
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC4903]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                        CHAPTER 65--NOISE CONTROL
 
Sec. 4903. Federal programs


(a) Furtherance of Congressional policy

    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 4901(b) of 
this title.

(b) Presidential authority to exempt activities or facilities from 
        compliance requirements

    Each department, agency, or instrumentality of the executive, 
legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government--
        (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 4902(3)(B) of this title, may be granted 
from the requirements of sections 4905, 4916, and 4917 of this title. No 
such exemption shall be granted due to lack of appropriation unless the 
President shall have specifically requested such appropriation as a part 
of the budgetary process and the Congress shall have failed to make 
available such requested appropriation. Any exemption shall be for a 
period not in excess of one year, but additional exemptions may be 
granted for periods of not to exceed one year upon the President's 
making a new determination. The President shall report each January to 
the Congress all exemptions from the requirements of this section 
granted during the preceding calendar year, together with his reason for 
granting such exemption.

(c) Coordination of programs of Federal agencies; standards and 
        regulations; status reports

    (1) The Administrator shall coordinate the programs of all Federal 
agencies relating to noise research and noise control. Each Federal 
agency shall, upon request, furnish to the Administrator such 
information as he may reasonably require to determine the nature, scope, 
and results of the noise-research and noise-control programs of the 
agency.
    (2) Each Federal agency shall consult with the Administrator in 
prescribing standards or regulations respecting noise. If at any time 
the Administrator has reason to believe that a standard or regulation, 
or any proposed standard or regulation, of any Federal agency respecting 
noise does not protect the public health and welfare to the extent he 
believes to be required and feasible, he may request such agency to 
review and report to him on the advisability of revising such standard 
or regulation to provide such protection. Any such request may be 
published in the Federal Register and shall be accompanied by a detailed 
statement of the information on which it is based. Such agency shall 
complete the requested review and report to the Administrator within 
such time 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 conclusions of 
the agency respecting the revision of its standard or regulation. With 
respect to the Federal Aviation Administration, section 44715 of title 
49 shall apply in lieu of this paragraph.
    (3) On the basis of regular consultation with appropriate Federal 
agencies, the Administrator shall compile and publish, from time to 
time, a report on the status and progress of Federal activities relating 
to noise research 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 Government's overall 
efforts to control noise.

(Pub. L. 92-574, Sec. 4, Oct. 27, 1972, 86 Stat. 1235.)

                          Codification

    In subsec. (c)(2), ``section 44715 of title 49'' substituted for 
``section 611 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (as amended by section 
7 of this Act)'' on authority of Pub. L. 103-272, Sec. 6(b), July 5, 
1994, 108 Stat. 1378, the first section of which enacted subtitles II, 
III, and V to X of Title 49, Transportation.
