---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 4903"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "4903"
heading: "Federal programs"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/4903"
units:
  - "Chapter 65 — Noise Control"
---

# §4903. Federal programs

- (a) **Furtherance of Congressional policy—** The Congress authorizes and directs that [Federal agencies](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10) 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](/usc/42/4901.md?p=b).
- (b) **Presidential authority to exempt activities or facilities from compliance requirements—** Each department, [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), 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](/usc/42/4902.md?p=9), interstate, and local requirements respecting control and abatement of [environmental noise](/usc/42/4902.md?p=11) to the same extent that any [person](/usc/42/4902.md?p=2) 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](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), 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](/usc/42/4902.md?p=3) referred to in [section 4902(3)(B) of this title](/usc/42/4902.md?p=3-B), may be granted from the requirements of sections [4905](/usc/42/4905.md), [4916](/usc/42/4916.md), and [4917](/usc/42/4917.md) 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](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) shall coordinate the programs of all [Federal agencies](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10) relating to noise research and noise control. Each [Federal agency](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10) shall, upon request, furnish to the [Administrator](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) 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](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1).
  - (2) Each [Federal agency](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10) shall consult with the [Administrator](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) in prescribing standards or regulations respecting noise. If at any time the [Administrator](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) has reason to believe that a standard or regulation, or any proposed standard or regulation, of any [Federal agency](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10) 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](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) 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](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) shall complete the requested review and report to the [Administrator](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) within such time as the [Administrator](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) 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](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) respecting the revision of its standard or regulation. With respect to the Federal Aviation Administration, [section 44715 of title 49](/usc/49/44715.md) shall apply in lieu of this paragraph.
  - (3) On the basis of regular consultation with appropriate [Federal agencies](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10), the [Administrator](/usc/42/4902.md?p=1) 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](/usc/42/4902.md?p=10) and assess the contributions of those programs to the Federal Government’s overall efforts to control noise.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 92–574, § 4, Oct. 27, 1972, 86 Stat. 1235.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### 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, § 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.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Termination of Reporting Requirements

For termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions in subsec. (b) of this section relating to annual report to Congress, see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance, and item 7 on page 20 of House Document No. 103–7.