[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 951

    To reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control in the 
                    Environmental Protection Agency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 1997

Mr. Torricelli  (for himself and Mr. Sarbanes) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
                            and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control in the 
                    Environmental Protection Agency.

    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 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1)(A) for too many citizens of the United States, noise 
        from aircraft, vehicular traffic, and a variety of other 
        sources is a constant source of torment; and
            (B) nearly 20,000,000 citizens of the United States are 
        exposed to noise levels that can lead to psychological and 
        physiological damage, and another 40,000,000 people are exposed 
        to noise levels that cause sleep or work disruption;
            (2)(A) chronic exposure to noise has been linked to 
        increased risk of cardiovascular problems, strokes, and nervous 
        disorders; and
            (B) excessive noise causes sleep deprivation and task 
        interruptions, which pose untold costs on society in diminished 
        worker productivity;
            (3)(A) to carry out the Clean Air Act of 1970 (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 (Public Law 95-
        609; 92 Stat. 3079), the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency established an Office of Noise Abatement and 
        Control;
            (B) the responsibilities of the Office of Noise Abatement 
        and Control included promulgating noise emission standards, 
        requiring product labeling, facilitating the development of low 
        emission products, coordinating Federal noise reduction 
        programs, assisting State and local abatement efforts, and 
        promoting noise education and research; and
            (C) funding for the Office of Noise Abatement and Control 
        was terminated in 1982 and no funds have been provided since;
            (4) because the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency remains responsible for enforcing regulations 
        issued under the Noise Control Act of 1972 (42 U.S.C. 4901 et 
        seq.) even though funding for the Office of Noise Abatement and 
        Control has been 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;
            (5) as the population grows and air and vehicle traffic 
        continues to increase, noise pollution is likely to become an 
        even greater problem in the future; and
            (6) the health and welfare of the citizens of the United 
        States demands that the Environmental Protection Agency once 
        again assume a role in combating noise pollution.

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

    (a) Reestablishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency shall reestablish an Office of Noise 
        Abatement and Control (referred to in this Act as the 
        ``Office'').
            (2) Responsibilities.--The Office shall be responsible 
        for--
                    (A) coordinating Federal noise abatement 
                activities;
                    (B) updating or developing noise standards;
                    (C) providing technical assistance to local 
                communities; and
                    (D) promoting research and education on the impacts 
                of noise pollution.
            (3) Emphasized approaches.--The Office shall emphasize 
        noise abatement approaches that rely on State and local 
        activity, market incentives, and coordination with other public 
        and private agencies.
    (b) Study.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency shall submit a study on airport noise to 
        Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration.
            (2) Areas of study.--The study shall--
                    (A) examine the Federal Aviation Administration's 
                selection of noise measurement methodologies;
                    (B) the threshold of noise at which health impacts 
                are felt; and
                    (C) the effectiveness of noise abatement programs 
                at airports around the United States.
            (3) Recommendations.--The study shall include specific 
        recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration on new 
        measures that should be implemented to mitigate the impact of 
        aircraft noise on surrounding communities.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 
        2000; and
            (2) $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002.
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