42 U.S.C. § 4913: Quiet communities, research…

Summary

The Administrator must work with other federal agencies and use grants, contracts, and federal actions to help states and towns control noise. The Administrator must make and share easy-to-understand materials about how noise affects health and how to reduce it, using schools, radio and TV, volunteer groups, and publications. The Administrator must pay for research on noise effects, how to measure it, and ways to control it. This research includes studying how noise affects people and animals, making better noise-control technology for certain products (including work under sections 4905, 4907, and 44715 of title 49), creating better monitoring equipment for local programs, studying noise’s economic effects, and testing economic tools like fees to reduce noise. The Administrator must run a national Quiet Communities Program. That program gives grants to states, local governments, and regional agencies to find noise problems, build local noise-control ability (including buying starter equipment), plan noise reduction around big transport sites and other sources, and test the best control methods. It also loans monitoring gear, sets quality checks for equipment and data, studies staffing and resource needs, and provides training and workshops. The program must not conflict with federal power to regulate noise across state lines. The Administrator must also create a national noise assessment program to track trends and results, set up regional help centers using universities and private groups, give technical help and model laws to states and towns, and use senior citizens and eligible older-adult program participants whenever possible.

Title 42, §4913

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

To promote the development of effective State and local noise control programs, to provide an adequate Federal noise control research program designed to meet the objectives of this chapter, and to otherwise carry out the policy of this chapter, the Administrator shall, in cooperation with other Federal agencies and through the use of grants, contracts, and direct Federal actions—

(a)develop and disseminate information and educational materials to all segments of the public on the public health and other 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, publication, and other means;

(b)conduct or finance research directly or with any public or private organization or any person on the effects, measurement, and control of noise, including but not limited to—

(1)investigation of the psychological and physiological effects of noise on humans and the effects of noise on domestic animals, wildlife, and property, and the determination of dose/response relationships suitable for use in decisionmaking, with special emphasis on the nonauditory effects of noise;

(2)investigation, development, and demonstration of noise control technology for products subject to possible regulation under section 4905 and 4907 of this title and section 44715 of title 49;

(3)investigation, development, and demonstration of monitoring equipment and other technology especially suited for use by State and local noise control programs;

(4)investigation of the economic impact of noise on property and human activities; and

(5)investigation and demonstration of the use of economic incentives (including emission charges) in the control of noise;

(c)administer a nationwide Quiet Communities Program which shall include, but not be limited to—

(1)grants to States, local governments, and authorized regional planning agencies for the purpose of—

(A)identifying and determining the nature and extent of the noise problem within the subject jurisdiction;

(B)planning, developing, and establishing a noise control capacity in such jurisdiction, including purchasing initial equipment;

(C)developing abatement plans for areas around major transportation facilities (including airports, highways, and rail yards) and other major stationary sources of noise, and, where appropriate, for the facility or source itself; and,

(D)evaluating techniques for controlling noise (including institutional arrangements) and demonstrating the best available techniques in such jurisdiction;

(2)purchase of monitoring and other equipment for loan to State and local noise control programs to meet special needs or assist in the beginning implementation of a noise control program or project;

(3)development and implementation of a quality assurance program for equipment and monitoring procedures of State and local noise control programs to help communities assure that their data collection activities are accurate;

(4)conduct of studies and demonstrations to determine the resource and personnel needs of States and local governments required for the establishment and implementation of effective noise abatement and control programs; and

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

except that no actions, plans or programs hereunder shall be inconsistent with existing Federal authority under this chapter to regulate sources of noise in interstate commerce;

(d)develop and implement a national noise environmental assessment program to identify trends in noise exposure and response, ambient levels, and compliance data and to determine otherwise the effectiveness of noise abatement actions through the collection of physical, social, and human response data;

(e)establish regional technical assistance centers which use the capabilities of university and private organizations to assist State and local noise control programs;

(f)provide technical assistance to State and local governments to facilitate their development and enforcement of noise control, including direct onsite assistance of agency or other personnel with technical expertise, and preparation of model State or local legislation for noise control; and

(g)provide for the maximum use in programs assisted under this section of senior citizens and persons eligible for participation in programs under the Older Americans Act [42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.].

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Older Americans Act, referred to in subsec. (g), probably means the Older Americans Act of 1965, Pub. L. 89–73, July 14, 1965, 79 Stat. 218, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 3001 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 3001 of this title and Tables. Codification In subsec. (b)(2), “section 44715 of title 49” substituted for reference to section 7 of this Act, meaning section 7 of Pub. L. 92–574, which generally amended section 611 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 App. U.S.C. 1431), on authority of Pub. L. 103–272, § 6(b), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1378, the first section of which enacted subtitles II, III, and V to X of Title 49, Transportation.

Amendments

1978—Pub. L. 95–609 completely revised and restructured existing provisions, inserting provisions relating to authorized use of grants and direct action, investigation of economic impact of noise, administration of Quiet Communities Program, development of noise assessment program, establishment of regional centers, technical assistance to State and local governments, and use by senior citizens of these programs.

§4913 Quiet Communities, Research, and Public Information