The clean air actwhose basic structure was established in 1970, and then amended in 1977 and 1990is a united states federal law designed to protect human health and the environment from the effects of air pollution. It was the catalyst for comprehensive air pollution controls in britain. Presentation of philippine clean water act of 2004 rehne. In the united states, the clean air acts include the air pollution control act of 1955, clean air act of 1963, air quality act of 1967, the clean air act extension of 1970, and clean air act amendments in 1977 and 1990. In 1990, congress dramatically revised and expanded the clean air act, providing epa even broader authority to implement and enforce regulations reducing air placed an increased emphasis on more costeffective approaches to reduce air pollution. D if, after the date of the enactment of the clean air act amendments of 1990, the administrator modifies the method of determining compliance with the national primary ambient air quality standard, a design value or other indicator comparable to 0. Professor sir colin berry, professor tony dayan at the witness seminar on environmental toxicology held by. Tribal nations role in its 1990 revision of the clean air act, congress recognized that indian tribes have the authority to implement air pollution control programs. Changing air quality clean air acts great london smog.
Pdf is used for representing twodimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system. The last major change in the law, the clean air act amendments of 1990, enacted in 1990 by congress. The clean air act caa gave the federal environmental protection agency epa the power it needed to take effective action to fight environmental pollution. Under the clean air act, the environmental protection agency epa is required to regulate emission of pollutants that. Following this tragedy the government passed the clean air act of 1956. A local barrister, charles gandy, chairman of the national smoke.
Dec 09, 2012 the 1956 clean air act with its smokeless zones brought about great improvements in londons air but not before smogs in 1956, 1957 and 1962 claimed around 1,500 more lives. Name two ways the clean air act is trying to improve pollution produced by mobile sources. This act and subsequent legislation aims to control and limit the major particulate pollutants from the atmosphere, particularly in urban areas. Clean air act 1956 the history of modern biomedicine. In principle, it was a law that would show excellent results. Historians widely considered the clean air act a milestone in environmental protection. Air quality in the 1950s was dominated by coal smoke and even those who tried to envision future pollution in cities. Globally, air pollution is responsible for 7 million premature deaths per year 2, equivalent to 1 in 8 of all recorded deaths. The 1990 amendments of the clean air act repealed part b and replaced it with title vi stratospheric ozone protection. The clean air act, 1963 was a legislation that offered federal research aid, urged the development of state control agencies, and involved the federal government in interstate pollution issues. Clean air act the other five criteria pollutants were identified by congress in the original statute. Alternatively, you can add nobotsdenyinternetarchivebot to keep me off the page altogether. List of mentions of the clean air act 1956 in parliament in the period 1803 to 2005.
This for the first time regulated both domestic and industrial smoke emissions. The clean air act caa is the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Provides for the use of local authorities, industry and others who may need to determine the height appropriate for certain new chimneys. Act, giving the federal government authority to clean up air. The first moves towards combating the threat to health posed by smoke in britains industrial centres occurred in my home town, manchester. Portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe systems for document exchange. The clean air act includes a variety of approaches for dealing with pollution released by large industrial sources. Clean air act, 1956 industrial provisions internet archive. Where does the sulfur dioxide that forms acid rain come from. The clean air act 1956 was an act of the parliament of the united kingdom enacted principally in response to londons great smog of 1952. Clean air act and amendments codified generally as 42 u. It is an important part of uk history, which attempted to reduce air pollution around much of the country.
In 1990 when the act was reauthorized it required most cities to meet existing smog reduction regulations by the year 2005. In 1952 the great smog of london saw a weeklong peasouper take over the capital which contributed to the deaths of at least 4,000 people. In 1974 the first control of air pollution act introduced regulations on the composition of motor fuels. Today 5th july 2016 is the 60th anniversary of the enactment of groundbreaking legislation on reducing air pollution. In this act unless the context otherwise requires affected premises means any premises on which there are industrial works, the operation of which is in the opinion of an inspector likely to result in the discharge of smoke or fumes or gases or dust into the air. Legislation passed since then has made several minor changes. Air pollution, a catchall term for airborne substances that are not naturally present, are harmful, or out of natural proportions, has been of concern for thousands of years 6.
The amendments in 1970 were an entirely rewritten version of the original clean air act. In 1956 prices ranged from 174s 6d per ton of good quality coal to 214s 7d for a smokeless fuel. Jun 09, 2016 in 1952 the great smog of london saw a weeklong peasouper take over the capital which contributed to the deaths of at least 4,000 people. The clean air act, cac, is an act passed by the federal government in 1963, after many state governments passed legslistaions about the bad air pollution link to plain text version below. Chapter 11 full text not available general description. Four years after the great london smog came the milestone clean air act of 1956. It was sponsored by the ministry of housing and local government in england and the department of health for scotland, and was in effect until 1993. The united states has made great progress since 1970 in cleaning the air, but the job is far from complete. List of books and articles about clean air act online. This act may be cited as the clean air act of 1963. The caa was expanded from its original set of guidelines, in.
The first legislation involving air pollution was enacted in 1955, and authorized funds for air pollution research. This report provides a concise summary of one of those statutes, the clean air act. Pdf progress with air quality management in the 60 years since. In the year that the uks clean air act turns sixty, the head of public health at the world health organisation who declared air pollution as a global health emergency 1. Controls were introduced to restrict the production of smoke, dust and grit from.
The last major change in the law, the clean air act amendments of 1990, was enacted by congress in 1990. In response to the disaster, the government passed the. The clean air act was revised in 1968 when industries burning coal, gas or other fuels were ordered to use tall chimneys. Amended in 1977 and again in 1990, the caa has spawned thousands of pages of regulations covering numerous sources of air emissions. The clean air act of 1956 was seen in both the uk and abroad as an important example of environmental legislation, many believe that it was the start of the modern day environmental movement.
It was a private members bill from kidderminster mp gerald nabarro that pricked a reluctant government into action. The plain english guide to the clean air act pdf epa. Controls were introduced to restrict the production of smoke, dust and grit from commercial industrial and domestic. The clean air act, as amended in 1977, authorized the epa to impose stricter pollution standards and higher penalties for failure to comply with air quality standards. The impact of the clean air act pubmed central pmc. Despite these advances, the clean air act is under threat from both the legislative and executive branches of the government. These amendments set the stage for protecting the ozone layer, reducing acid rain and toxic pollutants, and improving air quality and visibility.
The clean air act 1956 was an act of the parliament of the united kingdom passed in response to londons great smog of 1952. An act to make provision for abating the pollution of the air. The united states code is meant to be an organized, logical compilation of the laws passed by congress. Third edition of the 1956 clean air act memorandum. Clean air act title i air pollution prevention and. Friends of the earth is campaigning for laws that will clean up air pollution across the uk. Short title this act shall be known as the philippine clean air act. It was in effect until 1964, and sponsored by the ministry of housing and local government in england and the department of health for scotland the act introduced a number of measures to reduce air pollution, especially by introducing smoke. In great smog of london british government ultimately passed the clean air act four years later, in 1956, as a direct response to the lethal fog. General emission standards and more specific emission regulations. Clean air act definition, examples, cases, processes. An act relating to the prevention and minimising of air pollution. The clean air act is the name of any of several pieces of legislation aimed at reducing smog and other types of air pollution.
The 1990 amendments to the clean air act removed most of the incentive for the agency to list other criteria pollutants, because congress created a separate regulatory program for hazardous air pollutants haps, many of which would otherwise. A recent epa analysis of the clean air act amendments of 1990 caaa found that the benefits from caaa regulation far outweigh the costs by a factor of 30 to 1 with highbenefit estimates exceeding costs 90 to 1 the benefits and costs of the clean air act, 1990 to 2020. The clean air act is a federal law, the purpose of which being to regulate air pollution throughout the united states. The clean air act overview enacted in 1970, the clean air act caa is the most complex, comprehensive, and costly environmental statute in existence. This act aimed to control domestic sources of smoke pollution by introducing smokeless zones. Prior to the enactment of the act, the great smog of 1952 descended on greater london. An act to amend the clean air act to provide for a more effective program to improve the quality of the nations air. The source material responsible for air pollution has also. Be it enacted by the queens most excellent majesty, by. The clean air act 1956 was extended in 1968 until both acts were consolidated in 1993. It followed the great smog of 1952 in london and stayed in effect until 1964. This page has links to clean air act sections that are part of the u.
Department of health, education and services to create and enforce auto emission standards. The clean air act of 1956 was passed with the aim of tackling the smog and air pollution created by the burning of coal and industrial activities. A history of the clean air act and environmental protection agency 2, 3key federal legislation related to clean air is summarized below table i. The government could not ignore the great london smog and so the first clean air act was eventually introduced in 1956, following the beaver committee report. November 15, 1990 marks a milestone in clean air act history, the signing of the 1990 amendments.
In a 2005 rulemaking, after conducting a thorough analysis of the language and legislative history of the two versions, epa described one way to reconcile them in a manner that comported with the overall thrust of the clean air act amendments of 1990. Clean air acts united kingdom 1956, 1968 britannica. In response to litigation spawned by the 1970 amendments and in light of accumulating data with regard to the health and welfare effects of air pollution, congress enacted the clean air act amendments of 1977. The act established smokefree areas throughout the city and restricted the burning of coal in domestic fires as well as in industrial furnaces. The clean air act 1956 received royal assent policy. The clean air act is one of the most inclusive laws pertaining to air quality in the world. Clean air act s legacy and future in ghg regulations duration. The clean air act handbook, fourth edition the clean air act handbook, fourth edition. Clean air act text overview of the clean air act and air. This is the original version as it was originally enacted. Parliament needs to tackle the modern sources of air pollution and improve on existing legislation to ensure that we enshrine the right to breathe clean air in law. An act providing for a comprehensive air pollution control policy and for other purposes be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the philippines in congress assembled. This act makes it an offence to emit dark smoke from a chimney, unless due to a cold start and the smoke clears when hot, due to unforeseen failure or use of an unsuitable fuel, where no suitable fuel is available and the fuel used was considered the least unsuitable.
I have just added archive links to one external link on clean air act 1956. At its top level, it divides the world of legislation into fifty topicallyorganized titles, and each title is further subdivided into any number of logical subtopics. Air act programs to reduce air pollution nationwide. The national building specification is the recognised uk national standard and is used by over 5,000 organisations. Overview of the clean air act and air pollution us epa. Nov, 2019 the clean air act is the name of any of several pieces of legislation aimed at reducing smog and other types of air pollution. The clean air act after 50 years royal meteorological society. The clean air act is the law that defines epas responsibilities for protecting and improving the nations air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer. For example, the clean air act protects the ozone layer by providing information to people to help them understand how it forms and diminishes. The london smog and 1956 clean air act friends of the earth.
Nov 11, 2009 ra 8749 philippine clean air act of 1999 smokefree albay network. Clean air act 1956 was groundbreaking legislation on air pollution, which saved countless deaths and changed our environment. While merely considered an inconvenience for many, the smog exacerbated the health problems of those with chronic heart and lung conditions. After the clean air act was passed, councils rushed to declare smoke control areas, but it was often not easy to enforce them. In 1956, the parliament of the united kingdom issued the introduction of the clean air act. Clean air act united states house of representatives. The great london smog of 1952 caused more than 4000 deaths and finally led to the government introducing the clean air act of 1956, which clearly owed much to the manchester corporation act and even included identical fines for noncompliance. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Chapter 1 general provisions article 1 basic air quality policies section 1. Nbs has produced specification systems and information products for construction industry professionals for more than 40 years. Dr peter corcoran, professor richard carter at the witness seminar on environmental toxicology held by the history of twentieth century medicine group, 12032002. Covering the entire clean air act statute, this handbook brings together the experience of more than 30 private and public sector practitioners to explain how the caa is both implemented and practiced. A summary of the act and its major requirements congressional research service 1 introduction the authorities and responsibilities of the environmental protection agency epa derive primarily from a dozen major environmental statutes.
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