Air quality, infant mortality, and the clean air act of 1970. The act set out state and federal regulations to limit emissions and the environmental protection agency was established to help enforce the regulations. Clean air act of 1955 1963,1965, 1970, 1977,1990 national 1 clean air act of 1955 1963,1965, 1970, 1977, 1990national 2 clean air act of. The clean air act is a federal law written to cover the regulation of air pollution in the united states both fixed sources such as coal power plants and moving sources like automobiles. The epa has allowed the individual states to elect. The benefits and costs of the clean air act, 1970 to 1990. Clean air act of 1955 1963,1965, 1970, 1977,1990 national. Over a million stunning new images at your fingertips. Nrdc legislative facts the clean air act is a genuine american success story and one of the most effective tools in u. Clean air act of 1970 policy the clean air act caa was passed in 1970 and sets laws that regulate the air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. The benefits and costs of the clean air act, 1970 to. What was the importance of the clean air act of 1970 to the. Policy evaluation even though the deadlines originally imposed in the 1970 amendments ultimately were not met, the amendments unquestionably succeeded in fostering a profound attitude shift.
The clean air act remains one of the most significant and complex pieces of environmental legislation in the countrys history. The clean air act has a proven track record of comprehensive and. D if, after the date of the enactment of the clean air act amendments of 1990, the administrator modifies the method of determining compliance with the national primary ambient air quality standard, a design value or other indicator comparable to 0. Pdf the major provisions of the clean air act of 1970 were summarized and their implementations. Pdf is used for representing twodimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system. The clean air act works center for biological diversity. The principal statute addressing air quality concerns, the clean air act was first enacted in 1955, with major revisions in 1970, 1977, and 1990. The clean water act the clean water act of 1972 set minimum standards for water purity in a. It required that emissions from new automobiles be reduced by 90% during the period from 1971. This was the most recent of three significant development in environmental legislation in years, along with the clean air act of 1970 and the 1977 clean air act amendments. This legislation authorized the development of comprehensive federal and state regulations to limit emissions from both stationary industrial sources and mobile sources. Clean air act text overview of the clean air act and air.
The 1990 amendments contain 7 separate titles covering different regulatory. This conference is brought to you for free and open access by the academic journals at. In 1990, congress dramatically revised and expanded the clean air act, providing epa even broader authority to implement and enforce regulations reducing air placed an increased emphasis on more costeffective approaches to reduce air pollution. Clean air act full text of the regulations and amendments. Previous research has established an association between air pollution and adult mortality. The obvious counterpoint would be that they were able to use new technology to respond to the restrictions then, so why not now. The plain english guide to the clean air act pdf epa. A summary of the act and its major requirements congressional research service summary this report summarizes the clean air act and its major regulatory requirements. For the 1970 amendments moved environmental protection concerns to a prominent position on capitol hill, where they by and large have remained ever since. Overall, the estimates imply that at least 1,300 fewer infants died from 197172 than would have in the absence of the clean air act regulations. The report shows that the public health protection and environmental benefits of the clean air act exceeded the costs of its programs by a large margin.
Yet, for all its warts, technology forcing has enjoyed far more political support than gasoline taxes and other instruments that might be more costeffective in achieving the. Legislation passed since then has made several minor changes. The clean air act of 1970 set out for the united states a basic, yet ambitious, objective to reduce pollution to levels that protect health and welfare. Clean air act united states house of representatives. This act gives the epa the authority to regulate how much pollutants can enter the air in any state in the us congressional. Memoranda ford select list, 19551964 1 a full bibliographic record is available from the university of southampton library catalogue. However, studies utilizing shortterm fluctuations in pollution may detect mortality changes among the already ill or dying, while prospective cohort studies, which utilize geographic differences in longrun pollution levels, may suffer from severe omitted variables bias. Boost engagement with internal communication videos. The practice of federalism under the clean air act core. Historians of the environmental movement are likely to peg earth day 1970 as a key turning point in the american publics consciousness about environmental problems.
The act was updated in 1977 and dramatically in 1990. When the clean air act first became law in 1970, the senate passed it without a single nay vote. The last major change in the law, the clean air act amendments of 1990, was enacted by congress in 1990. Under the clean air act of 1970 and 1977, the epa set emissions limits for seven hazardous pollutantsberyllium, mercury, vinyl chloride, asbestos, benzene, radionuclides, and arsenic. The evidence supports the conclusion that air pollution has a causal effect on infant health and that the 1970 clean air act provided significant health benefits. Chay michaelgreenstone workingpaper0408 august2003 roome52251 50memorialdrive cambridge,ma02142.
The actwhich underwent major revisions in 1990 and 2003deals with ambient air. The 1970 clean air act required states to develop state implementation plans for how they would meet new national ambient air quality standards by 1977. To implement the strict new clean air act of 1970, during his first term as epa. Indeed, a comprehensive costbenefit analysis of the 1970 clean air act found that the costs of the mobile source program have been far greater than the benefits. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. I believe that congress enactment of the 1970 amendments to the clean air act a few months later was an equally significant landmark. Due to inconsistencies among state air programs, uncertainties in the scientific bases for the various criteria, and the jurisdictional obstacles to resolving regional and transboundary air quality concerns, congress strengthened the federal role in air pollution control in the clean air act of 1970. Portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe systems for document exchange. It funded research for scope and sources of air pollution. A recent epa analysis of the clean air act amendments of 1990 caaa found that the benefits from caaa regulation far outweigh the costs by a factor of 30 to 1 with highbenefit estimates exceeding costs 90 to 1 the benefits and costs of the clean air act, 1990 to 2020. The clean air act physicians for social responsibility. Its success or failure has obvious consequences for the quality of the air we breathe. Since its inception, the clean air act has arguably had a greater impact on the lives of americans than any other environmental statute, and it promises to continue this trend as new legal developments expand its reach.
The clean air act was created in 1963 and amended in 1970 and 1990 to ensure that air pollution is researched and controlled. The clean air act is the law that defines epas responsibilities for protecting and improving the nations air quality and the stratospheric ozone. Authorized the establishment of national ambient air quality standards established requirements for state implementation plans to achieve the. Sustainability trends reducing emissions at airports pdf. The primary goal of the clean air act is ensuring public health, but the act has a secondary effect of improving the environment by regulating the production of some greenhouse gases. The major provisions of the clean air act of 1970 were summarized and their implementations discussed. Its a big job, and although a great deal of progress has been made, it will take time to make the air healthy throughout the country. Air quality, infant mortality, and the clean air act of 1970 kenneth y.
Jun 01, 2015 authorized the establishment of national ambient air quality standards established requirements for state implementation plans to achieve the national ambient air quality standards authorized the. The amendments in 1970 were an entirely rewritten version of the original clean air act. The clean air act amendments of 1990 were signed into law as p. The clean air act the clean air act of 1970 was created with recognition of the fact that pollution sometimes crosses the boundary lines of local jurisdictions and extends into two or more states. What was the significance of the clean air act of 1970. The act and its federal bully pulpit led to the expanded influence or in some cases the creation of local agencies such as the california air resources board to administer the clean air act. Act, giving the federal government authority to clean up air. Contains public sector information licensed under the open government licence v3. Solutions to air pollution to combat pollution in the united states, the clean air act amendments of 1970 gave the environmental protection agency epa the authority to establish and enforce air pollution standards and to set emission standards for new factories and extremely hazardous industrial pollutants. List of books and articles about clean air act online. In principle, it was a law that would show excellent results. Oct 04, 2016 i believe that congress enactment of the 1970 amendments to the clean air act a few months later was an equally significant landmark.
The clean air act of 1970 and adult mortality springerlink. An act to amend the clean air act to provide for a more effective program to improve the quality of the nations air. To strengthen this automakers argument, we need to find the answer choice that shows that meeting the standards will be more burdensome now than it was in 1970. Airquality,infantmortauty,andthecleanairactof1970 abstract weexaminetheeffectsoftotalsuspendedparticulatestspsairpollutiononinfanthealthusing. Pdf enforcing the clean air act of 1970 researchgate. Chay and michael greenstone august 2003 we thank david card, doug almond, josh. Includes scans of transcripts of hearings before the senate committee on public works, its subcommittee on air and water pollution and its subcommittee on water quality from june 2 to october 19, 1971 on legislation that resulted in the clean water act of 1972. The enactment of the clean air act of 1970 1970 caa resulted in a major shift in the federal governments role in air pollution control. Chay and michael greenstone august 2003 we thank david card, doug almond, josh angrist, gary becker, david cutler, john dinardo, carlos. Air act programs to reduce air pollution nationwide. Only one representative had voted against the bill. An interactive history of the clean air act 1st edition.