An Interactive History of the Clean Air Act : Scientific and Policy Perspectives

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. The Act set out state and federal regulations to limit emissions and the Environmental Protection Agency was established to help enforce the regulations. The Act has since had several amendments, notably in 1977 and 1990, and has successfully helped to increase air quality. This book reviews the history of the Clean Air Act of 1970 including the political, business, and scientific elements that went into establishing the Act, emphasizing the importance that scientific evidence played in shaping policy. The analysis then extends to examine the effects of the Act over the past forty years including the Environmental Protection Agency's evolving role and the role of states and industry in shaping and implementing policy. Finally, the book offers best practices to guide allocation of respective government and industry roles to guide sustainable development. The history and analysis of the Clean Air Act presented in this book illustrates the centrality of scientific analysis and technological capacity in driving environmental policy development. It would be useful for policy makers, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in gaining a clearer understand of the interaction of science and policy. Offers an overview of the 1970 Clean Air Act and its subsequent effects Highlights the relationship between policy and scientific discovery Incorporates lessons from the United States example to apply to other policy and national contexts Cover 1 Front-matter 2 An Interactive History of the Clean Air ActScientific and Policy Perspectives 3 Copyright Page 4 Preface 5 1 Introduction and Overview 7 1.1 The Historical Context for Clean Air Act Implementation 7 1.2 An Adaptive Regulatory Framework 8 1.3 EPA and State Responses to Clean Air Act Mandates 9 1.4 Industry and Trade Associations Respond to Technological Challenges 10 1.5 The Impact of Science–Policy Interactions on Clean Air Act Implementation 10 2 An Expanding Federal Presence in Air Quality Controls 13 2.1 Precedent for the Clean Air Act of 1970 13 2.1.1 Pre-1955 History 13 2.1.2 Establishing the Federal Presence in Air Quality Management 14 2.1.3 Toward a Federal–State Cooperative Framework: The Air Quality Act of 1967 16 2.2 The Framework of the Clean Air Act of 1970 18 2.3 Allocating Administrative Roles to Meet Clean Air Act Requirements 20 2.4 The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments Redefine Federal, State, and Industry Roles 21 2.5 Clean Air Act Strategies: Air Quality Management and Direct Standards for Stationary and Mobile Sources 22 2.6 Current Dynamics in Clean Air Act Implementation 23 3 Federal Leadership in Clean Air Act Implementation: The Role of the Environmental Protection Agency 24 3.1 Phase I: 1970–1977 24 3.1.1 Establishing the Clean Air Act’s Administrative Structure 24 3.1.2 Establishing Air Quality Standards and a Framework for State Implementation 28 3.1.3 Defining Clean Air Act Parameters Through Litigation 29 3.2 Legislative and Administrative Adjustments in the 1977 Amendments 31 3.3 The EPA in the 1980s: “New Federalism” 33 3.4 Implementation Issues in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments 35 3.4.1 The EPA Continues Its Moves Toward Collaborative Implementation 36 3.4.2 Collaborative Implementation of the Title V Permitting Program 37 3.5 The EPA Confronts Twenty-First Century Challenges 38 3.6 EPA Budget and Staff Resources 42 3.7 EPA’s Present Structure and Functions 43 3.8 EPA’s Continuing Role: Balancing Consensus Initiatives with Legal Mandates 44 4 State Implementation Planning for Clean Air 46 4.1 Evolving Program Structures in State Air Quality Programs 47 4.2 Funding for State Programs 52 4.3 Regulatory Strategies in SIPs 54 4.4 Collaborative Processes in State Air Quality Programs 58 4.5 The Balancing Role for States Between Federal Directives and Business Regulation 60 5 Industry Responses to the Clean Air Act 61 5.1 Ford Motor Company 64 5.2 DuPont 66 5.3 Rohm and Haas 68 5.4 Exxon Mobil 70 5.5 Texas Instruments 72 5.6 3M Corporation 73 5.7 The Procter & Gamble Company 75 5.8 Boeing 76 5.9 The Impact of Expanded Federal Regulations on Small-Scale Stationary Sources 77 5.10 Sustainable Development as an Emerging Element in Corporate Culture 77 5.11 Corporate Advocacy in Climate Change Policies 78 6 Industry and Multi-State Association Roles 80 6.1 Associations Representing the Automobile Industry 80 6.2 The American Chemistry Council and the Responsible Care® Program 82 6.3 The American Petroleum Institute 82 6.4 Aerospace Industry Association 83 6.5 The Edison Electric Institute 84 6.6 Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management 84 6.7 State Air Quality Consortiums in Other Regions 86 6.8 Associations as Intermediaries Among EPA, States, and Industries 87 7 Lessons Learned 88 Appendix: State Survey Responses 93 Bibliography 142

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. The Act set out state and federal regulations to limit emissions and the Environmental Protection Agency was established to help enforce the regulations. The Act has since had several amendments, notably in 1977 and 1990, and has successfully helped to increase air quality. This book reviews the history of the Clean Air Act of 1970 including the political, business, and scientific elements that went into establishing the Act, emphasizing the importance that scientific evidence played in shaping policy. The analysis then extends to examine the effects of the Act over the past forty years including the Environmental Protection Agency’s evolving role and the role of states and industry in shaping and implementing policy. Finally, the book offers best practices to guide allocation of respective government and industry roles to guide sustainable development.

The history and analysis of the Clean Air Act presented in this book illustrates the centrality of scientific analysis and technological capacity in driving environmental policy development. It would be useful for policy makers, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in gaining a clearer understand of the interaction of science and policy.

• Offers an overview of the 1970 Clean Air Act and its subsequent effects
• Highlights the relationship between policy and scientific discovery
• Extracts lessons from the United States to apply to other policy and national contexts

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. The Act set out state and federal regulations to limit emissions and the Environmental Protection Agency was established to help enforce the regulations. The Act has since had several amendments, notably in 1977 and 1990, and has successfully helped to increase air quality. This book reviews the history of the Clean Air Act of 1970 including the political, business, and scientific elements that went into establishing the Act, emphasizing the importance that scientific evidence played in shaping policy. The analysis then extends to examine the effects of the Act over the past forty years including the Environmental Protection Agency's evolving role and the role of states and industry in shaping and implementing policy. Finally, the book offers best practices to guide allocation of respective government and industry roles to guide sustainable development. The history and analysis of the Clean Air Act presented in this book illustrates the centrality of scientific analysis and technological capacity in driving environmental policy development. It would be useful for policy makers, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in gaining a clearer understand of the interaction of science and policy. Offers an overview of the 1970 Clean Air Act and its subsequent effects Highlights the relationship between policy and scientific discovery Extracts lessons from the United States to apply to other policy and national contexts