[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 68 (Monday, April 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF THE TRAIN NOISE AND VIBRATIONS REDUCTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 24, 2023

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, Today, I introduce the Train Noise and 
Vibrations Reduction Act, which would direct the Secretary of 
Transportation to submit a report to Congress containing 
recommendations on how to reduce train noise and vibrations near homes, 
as well as estimates of the costs and benefits of each recommendation. 
Such recommendations would include modifications to trains, tracks and 
maintenance procedures, speed limits for trains, mitigation measures 
between tracks and homes, the distance between tracks and homes, 
limitations on the number of trains and the number of cars on trains, 
limitations on hours of operations, building insulation and 
modifications to soil conditions. The report would be due to Congress 
no later than one year after the enactment of the bill.
  The Noise Control Act of 1972 created the Office of Noise Abatement 
and Control within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), granting 
EPA authority and oversight over broad noise control regulations. 
However, years of defunding left this office without any resources to 
conduct enforcement, forcing EPA to phase out the office in 1982. I 
hear from District of Columbia residents frequently about the negative 
impact of train noise and vibrations on their lives. The noise and 
vibrations can harm health and quality of life, and can even harm the 
structural integrity of homes. Congress and the executive branch must 
do more to reduce the harm nationwide.
  As a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure and as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on 
Highways and Transit, I have been committed to reducing transportation 
noise pollution. I have convened community meetings with the Federal 
Railroad Administration, the District of Columbia Department of 
Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to examine how to 
reduce train noise and vibrations. A report on reducing train noise and 
vibrations can help us identify viable, long-term solutions for 
communities.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

                          ____________________