Support HB1399
The good rural neighbor act
Landowners report stress and inability to sleep due to round-the-clock noise from gas drilling operations and compressor stations. Some have compared the noise to the sound of a vacuum cleaner around their house and property 24 hours a day.
HB 1399 mandates that continuous noise pollution should not exceed 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night at 1,000 yards of distance from a compressor station or gas well site. Colorado has a similar requirement of 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night, while Louisiana prohibits anything more than 10 decibels over ambient noise.
Gas companies should also follow best noise management practices when building roads, pipelines and drilling pads.
A health impacts study in the Colorado gas fields showed that noise pollution can cause a range of problems, including psychological and social disruption. Unrelenting loud noise:
- increases blood pressure;
- has negative heart and cardiovascular effects;
- can cause an upset stomach or ulcer;
- can negatively impact a developing fetus, perhaps contributing to premature birth;
- disturbs sleep, even after the noise stops; and
- intensifies the effects of factors like drugs, alcohol, aging and carbon monoxide.
Noise is a particular nuisance to rural landowners in the Ozarks, many of whom love their land precisely because of the quiet solace that it offers.
