TagCongressional Research Service(3)

This Congressional Research Service report explains how President Trump's 2025 executive orders revoked earlier Clinton and Biden administration environmental justice policies and directed federal agencies, including the EPA, to close environmental justice offices and end related programs. The report outlines which specific EPA programs and activities may be affected, such as grant programs, screening tools, and interagency councils. It also notes that while the executive orders change agency priorities, they do not override existing federal pollution control laws that Congress has established.

This Congressional Research Service report explains how the federal government regulates aircraft noise around U.S. airports, primarily through two FAA programs: a voluntary noise compatibility planning program (Part 150) and a framework governing noise-based access restrictions (Part 161). It also highlights a key policy debate around whether the longstanding DNL 65 decibel threshold for 'significant' noise is still appropriate, given newer FAA survey data suggesting communities are significantly annoyed at much lower noise levels. The report is relevant to ongoing discussions about updating federal aviation noise standards ahead of the expected 2023 FAA reauthorization.