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Clean Air Act (CAA)

1970

42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.

📌 Link to the Text of the Act

Read the statute (42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.)

📌 Why It Was Done

The CAA established a comprehensive federal program to regulate air emissions from stationary and mobile sources, protect public health, and improve air quality.

📌 Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights

Built on earlier air quality statutes (1955, 1963, 1967). The 1970 Act created the modern framework for federal and state cooperation, including the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

📌 Overreach or Proper Role?

Supporters view it as essential for environmental and public health. Critics argue some EPA rules stretch the statute beyond its intent, leading to repeated litigation, including limits placed by the Supreme Court on greenhouse gas regulations.

📌 Who or What It Controls

  • •
    EPA (sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards – NAAQS)
  • •
    States (must submit State Implementation Plans – SIPs)
  • •
    Industry and vehicles (regulated for emissions)

📌 Key Sections / Citations

  • •
    42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq.
  • •
    Key provisions: NAAQS (§§ 7408–7409), SIPs (§ 7410), Hazardous Air Pollutants (§ 7412), Mobile Sources (§§ 7521 et seq.)

📌 Recent Changes or Live Controversies

  • •
    Ongoing litigation over EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases
  • •
    New rules for ozone and particulate matter standards under review
  • •
    State challenges to EPA rules remain common

📌 Official Sources