Implementation of Clean Air Act to Reduce Emission of Pollutants

Air Pollution
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Air Pollution
A significant shift in the federal government’s role in the control of air pollution was realized after the implementation of the Clean Air Act (CAA, 1970). In particular, the legislation enhanced the development of comprehensive state and federal laws that limit emissions (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). The CAA programs have contributed to the decline of six common air pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, particles, sulfur dioxide, lead, and carbon monoxide (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). Since 1970, the above six criteria of air pollutants have significantly reduced, resulting in the protection of public health without compromising the development of the United States of America (USA) economy. The paper focuses on how the implementation of the CAA has contributed to the reduction of the six primary air pollutants without affecting the USA’s economic development.
Enacting the CAA in 1970 revealed that the USA can build its economy and protect public health simultaneously. From 1970 to 2020, the six primary air pollutants, namely nitrogen dioxide, lead, ozone, particles, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide, have significantly declined. More precisely, these pollutants have decreased by 78% (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). The reduction of emissions has resulted in an improvement in the air quality that Americans breathe. In addition, from 1990 to 2020, the concentration of carbon monoxide improved by 73%, 91% for sulfur dioxide, 25% for ozone, 41% for annual fine particles, 86% for lead, 61% for annual nitrogen dioxide, and 26% for 24-hour coarse particles (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). Many areas have met the national standards of air quality required for protecting the environment and public health. The health, economic, business, and environmental enhancements emanating from the CAA have yielded over $57 trillion in benefits from 1970 when the CAA was implemented. Based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) analysis, the benefits of CAA have by far outweighed the costs by a margin of four-to-one. Since 1990, the CAA has significantly decreased emissions leading to an increase of the USA’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 64% (Center for American Progress Energy and Environment Team, 2015). As a result, since the enactment of the CAA, many institutions and organizations in the USA have met the thresholds of the environmental standard, particularly by facilitating the realization of cleaner air.
Since CAA was implemented in 1970, numerous programs and processes have significantly contributed to the reduction of air emission reductions. For instance, the CAA made it possible for gas desulfurization (Popp, 2003). Before the CAA was enacted, vehicles used leaded fuel. However, to decrease the emission of lead into the atmosphere, unleaded petroleum products were introduced. Other CAA programs and processes include the Clean Power Plan, the use of solar energy, wind power, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and the National Emission Standards f...