by Jamie L. Banks, PhD, MS, Executive Director, Quiet Communities, Inc., Co-Founder, The Quiet Coalition On Thursday, December 16, an audience of nearly 200 was inspired by municipal and government leaders who are leading by example to transition land care to clean, quiet practices. The virtual conference, hosted by Boston University and Quiet Communities, brought
Rick Reibstein provides some context for thinking about the issue of pre-emption of state small engine regulation under the Clean Air Act.
The persistence of noise in our lives and the failure of the federal government to match that persistence with preventive efforts may make some question whether there is such a thing as a right to quiet. Rick Reibstein's paper discusses ways of thinking about the right to quiet.
Photo credit: Doug Kerr licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, and Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition With traffic noise recognized as “one of the worst environmental stressors for humans by the World Health Organization, second only to air pollution,” John Hartig, GreatLakesNow, writes that researchers at the University of
Following enactment of the Noise Control Act of 1972 and the Quiet Communities Act of 1978, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established an Office of Noise Abatement and Control (ONAC) to promulgate noise emission standards, require product labeling, facilitate the development of low noise products, coordinate Federal noise reduction programs, assist State and local noise
By David M. Sykes, Vice Chair, Quiet Coalition May 28, 2019 In San Jose, California, the City Council recently considered two separate co...
It seems obvious we need a better definition of noise than the one we’ve got, doesn’t it? We all think we know what “noise” is, but the technical and legal people who develop policies and regulations need to have a solid, authoritative, operational definition and history doesn’t provide them with one. Believe it or not,
Municipal officials struggling with complaints about gas-powered leaf blowers and other lawn maintenance equipment may wonder about their authority to protect people from the pollution and noise the equipment emits. The struggle will be particularly thorny if officials face pressure from commercial interests fighting against any equipment ban or regulation. But one thing is clear,
