[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 20 (Monday, February 5, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF THE PROTECTING HOMES FROM TRAINS ACT OF 2024

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 5, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Protecting Homes from 
Trains Act of 2024, which would establish a grant program for the 
design and construction of barriers to mitigate rail activity that may 
harm homes and their occupants, including derailments, noise and 
vibrations.
  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 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. District of 
Columbia residents frequently tell me 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 this harm.
  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 working to reduce transportation 
noise and vibrations. 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.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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