legislative history | pollution-monitoring

The Clear Air Act (CAA)

Having witnessed the horrible cloud that dragged nearly 43% residents of a town of Pennsylvania named Donora in 1948 and the world-shocking lethal fog that killed more than 3,000 people in London, people in America during 1950s started to take air pollution control seriously. Several federal and state laws were passed. Among them was the original Clean Air Act of 1963, regarding air pollution control for the first time in American history.

Legislative evolution of air pollution control:

1955 The Air Pollution Control Act, first federal legislation regarding air pollution, funded research for scope and sources of pollution;
1963 CAA, authorized national program to address air pollution issues, initiated research for pollution reduction techniques;
1967 Air Quality Act, authorized enforcement procedure for air pollution problems, expanded research activities;
1970 CAA, established NAAQS and three other regulatory air quality standards, authorized control of motor vehicle emission;
1970 National Environmental Policy Act, established EPA;
1977 CAAA, authorized previous non-attainment areas to comply with NAASQ standard;
1990 CAAA, substantially increased the authority and responsibility of the federal government in both controlling and monitoring emissions.

Sources:

1. History of the Clean Air Act. EPA. http://epa.gov/oar/caa/caa_history.html

2. A plain explanation on CAA. EPA. http://www.epa.gov/air/peg/pdfs/peg.pdf

However, it was not until 1970 did CAA mandated a comprehensive federal response addressing the air pollution issue. At the same year, the Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and endowed it primary role in implementing environmental laws and specifically carrying out various CAA programs. The latest prominent expansion of CAA took its place in the year 1990, when a major set of Amendments (CAAA) “substantially increased the authority and responsibility of the federal government (EPA).”

In practice, EPA, representing federal force on air pollution controlling, sets limitations on both the total amount of emission throughout the nation and specific industries or resources, such as power plants, chemical industries and steel mills. In terms of the enforcement, EPA is legislatively authorized to issue sanctions against any non-federal institutions whose regulations or conduct fail to meet EPA’s requirements. Also, EPA has the ultimate enforcement in air pollution control.

It’s the state, tribe and local agencies that take the lead in implementing CAA and carrying out on-site programs. With EPA’s professional assistance and financial support, states, tribes and local agencies may come up with stronger regulations only if they meet the requirements of and earn the approval of EPA. State and local governments are also expected to develop specific written plans outlining how to control air pollution within their jurisdiction.