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Noise and the Noise Control Act
NOTE: In the past, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coordinated all federal noise control activities through its Office of Noise Abatement and Control. However, In 1981, the Administration at that time concluded that noise issues were best handled at the State or local government level. As a result, the EPA phased out the office's funding in 1982 as part of a shift in federal noise control policy to transfer the primary responsibility of regulating noise to state and local governments. However, the Noise Control Act of 1972 and the Quiet Communities Act of 1978 were not rescinded by Congress and remain in effect today, although essentially unfunded. View more information about noise pollution from EPA's Office of Air and Radiation and in our Frequently Questions database.
Press Releases
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EPA Identifies Noise Levels Affecting Health and Welfare
[EPA press release - April 2, 1974] -
EPA to Launch Noise Control Program
[EPA press release - November 6, 1972] -
EPA Proposes Quieting of Jet Airplanes
[EPA press release - January 31, 1975] -
EPA Establishes New Noise Label Program
[EPA press release - September 12, 1979]