Understanding the U.S. Clean Air Act

By Daniel Stouffer

The U.S. Clean Air Act is a federal law designed to reduce air pollution in order to improve the nation's overall air quality. The intent of the federal law is to identify and reduce harmful substances that weaken the stratospheric ozone layer. Many of these pollutants can be found in companies, especially manufacturers, utility providers and facilities with equipment that uses chemical substances. Under the Act, they must follow the regulations or risk serious fines.

The U.S. Clean Air Act was established in 1963 by the U.S. Congress. Prior to its passage, there were numerous other measures pertaining to the improvement of the nation's air quality. They included the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, the Air Quality Act of 1967, the Clean Air Act Extension of 1970 and the Amendments of 1977. Since its establishment in 1963, the Act required several amendments and extensions to address new developments linked to air pollution and to assist states in complying with the law.

Overseeing the U.S. Clean Air Act is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among the issues the federal law addresses are air pollution prevention and control; ozone protection; air quality and emission limits; requirements to prevent substantial deterioration of air quality; and stratospheric ozone protection.

The U.S. Clean Air Act, while passed in 1963, was amended in 1990 with enhancements to the law. The amendments to the law included acid rain controls; new auto gasoline reformulation regulations; implementation of a leak detection and repair program; new controls aimed at reducing interstate air pollution; establishment of a national permits program; requirements for attaining and maintaining national ambient air quality standards; stratospheric ozone and global climate protection; and provisions for enforcement.

A main goal of the U.S. Clean Air Act is to impose air quality standards by requiring permits for certain companies and enacting monitoring and reporting methods. Funding to U.S. states is also provided under the law for program implementation. Because most of the Act's requirements are implemented on the state level, each state receives support from the federal government, including scientific research, studies and engineering design, to help in designing air quality control programs that meet their state's particular needs.

Through the U.S. Clean Air Act, the role of the federal government and U.S. states is clearly defined when addressing air quality measures. Specific measures to address interstate air pollution, as well as leak detection and repair, are spelled out in the regulation.

Although the U.S. Clean Air Act enforces air standards countrywide, the federal law requires each state to carry out most of the regulations and ensure their compliance. U.S. states are responsible for conducting permit application hearings submitted by a power or chemical plant, as well as administering fines on any company that violates air pollution controls. U.S. states are also required to establish implementation plans to show how they are enforcing the law.

Because of the U.S. Clean Air Act, the air quality in the United States will significantly recover over time as smog and air pollution is greatly reduced. By improving air quality, the health of all who live in the United States will be enhanced. On an ongoing basis, the Act ensures that new problems will be properly addressed so our planet remains healthy for many years to come.

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