FINDINGS AND POLICY
SEC. 2. (a) The Congress finds—
(1) that inadequately controlled noise pre- sents a growing danger to the health and welfare of the Nation's population, particu- larly in urban areas;
(2) that the major sources of noise in- clude transportation vehicles and equipment, machinery, appliances, and other products in commerce; and
(3) that, while primary responsibility for control of noise rests with State and local governments, Federal action is essential to deal with major noise sources in commerce control of which require national uniformity of treatment.
(b) The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to promote an environment for all Americans free from noise that jeopardizes their health or wel- fare. To that end, it is the purpose of this Act to establish a means for effective co- ordination of Federal research and activities in noise control, to authorize the establish- ment of Federal noise emission standards for products distributed in commerce, and to provide information to the public respecting the noise emission and noise reduction char- acteristics of such products.
(8) The term "distribute in commerce" means sell in, offer for sale in, or introduce or deliver for introduction into, commerce.
(9) The term "State" includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
(10) The term “Federal agency" means an executive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code) and includes the United States Postal Service. "environmental noise' "" (11) The term means the intensity, duration, and the char- acter of sounds from all sources.
SEC. 4. (a) The Congress authorizes and directs that Federal agencies shall, to the fullest extent consistent with their authority under Federal laws administered by them, carry out the programs within their control in such a manner as to further the policy declared in section 2(b).
(b) Each department, agency, or instru- mentality of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Govern- ment-
(1) having jurisdiction over any property or facility, or
(2) engaged in any activity resulting, or which may result, in the emission of noise, shall comply with Federal, State, interstate, and local requirements respecting control and abatement of environmental noise to the same extent that any person is subject to such requirements. The President may exempt any single activity or facility, including noise emission sources or classes thereof, of any department, agency, or instrumentality in the executive branch from compliance with any such requirement if he determines it to be in the paramount interest of the United States to do so; except that no exemption, other than for those products referred to in section 3(3)(B) of this Act,
as the Administrator specifies in the request, but such time specified may not be less than ninety days from the date the request was made. The report shall be published in the Federal Register and shall be accompanied by a detailed statement of the findings and con- clusions of the agency respecting the revi- sion of its standard or regulation. With re- spect to the Federal Aviation Administration, section 611 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (as amended by section 7 of this Act) shall apply in lieu of this paragraph.
(3) On the basis of regular consultation with appropriate Federal agencies, the Ad- ministrator shall compile and publish, from time to time, a report on the status and progress of Federal activities relating to noise reseach and noise control. This report shall describe the noise-control programs of each Federal agency and assess the contributions of those programs to the Federal Govern- ment's overall efforts to control noise. IDENTIFICATION OF MAJOR NOISE SOURCES; NOISE CRITERIA AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGY SEC. 5. (a) (1) The Administrator shall, after consultation with appropriate Federal agencies and within nine months of the date of the enactment of this Act, develop and publish criteria with respect to noise. Such criteria shall reflect the scientific knowledge most useful in indicating the kind and extent of all identifiable effects on the public health or welfare which may be expected from differ- ing quantities and qualities of noise.
(2) The Administrator shall, after con- sultation with appropriate Federal agencies and within twelve months of the date of the enactment of this Act, publish information on the levels of environmenal noise the at- tainment and maintenace of which in de- fined areas under various conditions are re- quisite to protect the public health and welfare with an adequate margin of safety. (b) The Administrator shall, after con- sultation with appropriate Federal agencies,
compile and publish a report or series of reports (1) identifying products (or classes of products) which in his judgment are major sources of noise, and (2) giving in- formation on techniques for control of noise from such products, including available data on the technology, costs, and alternative methods of noise control. The first such report shall be published not later than eighteen months after the date of enact- ment of this Act.
(c) The Administrator shall from time to time review and, as appropriate, revise or supplement any criteria or reports published under this section.
(d) Any report (or revision thereof) under subsection (b)(1) identifying major noise sources shall be published in the Federal Register. The publication or revision under this section of any criteria or information on control techniques shall be anounced in the Federal Register, and copies shall be made available to the general public.
NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS FOR PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED IN COMMERCE
SEC. 6. (a) (1) The Administrator shall publish proposed regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for each product-
(A) which is identified (or is part of a class identified) in any report published under section 5(b)(1) as a major source of noise,
(B) for which, in his judgment, noise emission standards are feasible, and
(C) which falls in one of the following categories:
(1) Construction equipment.
(ii) Transportation equipment (includ- ing recreational vehicles and related equip- ment).
(iii) Any motor or engine (including any equipment of which an engine or motor is an integral part).
(iv) Electrical or electronic equipment. (2) (A) Initial proposed regulations under
ment, noise emission standards are feasible and are requisite to protect the public health and welfare. Not earlier than six months after the date of publication of such pro- posed regulations respecting such product, he may prescribe regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for such product.
(c) (1) Any regulation prescribed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section (and any revision thereof) respecting a product shall include a noise emission standard which shall set limits on noise emissions from such product and shall be a standard which in the Administrator's judgment, based on criteria published under section 5, is requisite to pro- tect the public health and welfare, taking into account the magnitude and conditions of use of such product (alone or in com- bination with other noise sources) the degree of noise reduction achievable through the application of the best available technology, and the cost of compliance. In establishing such a standard for any product, the Admin- istrator shall give appropriate consideration to standards under other laws designed to safeguard the health and welfare of persons, including any standards under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, the Clean Air Act, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Any such noise emission standards shall be a performance standard. In addition, any regulation under subsection (a) or (b) (and any revision thereof) may contain testing procedures necessary to assure compliance with the emission standard in such regulation, and may contain provisions respecting instruc- tions of the manufacturer for the mainte- nance, use, or repair of the product.
(2) After publication of any proposed reg- ulations under this section, the Adminis- trator shall allow interested persons an op- portunity to participate in rulemaking in accordance with the first sentence of section 553 (c) of title 5, United States Code.
(3) The Administrator may revise any reg
(A) with respect to any new product for which a regulation has been prescribed by the Administrator under this section, any law or regulation which sets a limit on noise emissions from such new product and which is not identical to such regulation of the Administrator; or
(B) with respect to any component incor- porated into such new product by the manu- facturer of such product, any law or regula- tion setting a limit on noise emissions from such component when so incorporated.
(2) Subject to sections 17 and 18, nothing in this section precludes or denies the right of any State or political subdivision thereof to establish and enforce controls on environ- mental noise (or one or more sources thereof) through the licensing, regulation, or restric- tion of the use, operation, or movement of any product or combination of products.
AIRCRAFT NOISE STANDARDS
SEC. 7. (a) The Administrator, after con- sultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and interested persons, shall conduct a study of the (1) adequacy of Fed- eral Aviation Administration flight and op- erational noise controls; (2) adequacy of noise emission standards on new and existing aircraft, together with recommendations on the retrofitting and phaseout of existing air- craft; (3) implications of identifying and achieving levels of cumulative noise exposure around airports; and (4) additional measures available to airport operators and local gov- ernments to control aircraft noise. He shall report on such study to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Commit- tees on Commerce and Public Works of the Senate within nine months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Section 611 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1431) is amended to read as follows:
"CONTROL AND ABATEMENT OF AIRCRAFT NOISE AND SONIC BOOM
paragraph (1) shall be published not later than eighteen months after the date of en- actment of this Act, and shall apply to any product described in paragraph (1) which is identified (or is a part of a class identified) as a major source of noise in any report. published under section 5(b) (1) on or be- fore the date of publication of such initial proposed regulations.
(B) In the case of any product described in paragraph (1) which is identified (or is part of a class identified) as a major source of noise in a report published under section 5(b) (1) after publication of the initial pro- posed regulations under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, regulations under para- graph (1) for such product shall be pro- posed and published by the Administrator not later than eighteen months after such report is published.
(3) After proposed regulations respecting a product have been published under para- graph (2), the Administrator shall, unless in his judgment noise emission standards are not feasible for such product, prescribe reg- ulations, meeting the requirements of sub- section (c), for such product-
(A) not earlier than six months after publication of such proposed regulations, and (B) not later than-
(1) twenty-four months after the date of enactment of this Act, in the case of a product subject to proposed regulations published under paragraph (2) (A), or
(ii) in the case of any other product, twenty-four months after the publication of the report under section 5(b) (1) identifying it (or a class of products of which it is a part) as a major source of noise.
(b) The Administrator may publish pro- posed regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for any product for which he is not required by subsection (a) to pre- scribe regulations but for which, in his judg-
ulation prescribed by him under this section by (A) publication of proposed revised regu- lations, and (B) the promulgation, not ear- lier than six months after the date of such
publication, of regulations making the re- vision; except that a revision which makes only technical or clerical corrections in a regulation under this section may be pro- mulgated earlier than six months after such date if the Administrator finds that such earlier promulgation is in the public in- terest.
(d) (1) On and after the effective date of any regulation prescribed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the manufacturer of each new product to which such regula- tion applies shall warrant to the ultimate purchaser and each subsequent purchaser that such product is designed, built, and equipped so as to conform at the time of sale with such regulation.
(2) Any cost obligation of any dealer in- curred as a result of any requirement im- posed by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be borne by the manufacturer. The transfer of any such cost obligation from a manufacturer to any dealer through fran- chise or other agreement is prohibited.
(3) If a manufacturer includes in any ad- vertisement a statement respecting the cost or value of noise emission control devices or systems, such manufacturer shall set forth in such statement the cost or value at- tributed to such devices or systems by the Secretary of Labor (through the Bureau of Labor Statistics). The Secretary of Labor, and his representatives, shall have the same access for this purpose to the books, docu- ments, papers, and records of a manufac- turer as the Comptroller General has to those of a recipient of assistance for purposes of section 311 of the Clean Air Act.
(e) (1) No State or political subdivision thereof may adopt or enforce-
"SEC. 611. (a) For purposes of this section: "(1) The term 'FAA' means Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. "(2) The term 'EPA' means the Adminis- trator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“(b) (1) In order to afford present and fu- ture relief and protection to the public health and welfare from aircraft noise and sonic boom, the FAA, after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and with EPA, shall prescribe and amend standards for the measurement of aircraft noise and sonic boom and shall prescribe and amend such regulations as the FAA may find necessary to provide for the control and abatement of aircraft noise and sonic boom, including the application of such standards and regula- tions in the issuance, amendment, modifica- tion, suspension, or revocation of any cer- tificate authorized by this title. No exemption with respect to any standard or regulation under this section may be granted under any provision of this Act unless the FAA shall have consulted with EPA before such ex- emption is granted, except that if the FAA determines that safety in air commerce or air transportation requires that such an ex- emption be granted before EPA can be con- sulted, the FAA shall consult with EPA as soon as practicable after the exemption is granted.
"(2) The FAA shall not issue an original type certificate under section 603 (a) of this Act for any aircraft for which substantial noise abatement can be achieved by prescrib- ing standards and regulations in accordance with this section, unless he shall have pre- scribed standards and regulations in accord- ance with this section which apply to such aircraft and which protect the public from aircraft noise and sonic boom, consistent. with the considerations listed in subsection (d).
"(c) (1) Not earlier than the date of sub- mission of the report required by section 7 (a) of the Noise Control Act of 1972, EPA shall submit to the FAA proposed regulations to provide such control and abatement of aircraft noise and sonic boom (including control and abatement through the exercise of any of the FAA's regulatory authority over air commerce or transportation or over air- craft or airport operations) as EPA deter- mines is necessary to protect the public health and welfare. The FAA shall consider such proposed regulations submitted by EPA under this paragraph and shall, within thirty days of the date of its submission to the FAA, publish the proposed regulations in a notice of proposed rulemaking. Within sixty days after such publication, the FAA shall commence a hearing at which inter- ested persons shall be afforded an opportu- nity for oral (as well as written) presenta- tions of data, views, and arguments. Within a reasonable time after the conclusion of such hearing and after consultation with EPA, the FAA shall-
"(A) in accordance with subsection (b), prescribe regulations (1) substantially as they were submitted by EPA, or (ii) which are a modification of the proposed regulations submitted by EPA, or
"(B) publish in the Federal Register a notice that it is not prescribing any regula- tion in response to EPA's submission of pro- posed regulations, together with a detailed explanation providing reasons for the deci- sion not to prescribe such regulations.
"(2) If EPA has reason to believe that the FAA's action with respect to a regulation proposed by EPA under paragraph (1)(A) (ii) or (1) (B) of this subsection does not protect the public health and welfare from aircraft noise or sonic boom, consistent with the considerations listed in subsection (d) of this section, EPA shall consult with the FAA and may request the FAA to review,
"(d) In prescribing and amending standards and regulations under this section, the FAA shall
"(1) consider relevant available data re- lating to aircraft noise and sonic boom, in- cluding the results of research, development, testing, and evaluation activities conducted pursuant to this Act and the Department of Transportation Act;
"(2) consult with such Federal, State, and interstate agencies as he deems appro- priate;
"(3) consider whether any proposed stand- ard or regulation is consistent with the highest degree of safety in air commerce or air transportation in the public interest; ""(4) consider whether any proposed stand- ard or regulation is economically reasonable, technologically practicable, and appropriate for the particular type of aircraft, aircraft engine, appliance, or certificate to which it will apply; and
"(5) consider the extent to which such standard or regulation will contribute to car- rying out the purposes of this section.
"(e) In any action to amend, modify, sus- pend, or revoke a certificate in which viola- tion of aircraft noise or sonic boom standards or regulations is at issue, the certificate holder shall have the same notice and ap- peal rights as are contained in section 609, and in any appeal to the National Transpor- tation Safety Board, the Board may amend, modify, or reverse the order of the FAA if it finds that control of abatement of aircraft noise or sonic boom and the public health and welfare do not require the affirmation of such order, or that such order is not consistent with safety in air commerce or air transportation.'
(1) standards, rules, and regulations prescribed under section 611 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, and
(2) exemptions, granted under any provision of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958,
SEC. 10. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), the following acts or the causing thereof are prohibited:
(1) In the case of a manufacturer, to dis- tribute in commerce any new product manu- factured after the effective date of a regula- tion prescribed under section 6 which is ap- plicable to such product, except in conform- ity with such regulation.
(2) (A) The removal or rendering inopera- tive by any person, other than for purpose of maintenance, repair, or replacement, of any device or element of design incorporated into any product in compliance with regulations under section 6, prior to its sale or delivery to the ultimate purchaser or while it is in use, or (B) the use of a product after such device or element of design has been removed or rendered inoperative by any person.
(3) In the case of a manufacturer, to dis- tribute in commerce any new product manu- factured after the effective date of a regula- tion prescribed under section 8(b) (requir- ing information respecting noise) which is applicable to such product, except in con- formity with such regulation.
(4) The removal by any person of any notice affixed to a product or container pur- suant to regulations prescribed under section 8(b), prior to sale of the product to the ulti- mate purchaser.
(5) The importation into the United States by any person of any new product in viola- tion of a regulation prescribed under sec- tion 9 which is applicable to such product.
(6) The failure or refusal by any person to comply with any requirement of section 11(d) or 13(a) or regulations prescribed un- der section 13 (a), 17, or 18.
(b) (1) For the purpose of research, investigations, studies, demonstrations,
and report to EPA on, the advisability of prescribing the regulation originally pro- posed by EPA. Any such request shall be published in the Federal Register and shall include a detailed statement of the informa- tion on which it is based. The FAA shall complete the review requested and shall report to EPA within such time as EPA specifies in the request, but such time spec- ified may not be less than ninety days from the date the request was made. The FAA's report shall be accompanied by a detailed statement of the FAA's findings and the reasons for the FAA's conclusions; shall identify any statement filed pursuant to section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environ- mental Policy Act of 1969 with respect to such action of the FAA under paragraph (1) of this subsection; and shall specify whether (and where) such statements are available for public inspection. The FAA's report shall be published in the Federal Register, except in a case in which EPA's request proposed specific action to be taken by the FAA, and the FAA's report indicates such action will be taken.
"(3) If, in the case of a matter described in paragraph (2) of this subsection with re- spect to which no statement is required to be filed under such section 102 (2) (C), the report of the FAA indicates that the pro- posed regulation originally submitted by EPA should not be made, then EPA may request the FAA to file a supplemental re- port, which shall be published in the Fed- eral Register within such a period as EPA may specify (but such time specified shall not be less than ninety days from the date the request was made), and which shall contain a comparison of (A) the environ- mental effects (including those which can- not be avoided) of the action actually taken by the FAA in response to EPA's proposed regulations, and (B) EPA's proposed reg- ulations.
SEC. 8. (a) The Administrator shall by reg- ulation designate any product (or class there- of)
(1) which emits noise capable of adversely affecting the public health or welfare; or
(2) which is sold wholly or in part on the basis of its effective ess in reduci g noise.
(b) For each product (or class thereof) designated under subsection (a) the Admin- istrator shall by regulation require that no- tice be given to the prospective user of the level of the noise the product emits, or of its effectiveness in reducing noise, as the case may be. Such regulations shall specify (1) whether such notice shall be affixed to the product or to the outside of its container, or to both, at the time of its sale to the ultimate purchaser or whether such notice shall be given to the prospective user in some other manner, (2) the form of the notice, and (3) the methods and units of measurement to be used. Sections 6(c) (2) shall apply to the prescribing of any regulation under this sec- tion.
(c) This section does not prevent any State or political subdivision thereof from regulat- ing product labeling or information respect- ing products in any way not in conflict with regulations prescribed by the Administrator under this section.
training, or for reasons of national security, the Administrator may exempt for a specified period of time any product, or class there- of, from paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (5) of subsection (a), upon such terms and condi- tions as he may find necessary to protect the public health or welfare.
(2) Paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) of subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to any product which is manufactured solely for use outside any State and which (and the container of which) is labeled or otherwise marked to show that it is manufactured solely for use outside any State; except that such paragraphs shall apply to such product if it is in fact distributed in commerce for use in any State.
SEC. 11. (a) Any person who willfully or knowingly violates paragraph (1), (3), (5), or (6) of subsection (a) of section 10 of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not more than $25,000 per day of violation, or by im- prisonment for not more than one year, or by both. If the conviction is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this subsection, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than $50,000 per day of violation, or by imprisonment for not more than two years, or by both.
(b) For the purpose of this section, each day of violation of any paragraph of section 10(a) shall constitute a separate violation of that section.
(c) The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction of actions brought by and in the name of the United States to re- strain any violation of section 10 (a) of this Act.
(d) (1) Whenever any person is in viola- tion of section 10(a) of this Act, the Ad- ministrator may issue an order specifying such relief as he determines is necessary to protect the public health and welfare.
(2) Any order under this subsection shall
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