Clean Air Act free essay sample

I will also discuss my feelings on whether this law has been beneficial and also provide information to support my answer. Clean Air Act The Clean Air Act of 1970 is a federal law created to control emissions in the air from immobile and transportable sources. This law gives the Environmental Protection Agency permission to launch four main governing programs: The National Ambient Air Quality Standards, also known as NAAQS, in order to safeguard community well-being and safety as well as control the release of harmful toxins which pollute the air. State Implementation Plans, also known as SIPs; National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, also known as NESHAPs; and New Source Performance Standards, also known as NSPS. The Environmental Protection Agency was created December 2, 1970 in order to carry out the requirements of the Clean Air Act of 1970 (EPA, 2013). There were provisions made to the Clean Air Act in 1977 and in 1990. President Jimmy Carter signed into law H. We will write a custom essay sample on Clean Air Act or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page R. 6161, also known as the Clean Air Amendment of 1977, on August 8, 1977. This amendment had three main provisions which proved the legal support for the EPA to carry out a solid and reliable program for meeting and upholding the standards for air quality for protecting the health of our overall population. This provision requires the auto business to follow a strict schedule for reducing emissions by making cars that help with keeping the air cleaner and help to improve the effectiveness of gasoline. This provision is going to help in protecting the deprivation of our national parks, forests, and monuments caused by air pollution (Peters, G. 2013). Another provision to the Clean Air Act was in 1990, known as the Clean Air Amendment of 1990. President Bush introduced the amendment for the Clean Air Act in September of 1989. The amendment passed Senate in April of 1990 and passed House in May of 1990 and was then signed by President Bush on November 15, 1990. This amendment is a federal law that covers the entire country but makes each state responsible for following this amendment. The EPA provides boundaries for how much contaminant are allowed in the atmosphere within the U. S. Each state is responsible for developing state implementation plans (SIPs) that clarifies how each state is supposed to follow the law for the Clean Air Act and can only be approved by the EPA. Some of the provisions of this amendment are: to reduce interstate air pollution; international air pollution; and permits for businesses that tend to release air pollutants. The EPA enforces the 1990 Clean Air Act and also sets deadlines for businesses to reduce the pollution in the air. The amendment will allow for the clean-up of fuels, cars will come equipped with systems under the hood and under the dashboard that provide warning lights to see if the devices for the control of pollution are working the way they are supposed to; automobile maintenance and vehicle maintenance will be enforced; a reduction in soot and dust from diesel vehicles; regulation of trains, lawnmowers, and equipment for construction; in order to reduce smog, and cities are asked to encourage people to car pool or use HOV (high occupancy vehicle ) lanes (Policy Almanac, 2002). The Clean Air Act of 1970 along with the amendments in 1977 and 1990 were initiated to help in the reduction of air pollution in the United States. This law was passed so that the Environmental Protection Agency could set standards for the protection of the depletion of the ozone and emissions of pollutants which are air-borne (American Business, 2010). The Clean Air Act is an extremely significant law that was created for our population’s health and for the protection of the environment. The benefits of this act are far more important than what it cost to accomplish them. 05,000 premature births were prevented, 843,000 asthma attacks were prevented, and 18 million respiratory sicknesses among children were prevented within the first 20 years of the Clean Air Act. The amendment to this act in 1990 allowed for a reduction in 160,000 premature deaths in 2010 and predicts that there will be an estimate of 230,000 premature deaths prevented by 2020. The EPA also estimates 17 million works days lost will be prevented by 2020 which will help businesses and the economy. The U. S. s the largest manufacturer and consumer for technology in the protection of the environment with an estimated market of $782 billion. The equipment for controlling air pollution brought in income of around $18 billion to include exported goods of around $3 billion. Exports and trade for technology for the environment brought in a residual of approximately $20 billion. The U. S. has approximately 119,000 businesses that participate in using environmental equipment which helps to bring in revenue of $300 billion, providing approximately 1. million jobs, and around $43. 8 billion in export goods. The release of pollutants in the air dropped by 63% from 1970-2009. The reduction of air pollution has for operating, capital, and expenditures was totaled to $26. 6 billion which is estimated to be less than a percent of their total residual. The EPA strongly enforc es this law and administrative penalties of up to $200,000, field citations of approximately $5,000; and civil or criminal penalties with anything from misdemeanors to felonies (EPA, 2013). After reading about the Clean Air Act and learning about the different issues with the environment and what we can do to help protect our environment, I feel that this act is helping the environment but it certainly is not something that can be easily fixed. Working to clean our air up is going to take time and effort from everyone. I feel that if each person in the U. S. would do their part, we can continue to improve the quality of air. The Clean Air Act has proven to be a good thing by having cleaner air and the health of our population has shown improvement. There has been a reduction of toxic lead emissions by 98%; reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions by 35% with double of the GDP; and a reduction of carbon monoxide emissions by 32% with an increase of drivers by 127% (Clean Air Trust, 1999). References American Business (2010, Jan. 25). Clean Air Acts – American Business. Retrieved from http://american-business. org/151-clean-air-acts. html Clean Air Trust (1999). How well has the Clean Air Act worked? Retrieved from http://www. cleanairtrust. org/cleanairact. html EPA (2013, Apr. 16). Summary of the Clean Air Act. Retrieved from http://www2. pa. gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act EPA (2013, Jan. 15). The Clean Air Act: Protecting Human Health and the Environment Since 1970 as the US Economy has Grown. Retrieved from http://www. epa. gov/air/sect812/economy. html Peters, G. (2013). The American Presidency Project. Retrieved from http://www. presidency. ucsb. edu/ws/index. php? pid=7946 Policy Almanac (2002, May 13). Fea tures of the 1990 Clean Air Act: The role of the federal government and the role of the states. Retrieved from http://www. policyalmanac. org/environment/archive/epa_clean_air_act. shtml