Quiet Communities Act of 2025
The Quiet Communities Act of 2025 would reestablish the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control (ONAC), which has not received funding since 1982. The bill directs ONAC to help states and localities develop noise-control programs, fund equipment purchases, and support a nationwide research and assessment effort on how noise affects health and communities. It also requires public information, education materials, and training, plus regional technical assistance centers to aid local programs. A focused study on aircraft noise and its health and community impacts would be conducted, with a report to Congress within two years that includes concrete recommendations. The Act would repeal the 1970 Noise Pollution and Abatement Act and expand grant programs under the Noise Control Act of 1972, while authorizing $25 million annually for ONAC from 2026 to 2030.
Key Points
- 1Reestablishment of ONAC within the EPA to lead national noise-abatement efforts and coordinate with state, local, and private entities.
- 2Expanded duties include grants and technical assistance to states/localities, equipment purchases, national noise health research, a national noise environmental assessment program, public information and education, and regional training centers.
- 3Emphasis on local/state-led approaches, market-based incentives, and interagency coordination to implement noise-control efforts.
- 4Special study on aircraft noise and its health and community impacts, with contracts to independent scientists and a Congress-ordered report within 2 years outlining health thresholds and effectiveness of aircraft-noise abatement programs.
- 5Repeal of the Noise Pollution and Abatement Act of 1970 and new grants framework under the Quiet Communities Program, including training on noise-abatement equipment and implementation of abatement plans.