Where we go from here to engineer a quieter America

To engineer a quieter America requires action by engineers in private industry, consulting firms, government, academe, and professional societies. Public pressure must also be a driving force. Interactions with government agencies, including regulatory bodies, are necessary to develop a comprehensive national noise policy. This requires a multitude of interactions with federal, state, and local government regulatory authorities, as well as the US Congress. A national noise policy, were it to be formalized, would incorporate and supersede the noise policies of all of those regulatory bodies, as well as other agencies with noise policies, and would be approved by the Congress. There has been no successful effort to create a comprehensive national noise policy for more than four decades.