<P> This trend continued strongly throughout the 1970s in the U.S., with about half of the states and hundreds of cities passing substantive noise control laws . Noise regulation subsided sharply in 1981, when Congress ended funding for the NCA . EPA had pre-empted lower levels of government from regulating sources, so states could not legislate standards such as for truck noise emissions . Thus, in areas where the federal government had failed to promulgate clear standards (such as aircraft noise), no further progress could be made except by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has an inherent conflict of interest regarding noise regulation . </P> <P> Nevertheless, some states continued to act . California carried out an ambitious plan to require its cities to establish a "Noise Element of the General Plan," which provides guidance for land planning decisions to minimize noise impacts on the public . Many cities throughout the U.S. also have noise ordinances, which specifies the allowable sound level that can cross property lines . These ordinances can be enforced with local police powers . </P> <P> Several European countries emulated the U.S. national noise control law: Netherlands (1979), France (1985), Spain (1993), and Denmark (1994). In some cases unlegislated innovations have led to quieter products exceeding legal mandates (for example, hybrid vehicles or best available technology in washing machines). Environmental noise is a special definition in the European directive 2002 / 49 / EC article 10.1 . </P> <P> The U.S. activities lag by 10 to 20 years behind most European countries . Russia, China and undeveloped countries lag even further behind . </P>

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