Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet
For immediate release
November 16, 2022
Contact:
Ted Rueter
[email protected]
877-664-7366
Chapel Hill: Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet is calling on Congress to incorporate the Quiet Communities Act of 2021 (H.R. 4892) into the federal omnibus spending bill, which must pass by December 16, 2022. NFA is also calling on its supporters to write to two important Congressional assistants. This statement includes contact information and a sample letter.
The Quiet Communities Act would restore funding for the Office of Noise Abatement and Control and the Office of Noise Enforcement within the EPA. These agencies were established by the Noise Control Act of 1972 and existed until 1981, when they were de-funded by the Reagan administration. Even though Congress has not appropriated funding for the noise pollution control offices since 1981, the federal Noise Control Act of 1972 remains in effect.
“It will probably be easier to restore the Office of Noise Abatement and Control and the Office of Noise Enforcement within the EPA in a broader bill rather than as a stand-alone piece of legislation,” said Ted Rueter, director of Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet. “Reinstatement of these offices is necessary to combat the scourge of noise pollution and improve America’s public health and quality of life.”
Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet encourages all of its supporters to write to two Congressional staffers whose employers have sponsored the Quiet Communities Act of 2021:
Mark Olson
Legislative Director
Representative Grace Meng
[email protected]
202-225-2601
Adrian Deveny
Legislative Director
Senate Charles Schumer
[email protected]
202-224-6542
Here is a sample letter:
Dear ____,
I am writing to ask that Representative Meng/ Senator Schumer support inclusion of H.R. 4892 (the Quiet Communities Act of 2021) as part of the federal omnibus spending bill, which must pass by December 16, 2022. H.R. 4892 would reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control with the EPA. Created in 1972, the agency was de-funded by the Reagan administration in 1981. Congress has never reestablished ONAC’s funding.
Renewed funding for the federal noise pollution control office is urgently needed. Noise pollution is linked to hearing loss, sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue, aggressive behavior, and heart disease. Also, noise is a major quality of life issue. Eighty-five percent of calls to New York City’s quality of life hotline concern noise. A Census Bureau report indicates that noise is Americans’ number one complaint about their neighborhoods and the top reason they wish to move.
Restoring $20 million of annual funding would allow the EPA to promote the development of effective state and local noise control programs, carry out a national noise control research program, hire regional enforcement officials, and develop educational and training materials.
Here is Noise Free America’s position paper on restoring the federal noise pollution control office.
The strategy of including a bill on noise pollution in a broader, “must-pass” bill was successfully employed recently by Representative Don Beyer (D., Virginia.), who inserted the “Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act” into the CHIPS and Science Act.
Thank you for your support of a quieter America.
Sincerely yours,
Your Name
Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet is a national citizens’ organization devoted to noise reduction.