H.R. 4178, the Quiet Communities Act of 2023, is a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 15, 2023, that seeks to reestablish the EPA's Office of Noise Abatement and Control, which has received no funding since 1982. The bill highlights the serious health impacts of noise pollution — including hearing loss, cardiovascular disorders, sleep deprivation, and learning deficits in children — affecting millions of Americans exposed to noise from aircraft, vehicular traffic, and other sources. Because the EPA remains legally responsible for enforcing noise regulations while lacking an active office to do so, and because federal law limits state and local governments from regulating many noise sources, the bill argues that noise abatement programs across the country have effectively lain dormant.Open full document
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H.R. 4178, introduced in the 118th Congress on June 15, 2023, seeks to reestablish the Office of Noise Abatement and Control within the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill’s findings detail the widespread health impacts of noise pollution, including hearing impairment, cardiovascular disorders, sleep loss, and learning deficits. It notes that the Office has not received funding since 1982, leaving noise abatement programs dormant across the United States.