Ch. 709                            MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                                  1489

Quality Control" of said Article and title to "Air Quality and Noise Control,"
establishing noise control as a policy of the State of Maryland, placing that
control under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene, creating a Noise Pollution Control Advisory Council and providing for
the methods for selection of its members, providing that noise pollution control
regulations be submitted to the General Assembly and become effective [[if not
acted upon]] upon adoption by the General Assembly by the General Assembly
[[within forty-five days]], and providing for the enforcement and
administration of these provisions under generally the same procedures as for
air pollution.

SECTION 3. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That Sections 690, 691, 692, 693, 697, and 699 of Article 43 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1971 Replacement Volume and 1972 Supplement),
title "Health," subtitle "Air Quality Control," be and they are hereby repealed
and re-enacted, with amendments, that a new Section 695A be and it is hereby
added to said Article, title and subtitle, immediately to precede Section 696
thereof, to change the subtitle "Air Quality Control" of said Article and title to
"Air Quality and Noise Control," and all to read as follows:

Air Quality AND NOISE Control

690. Declaration of policy; jurisdiction of Department.

(a)  It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State of Maryland to maintain
that degree of purity of the air resources of the State AND LIMIT NOISE TO
THAT LEVEL which will protect the health, general welfare and property of the
people of the State.

(b)   For this purpose the State Department of Health AND MENTAL
HYGIENE shall assume responsibility for the jurisdiction over emissions into the
air, [and] ambient air quality, AND THE LEVEL OF NOISE.

691. Definitions.

For the purposes of this subtitle:

(a)  The term "air pollution" shall mean the presence in the outdoor atmosphere
of substances in quantities, having characteristics and being of a duration which,
from any single source or in combination with other sources, are, or may be
predicted with reasonable certainty to be injurious to human, plant or animal life
or to property, or which unreasonably interfere with the proper enjoyment of the
property of others by reason of the emission of odors, solids, vapors, liquids or
gases, throughout the State and in such areas of the State as are affected thereby.
Unless a definite health hazard is concerned, the term "air pollution" does not
include airborne fluff resulting from the drying, loading, or unloading of corn
grain, these particles of fluff being sometimes known and referred to as "bees'
wings."

(b)   The term "Board" shall mean the State Board of Health and Mental
Hygiene.

(c)  The term "Council" shall mean the Air Quality Control Advisory Council.

(d)   The term "Department" shall mean the Maryland State Department of
Health AND MENTAL HYGIENE.