HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

91

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the Department of Health to adopt administrative rules to regulate noise pollution from household or residential sources.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, all citizens of the State of Hawaii are entitled to live in a safe environment that allows for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being; and

 

     WHEREAS, recent studies conducted by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and other international researchers have found that the level of exposure to noise over time is directly linked to the overall health of an individual; and

 

     WHEREAS, one study found long-term exposure to environmental noise results not only in auditory impacts, including loss of hearing, but has also been linked to other negative nonauditory impacts such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive performance, mental health, and sleep disturbance; and

 

     WHEREAS, as the State's population continues to increase and urban areas become more densely inhabited, the levels of, and exposure to, noise also increases exponentially; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Health regulates noise, air quality, water quality, noxious odors, and other environmental factors to ensure the safety and high quality of life of Hawaii citizens; and

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Health is charged with the regulation of noise under chapter 342F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which requires the Director of Health to "prevent, control, and abate noise pollution in the State" and empowers the creation, amendment, or repeal of rules for those purposes; and

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Health currently regulates noise pollution, prohibiting noise in residential zones above 55 dBA between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. from certain sources; and

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Health's current limitations on noise in residential zones still do not reach a variety of potent noise sources, including household items and domestic gardening tools; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, that the Department of Health is requested to adopt administrative rules to regulate noise pollution from household and residential sources above a rate of 55 dBA on parcels of land zoned as residential, excluding projects with a permit issued by State or County agencies; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to consider the following factors in determining whether noise pollution exists: recorded decibel, duration of the noise, time of day at which the noise occurs, nature and source of the noise, the character of the area in which it occurs, and duration of time in which the noise pollution occurs; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health adopt an appropriate system of citations, fines, or other courses of action to address individuals determined to be in violation of the noise pollution rules adopted by the Department of Health; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Department of Health; Noise Rules