Clean Air

Fighting for Clean Air


Dirty air kills. Thousands of Americans die each year from causes related to air pollution, and many more become sick. Despite progress in the fight against air pollution, we still have a very long way to go.
 
The principal law governing air pollution is the Clean Air Act. Passed in 1970 in response to growing public concerns about visible and unhealthy levels of air pollution, the law enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. It boldly sought to eliminate the negative health effects of air pollution for all American citizens by 1975. Despite some success in addressing many of the worst pollution problems, more than 30 years after that target date, Americans in large parts of the country still breathe air that produces negative health effects, including death.
 
Learn more about CPR Member Scholars’ work to make sure all Americans have clean air to breathe:
  • The California Waiver. Read William W. Buzbee's December 28, 2007 op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Bush EPA's denial of California's request for a Clean Air Act waiver that would allow it and 16 "piggybacking" states to fight global warming with stricter automobile emissions standards.
  • Houston Air Pollution. The Houston Petrochemical Complex churns out pollution that endangers public health, and in particular, threatens the health of nearby residents.  Read more.
  • Federal Failure on Clean Air. Bush Administration efforts to relax ozone regulations and cut funding for state grants for pollution inspectors took a toll on the quality of the air Americans breathe. In a joint report with the Center for American Progress, CPR's Rena Steinzor and Margaret Clune Giblin document the resulting shortage of inspectors in 10 of the nation's 11 most populous states. In each of the states, more than half of the population – in New Jersey the entire population – live in counties that fail EPA's air quality standards. Read the November 2006 report, "Paper Tigers and Killer Air: How Weak Enforcement Leaves Communities Vulnerable to Smog" (1.5 meg download) and the news release (355 kb download).
  • A CPR Perspective. CPR Member Scholars have authored articles on related topics, as part of the CPR Perspectives Series. These include Perspectives on Emissions Trading, Mercury, and New Source Review.
  • Mercury. As many as 1 in 12 women of child-bearing age in the United States have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood. CPR works to strengthen existing restrictions on mercury pollution by power plants, chlor-alkali plants, and others. Read about CPR Member Scholars’ work on behalf of vigorous regulation of mercury pollution.
  • Trading Credits. One approach to curbing air pollution that has gained political traction in recent years is the creation of pollution credit-trading markets. CPR’s Member Scholars have warned that the approach is not universally applicable. Read what they’ve had to say about credit-trading proposals, here.