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Vermont senators hear sharply divided testimony on S.66, bill to curb vehicle noise
Summary
Supporters, including residents and public‑health experts, urged passage of S.66 to limit unmuffled exhaust and engine/compression braking. Trucking and fuel industry witnesses opposed parts of the bill, citing safety and inspection concerns and asking the committee to amend inspection rules instead.
The Vermont Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday heard more than an hour of public testimony on S.66, a proposed state law that would tighten limits on vehicle noise by targeting aftermarket mufflers and restricting the use of engine/compression brakes (commonly called "Jake brakes") and certain self-inspection practices for fleets.
Supporters said the bill is aimed at protecting residents' sleep and health in village centers and other populated corridors. "Vermont has among the weakest muffler laws in the country," said Karen Atkins, a Stowe resident and filmmaker who has researched transportation noise; she told the committee her film documented "120 to 160 high noise events per day in excess of 80 decibels" in parts of Stowe. Jamie Banks, founder of Quiet Communities and chair of the American Public Health Association noise and health committee,…
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