Memorandum From the President on the Urban Noise Program

Memorandum for the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Administrator of the General Services Administration, the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Chairman of the Interagency Coordinating Council

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, I recognized that city noise is an integral part of a vibrant city lifestyle, reflecting city patterns of commerce that must be preserved and enhanced, but that much urban noise is harmful to urban living and could be abated.

I am initiating today a program to reduce urban noise by making existing programs work better through interagency and intergovernmental cooperation. I am directing you, in consultation with other federal agencies, to:
• initiate programs to achieve soundproofing and weatherization of noise sensitive buildings, such as schools and hospitals;
• promote the use of quiet-design features in the planning, design, and operation of proposed urban transportation projects;
• encourage noise-sensitive developments, such as housing, to be located away from major noise sources;
• help federal, state and local agencies buy quiet equipment and products; and
• support neighborhood self-reliance efforts seeking to identify and address local noise problems.

The Federal Interagency Committee on Noise, chaired by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall coordinate the implementation of this program. The Chairman of my Interagency Coordinating Council will assist the Interagency Committee and other intergovernmental cooperative efforts to assure that this program is carried out fully and promptly, including consultation with state and local governments.

The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency will report to the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget on the progress of this new program on February 1, 1980, and on August 1, 1980.

JIMMY CARTER