[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3076 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3076

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies of natural 
         soundscape preservation in the National Park Service.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 4, 2010

 Ms. Cantwell introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies of natural 
         soundscape preservation in the National Park Service.

    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 ``Silence Helps Us Hear Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
        Park Service.

SEC. 3. STUDIES OF NATURAL SOUNDSCAPE PRESERVATION.

    (a) Study of Least Degraded National Park Service Natural 
Soundscapes.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a study to 
        identify National Park Service natural soundscape values and 
        resources, as defined by policies 4.9 and 8.2 of the 2006 
        Management Policies of the National Park Service.
            (2) Identification of lease degraded soundscapes.--In 
        conducting the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        analyze and identify National Park Service natural soundscapes 
        that have been the least degraded by--
                    (A) unnatural sounds; and
                    (B) undesirable sounds cause by humans.
            (3) Technical assistance.--To the extent that the Secretary 
        has identified aviation or aircraft noise as 1 of the sources 
        of natural soundscapes degradation, the Secretary of 
        Transportation, acting through the Administrator, shall provide 
        technical assistance to the Secretary in carrying out the study 
        under paragraph (1).
    (b) Study of Preservation of Natural Soundscape Resources.--To the 
extent that the Secretary has identified aviation or aircraft noise as 
1 of the sources of National Park Service natural soundscapes 
degradation, the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 
Transportation (acting through the Administrator), shall conduct a 
study to identify methods to preserve the National Park Service natural 
soundscapes that have been the least degraded by--
            (1) unnatural sounds; and
            (2) undesirable sounds caused by humans.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) describes the results of the studies conducted under 
        subsections (a) and (b) of section 3; and
            (2) includes any recommendations that the Secretary 
        determines to be appropriate.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
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