Celebrating 40 Years of the Clean Air Act

In honor of its anniversary the U.S. EPA has recently announced that it is celebrating 40 years of its accomplishments under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

"For 40 years the Clean Air Act has protected our health and our environment, saving lives and sparking new innovations to make our economy cleaner and stronger. The common sense application of the act has made it one of the most cost-effective things the American people have done for themselves in the last half century,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Since 1970 we have seen a steady trajectory of less pollution in our communities and greater economic opportunity throughout our nation. We will continue those trends as we face the clean air challenges of the next 40 years, including working to cut greenhouse gases and grow the American clean energy economy. The Clean Air Act proves the naysayers wrong – we can protect our health and environment at the same time we grow our economy."

In the spirit of this celebration here are some resources discussing the history of the Clean Air Act.

Paul G. Rogers, The Clean Air Act of 1970, E.P.A. J., Jan.-Feb. 1990

Roy S. Belden, Clean Air Act 5-10 (2001)

Michael R. Barr, Introduction to the History of the Clean Air Act: History, Perspective and Direction for the Future, in The Clean Air Act Handbook 1, 4-7 (Robert J. Martinaeu, Jr. & David P. Novello eds., 2d ed. 2004)