The Clean Air Act is a comprehensive federal law covering the entire country that was signed into law in 1970, and has been updated in 1977 & 1990. Representatives from these agencies work with companies to reduce air pollution: EPA, State& Local Governments and Tribal Nations.

​

EPA

The Clean Air Act grants authority to the EPA to set limits on numerous air pollutants. These limits give the EPA jurisdiction to refute these limits and how much can be in the air anywhere in the United States. This helps to ensure basic health and environmental protection from air pollution for all Americans. The CAA gives the EPA the authority to limit emissions of air pollutants coming from sources like chemical plants, utilities, and steel mills. Individual states or tribes may have stronger air pollution laws, but they may not have weaker pollution limits than those set by EPA. 

EPA must approve state, tribal, and local agency plans for reducing air pollution. If a plan does not meet the necessary requirements, EPA can issue sanctions against the state and, if necessary, take over enforcing the Clean Air Act in that area. EPA assists state, tribal, and local agencies by providing research, expert studies, engineering designs, and funding to support clean air progress. 

​

State and Local Government 

They are able to develop solutions for pollution problems that require special understanding of local industries, geography, housing, and socioeconomic patterns, and many other factors. State, local, and tribal governments also monitor air quality, inspect facilities under their jurisdictions and enforce Clean Air Act regulations. Under the CAA, states must develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs). 

 

SIP: A collection of the regulations, programs and policies that a state will use to clean up polluted areas in a plan that outlines how each state will control air pollution under the Clean Air Act. The states must involve the public and industries through hearings and opportunities to comment on the development of each state plan. 

 

Tribal Nations

The 1990 revision of the Clean Air Act recognized that Indian Tribes have the authority to implement air pollution control programs. EPA’s Tribal Authority Rule gives Tribes the ability to develop air quality management programs, write rules to reduce air pollution and implement and enforce their rules in Indian Country

​

​

​

Focus of CAA:

• Reducing outdoor, or ambient, concentrations of air problems

• Reducing emissions of toxic air pollutants that are known to, or are suspected of, causing cancer or other serious health effects

• Phasing out production and use of chemicals that destroy stratospheric ozone. 

 

It has been identified that these pollutants come from stationary sources (like mobile sources (like cars, trucks, and planes), these sources are a major focus of the CAA regulation.

​

​

​

Topics of Regulations:

 

1.Air

• Criteria Air Pollutants (Lead, Particulate Matter, etc.)

• Ozone Protection and Refrigerants

• Transportation, Engine Emissions

​

2.Emergency Management

• Oil Spills, SPCC

• Risk Management Plans (RMP)

• Chemical Reporting

​

3. Pesticides

• Registration

• Establishments

• Worker Protection

​

4. Toxic Substances

• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

• Chemicals and Hazardous Substances

• Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)

​

5. Land & Cleanup

• Superfund

• RCRA Corrective Action

• Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)

​

6. Cross-cutting Issues

• Asbestos in Buildings, Materials

• Lead in Paint, Water, Waste

• EPA Certifications (608, 609, Lead, etc.)

​

​

Specific to Baltimore City WMS

​

Stationary sources:

The CAA  requires major stationary sources to install pollution control equipment and to meet specific emissions limitations. The 1990 CAA amendments added requirements for major stationary sources to obtain operating permits.

 

The Clean Air Markets website includes data and progress statistics, compliance resources for program participants, and the main program sites: Acid Rain Program (ARP) and Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR)

​

 

Criteria Air Pollutants: 

​

Carbon Monoxide, Ground-level Ozone, Lead, Nitrogen Oxides, Particulate Matter, and Sulfur Dioxide

​

The CAA requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for these six common and harmful air pollutants. EPA must designate areas as meeting (attainment) or not meeting (nonattainment) the standard. States are required to develop a general plan to attain and maintain the NAAQS in all areas of the country, and a specific plan to attain the standards for each area designated nonattainment for a NAAQS.

Laws and Regulations

• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): standards and implementation information for each of the six common air pollutants. 

• Six Criteria Air Pollutants: The EPA, the states, and the tribes follow specific processes outlined to designate and monitor areas as "attainment" or "nonattainment" for each of the pollutants

• State Implementation Plan Status and Information: identifies how states and EPA work together to ensure that the agency's NAAQS are met and maintained