42 U.S.C. § 4903 — Federal programs

(a) Congress directs federal agencies, as fully as their authority under the laws they administer allows, to carry out their programs in a way that advances the policy in section 4901(b).
(b) Every department, agency, or instrumentality of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch that (1) controls property or a facility, or (2) conducts an activity that emits or may emit noise, must comply with federal, State^*, interstate, and local environmental-noise control and abatement requirements to the same extent as any person^*. The President may exempt one executive-branch activity or facility, including a noise source or class of sources, if doing so is in the paramount interest of the United States. Except for products described in section 4902(3)(B), an exemption may not cover sections 4905, 4916, or 4917. Lack of an appropriation cannot justify an exemption unless the President specifically requested the money through the budget process and Congress did not provide it. An exemption may last no more than one year, though additional one-year exemptions may follow a new determination. Each January the President must report to Congress every exemption granted in the prior calendar year and the reason.
(c)(1) The Administrator^* must coordinate all federal noise-research and noise-control programs. Each agency must provide information the Administrator reasonably requests about its programs’ nature, scope, and results. (2) Each agency must consult the Administrator when setting noise standards or regulations. If the Administrator believes an agency standard or proposed standard does not protect health and welfare as much as necessary and feasible, the Administrator may ask the agency to review it and report on revision. The request may be published in the Federal Register and must include detailed supporting information. The agency must complete the review and report within the time the Administrator sets, which cannot be less than 90 days. The report must be published in the Federal Register with detailed findings and conclusions. For the Federal Aviation Administration, 49 U.S.C. § 44715 applies instead. (3) After regular consultation with appropriate agencies, the Administrator must periodically compile and publish a report on the status and progress of federal noise research and control. It must describe each agency’s noise-control program and assess its contribution to the federal government’s overall noise-control effort.