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Sets a fixed review schedule for the federal noise-control criteria: the EPA Administrator must review the criteria within 2 years of enactment and at least once every 10 years after that. If the Administrator finds revisions or additions are needed after a review, they must revise or supplement the criteria. The change creates a recurring statutory duty for the Administrator to check and update noise criteria on a predictable timeline, and clarifies that updates must follow the required review process when deemed necessary.
The bill creates a predictable, decennial review cycle that pushes EPA to update noise standards and improve public-health and environmental-justice protections, at the cost of higher compliance costs for regulated entities, added administrative burden for EPA, and some risk of legal or implementation delays if drafting issues remain.
Residents in urban and overburdened communities will get updated noise standards on a regular schedule (every 10 years), forcing EPA to revise outdated standards and improving protection from harmful noise and environmental-justice outcomes.
State and local governments, utilities, and regulated entities gain a predictable schedule for regulatory review, increasing regulatory certainty and allowing better planning for compliance.
Utilities, local governments, and small businesses could face higher compliance costs if the periodic reviews lead to stricter noise criteria.
Drafting issues (e.g., unclear cross-references) could prompt legal challenges or implementation delays, slowing updates and creating uncertainty for state and local governments.
Requiring periodic EPA reviews and rulemakings imposes administrative workload on the agency, potentially diverting resources from other priorities.
Introduced December 23, 2025 by Robert Menendez · Last progress December 23, 2025