin, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Casten, Mr. 
Suozzi, Ms. Chu, and Mr. Carbajal) introduced the following bill; which 
 was referred to the Committee on Energy and 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, and for other purposes.

 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 ``Quiet Communities Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds that--

    (1) approximately 28,000,000 individuals in the United 
 States are afflicted with some hearing impairment, and it has 
 been estimated that 10,000,000 of those impairments are at 
 least partially attributable to damage from exposure to noise;

    (2) for millions of individuals in the United States, noise 
 from aircraft, vehicular traffic, and a variety of other 
 sources is a constant source of torment;

    (3) millions of individuals in the United States are 
 exposed to noise levels that can lead to sleep loss, 
 psychological and physiological damage, and work disruption;

    (4) chronic exposure to noise has been linked to increased 
 risk of cardiovascular disorders, learning deficits in 
 children, stress, and diminished quality of life;

    (5) excessive noise leading to sleep deprivation and task 
 interruptions can result in untold costs to society as a result 
 of diminished worker productivity;

    (6) pursuant to the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), 
 the Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4901 et seq.), and the 
 Quiet Communities Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4901 note; Public Law 
 95-609; 92 Stat. 3079), the Environmental Protection Agency 
 established and maintained an Office of Noise Abatement and 
 Control, which has not received funding since 1982;

    (7) responsibilities of the Office of Noise Abatement and 
 Control included promulgating noise emission standards, 
 requiring product labeling, facilitating the development of 
 low-noise-emission products, coordinating Federal noise 
 reduction programs, assisting State and local noise abatement 
 efforts, and promoting noise education and research;

    (8) because the Environmental Protection Agency remains 
 legally responsible for enforcing regulations issued under the 
 Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4901 et seq.), even though 
 funding for the activities of the Office of Noise Abatement and 
 Control described in paragraph

    (7) was terminated, and because 
 that Act prohibits State and local governments from regulating 
 noise sources in many situations, noise abatement programs 
 across the United States lie dormant; and

    (9) as population growth and air and vehicular traffic 
 continue to increase, noise pollution is likely to become an 
 even greater problem in the future, and the health and welfare 
 of individuals in the United States demands that the 
 Environmental Protection Agency, the lead Federal agency for 
 the protection of public health and welfare, once again assume 
 a role in combating noise pollution.

SEC. 3. REESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF NOISE ABATEMENT AND CONTROL.

    (a) Reestablishment.--The Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency (referred to in this section as the 
``Administrator'') shall reestablish within the Environmental 
Protection Agency an Office of Noise Abatement and Control (referred to 
in this section as the ``Office'').

    (b) Duties.--The responsibilities of the Office shall include--

    (1) promoting the development of effective State and local 
 noise control programs by providing States with technical 
 assistance and grants to develop those programs, including the 
 purchasing of equipment for local communities;

    (2) carrying out a national noise control research program 
 to assess the impacts of noise from varied noise sources on 
 mental and physical health;

    (3) carrying out a national noise environmental assessment 
 program--
        (A) to identify trends in noise exposure and 
 response, ambient levels, and compliance data; and
        (B) to determine the effectiveness of noise 
 abatement actions, including actions for areas around 
 major transportation facilities (such as highways, 
 railroad facilities, and airports);

    (4) developing and disseminating to the public information 
 and educational materials relating to the mental and physical 
 effects of noise and the most effective means for noise control 
 through the use of materials for school curricula, volunteer 
 organizations, radio and television programs, publications, and 
 other means;

    (5) developing educational and training materials and 
 programs, including national and regional workshops, to support 
 State and local noise abatement and control programs;

    (6) establishing regional technical assistance centers to 
 use the capabilities of institutions of higher education and 
 private organizations to assist State and local noise control 
 programs; and

    (7) undertaking an assessment of the effectiveness of the 
 Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4901 et seq.).
            (c) Preferred Approaches.--In carrying out the duties of the Office 
under subsection

    (b) , the Office shall emphasize noise abatement 
approaches that rely on local and State activities, market incentives, 
and coordination with other public and private agencies.
            (d) Study.--

    (1) In general.--The Administrator shall carry out a study 
 of aircraft noise and the effects of that noise on surrounding 
 communities.

    (2) Contracts and other agreements.--The Administrator 
 shall enter into contracts or other agreements with independent 
 scientists with expertise in noise measurements, noise effects, 
 and noise abatement techniques to conduct the study under 
 paragraph

    (1) .

    (3) Contents.--The study under paragraph

    (1) shall 
 examine--
        (A) the selection of noise measurement 
 methodologies by the Federal Aviation Administration;
        (B) the threshold of aircraft noise at which health 
 impacts are felt; and
            (C) the effectiveness of aircraft noise abatement 
 programs at airports around the United States.

    (4) Report.--
        (A) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the 
 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
 submit to Congress a report on the results of the study 
 conducted under paragraph

    (1) .
        (B) Requirements.--The report submitted under 
 subparagraph
        (A) shall include specific recommendations 
 on new measures that can be implemented to mitigate the 
 impact of aircraft noise on surrounding communities.

    (e) Conforming Amendment.--The Noise Pollution and Abatement Act of 
1970 (Public Law 91-604; 84 Stat. 1709) is repealed.

SEC. 4. GRANTS UNDER QUIET COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.

 

Section 14 of the Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4913) is 
amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (b) --
        (A) in the matter preceding paragraph

    (1) by 
 striking ``but not limited to'';
        (B) in paragraph

    (2) by striking ``sections 6, 7, 
 and 8 of this Act'' and inserting ``

section 6 or 8 of 
 this Act, or 

section 44715 of title 49, United States 
 Code''; and
            (C) by redesignating paragraphs

    (1) through

    (5) as 
 subparagraphs
        (A) through
        (E) , respectively, and 
 indenting appropriately;

    (2) in subsection
            (c) --
        (A) in the matter preceding paragraph

    (1) by 
 striking ``but not be limited to'' and inserting ``in 
 accordance with the Federal authority pursuant to this 
 Act to regulate sources of noise in interstate 
 commerce'';
        (B) in paragraph

    (1) --
            (i) in subparagraph
            (C) by striking 
 ``and,'' at the end;
            (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs
        (A) through
            (D) as clauses
            (i) through
            (iv) , 
 respectively, and indenting appropriately; and
            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (v) establishing and implementing 
 training programs on use of noise abatement 
 equipment; and
 ``
            (vi) implementing noise abatement 
 plans;'';
            (C) by striking the undesignated matter following 
 paragraph

    (5) ; and
            (D) by redesignating paragraphs

    (1) through

    (5) as 
 subparagraphs
        (A) through
        (E) , respectively, and 
 indenting appropriately; and

    (3) by redesignating subsections

    (a) through

    (g) as 
 paragraphs

    (1) through

    (7) , respectively, and indenting 
 appropriately.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

 There is authorized to be appropriated for the Office of Noise 
Abatement and Control reestablished under 

section 3

    (a) $25,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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