Some Laws that help

      The Clean Air Act (CAA), 42 U.S.C. s/s 7401 et seq. (1970) 

 

The Clean Air Act is the comprehensive federal law which regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources.  This law authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect the public health and welfare.  The goal of the Act was to set and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975.  This setting of maximum pollutant standards was coupled with directing the states to develop state implementation plans (SIPS) applicable to each industrial source in the state. 



The Act was amended in 1977 primarily to set new goals (dates) for achieving attainment of NAAQS since many areas of the country had failed to meet the deadlines.  The amendments to the Clean Air Act in large part were intended to meet unaddressed or insufficiently addressed hazardous air pollutants that contribute to such problems as
acid rain, ground level ozone, stratospheric ozone depletion and air toxins.

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