After this act was put into place, many physical ailments, such as asthma, decreased dramatically in many large cities across the united states. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Environmental protection agency epa to establish national ambient air quality standards naaqs to protect public. The clean air act, signed into law in1970 and strengthened in 1990, gave the federal government the authority to enforce regulations that limit air pollution. The clean air act was created in 1963 and amended in 1970 and 1990 to ensure that. Portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe systems for document exchange. The federal clean air act california air resources board.
Sulfur dioxide, which has been regulated under the act for decades, can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles in the upper atmosphere. Pdf is used for representing twodimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system. The use of clean energy, including wind turbines and solar panels, helps to keep our air clean. The clean air act gave the federal environmental protection agency epa the power it needed to take effective action to fight environmental pollution. An act to consolidate the clean air acts 1956 and 1968 and certain related enactments, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the law. A summary of the act and its major requirements congressional research service 1 introduction the authorities and responsibilities of the environmental protection agency epa derive primarily from a dozen major environmental statutes.
The impact of the clean air act pubmed central pmc. The epa is responsible for implementing the clean air act regulations. The clean air act caa is the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Efforts to control air pollution in the united states date back to 1881, when chicago and cincinnati passed laws to control. The clean air act amendments of 1990 were signed into law as p. Department of health, education and services to create and enforce auto emission standards. The clean air act is important to environmental science because it was one of the ground breaking pollution control acts. Since 1955, the united states government has attempted to deal with the problem of air pollution. Basic elements of the act include national ambient air quality standards for major air pollutants, hazardous air pollutants standards, state attainment plans. Artificial humidification means the introduction of moistures into the air of a room by any. It was amended first by the clean air act amendment in 1966, then by the clean air act extension of 1970 84 stat. Clean air act 10 impacts red, green, and blue says.
The principal statute addressing air quality concerns, the clean air act was first enacted in 1955, with major revisions in 1970, 1977, and 1990. Its success or failure has obvious consequences for the quality of the air we breathe. In 1967, the air quality act was enacted in order to expand federal government activities. Clean air act 1963, 1970, 1990 the 1970 clean air act and major amendments to the act in 1977 and 1990 serve as the backbone of efforts to control air pollution in the united states. This act may be called the specific relief act, 1963. In this act unless the context otherwise requires affected premises means any premises on which there are industrial works, the operation of which is in the opinion of an inspector likely to result in the discharge of smoke or fumes or gases or dust into the air. A summary of the act and its major requirements congressional research service 1 introduction the authorities and responsibilities of the u. Pennsylvania air pollution control act pdf legislation enacted to protect the air resources of the commonwealth. The federal clean air act fcaa is the federal law passed in 1970, and last amended in 1990, which forms the basis for the national air pollution control effort. On november 15, 1990, president bush signed into law the clean air act amendments of 1990, the first comprehensive changes to the act in years.
However, in practice, the technologies that have been. Environmental protection agency epa derive primarily from a dozen major environmental statutes. It is one of the united states first and most influential modern environmental laws, and one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world. A guide to the air quality act of 1967 robert martin and lloyd symingtont i introduction on november 21, 1967 the president signed into law the air quality act of i967,1 the most important step to date in organizing governments response to the nations growing air pollution problems. Public health service and authorized research into techniques for monitoring and controlling air pollution. The 1963 clean air act was amended in 1970 and 1990 and the law therefore consists of three sets of federal programs to establish air quality goals and to impose pollution control. Eight years later, congress passed the nations clean air act of 1963. We have learned much about the relationship between air pollution and health through thousands of epidemiologic and controlled studies. The clean air act contains specific provisions directed at both interstate and international pollution problems. Because many states fail to meet mandated targets, the first set of clean air act amendments is adopted.
Regulation under the clean air act relies on state implementation plans, which dont fit with an international problem such as climate change. The clean air act of 1963 was the first federal legislation regarding air pollution control. In this code, unless the context otherwise requires, the expressions defined in the first schedule hereto shall have the meanings assigned to them in that schedule. A history of the clean air act and environmental protection agency 2, 3key federal legislation related to clean air is summarized below table i. In accordance with this law, enforcement proceedings were initiated in areas subject to interstate air pollution transport. A guide to the air quality act of 1967 duke law research. Clean air act 1965 pl 89272 directed the secretary of health, education and welfare hew to establish emission standards for new motor vehicles. This law established one of the most complex regulatory programs in the country. This report provides a concise summary of one of those statutes, the clean air act. Within six months of the publication of silent spring, congress passed the clean air act of 1963, the first federal law to regulate air emissions.
This act set emission standards for power plants, steel mills and other industrial polluters. All rules, regulations, orders, determinations, contracts, certifications, authorizations, delegations, or other actions duly issued, made, or taken by or pursuant to act july 14, 1955, the clean air act, as in effect immediately prior to the date of enactment of pub. Clean air act united states house of representatives. The clean air act, 1963 was a legislation that offered federal research aid, urged the development of state control agencies, and involved the federal government in interstate pollution issues. The clean air act of 1963 was one of the earliest attempts to address this problem. History and structure of the clean air act theodore l.
There was a clean air act proposed and passed in 1963 and it referred to the control of air pollution, but another version was created in 1970 which was more expansive and amendments were made in. An act to improve, strengthen, and accelerate programs for the prevention and abatement of air pollution. The 1963 act provided for research and project grants and included a provision to abate interstate pollution through an enforcement conference mechanism. Act of 1963, which established funding for the study in 1970. 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 plain english guide to the clean air act pinal county. Civil penalties for violations that occur prior to such date and do not continue after such date shall be assessed in accordance with the provisions of the clean air act 42 u. State implementation plans are just one of a whole set of different tools that the clean air act actually uses to reduce air pollution levels. The gujarat factories rules, 1963 chapter 1 preliminary 11. The plain english guide to the clean air act pdf27 pp, 1 mb, april. The 1970 clean air act and major amendments to the act in 1977 and 1990 serve as the backbone of efforts to control air pollution in the united states. Regulation of greenhouse gases under the clean air act.
Dec 18, 20 happy 50th anniversary to the clean air act. The first legislation involving air pollution was enacted in 1955, and authorized funds for air pollution research. This act dealt with reducing air pollution by setting emissions standards for stationary sources such as power plants and steel mills. The plain english guide to the clean air act overview of the clean. Clean air act house office of the legislative counsel. Clean air act of 1970 an act to amend the clean air act to provide for a more effective program to improve the quality of the nations air. Perhaps embarrassed by memories of the more clumsy and inept act of 1963, the u. Clean air act 1993 1993 chapter 11 an act to consolidate the clean air acts 1956 and 1968 and certain related enactments, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the law commission and the scottish law commission. Sep 20, 2012 the clean air act, on december 17, 1963. The 1970 act established the basic architecture of the u. The united states environmental protection agency epa began regulating greenhouse gases ghgs under the clean air act caa or act from mobile and stationary sources of air pollution for the first time on january 2, 2011. A success story, with many chapters still to come earthjustice. Evolution of the clean air act overview of the clean air. Clean air act of 1963, 1970 and 1990 definition and summary of the clean air act summary and definition.
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 act may be cited as the clean air act of 1963. The clean air act of 1963 was an improvement over the air pollution control act of 1955 because it set limits on emissions from factories, since factories had largely gone without regulation before this. Breathing easier because of the clean air act center for. The 1990 amendments also clean air act roles and responsibilities they also brief history of the clean air act i cloud which lingered for five days, in 6,000 of the towns 14,000 people. In 1952, over 3,000 people died in what became known as londons. The plain english guide to the clean air act although the 1990 clean air act is a federal law covering the entire country, the states do much of the work to carry out the act. But it was the first environmental law to give the federal government a serious regulatory role. Environmental protection agency itself gave the 50th anniversary the cold shoulder instead celebrating the of the. An act to consolidate the clean air acts 1956 and 1968 and certain related enactments, with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the law commission and the scottish law commission. It did not take into account mobile sources of air pollution which had become the largest source of many dangerous pollutants. 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.
With the 1990 clean air act amendments, congress revised the epas hazardous air pollutant program to a technologybased regulatory system. Clean air act of 1963, 1970 and 1990 american historama. 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. 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. A success story, with many chapters still to come forty years ago, we wore bell bottoms and trouser suits, were infatuated with lava lamps and breathed dirty air. The 1970 extension is sometimes called the muskie act because of the central role maine senator edmund muskie played in drafting the content of the bill. The clean air act of 1963 was an improvement over the air. The 1990 clean air act for criteria air pollutants requires that the choice of the best available control technology take into account nonair quality health and environmental impacts hahn and males, 1990. Standards for mobile sources have been established pursuant to section 202 of the caa, and ghgs from stationary sources are currently controlled under the authority of.
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