The Clean Air Act of 1963 was the first federal law that addressed the issue of air pollution control. Although the APCA did not regulate the production of air contaminants, it did demonstrate that the federal government had taken an interest in air pollution.

The Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 only provided federal funds for research to determine the scope and sources of air contaminants. In 1955, Congress passed the Air Pollution Control Act (APCA), the first federal air pollution legislation. In London, England, the Great Smog of December 1952 killed nearly 4,000 people over four days an additional 8,000 people died over the following months from respiratory problems that had been worsened by the smog. The cloud remained for five days, killing 20 people and sickening nearly half of the city’s citizens. In 1948, a thick layer of smog settled over the small town of Donora, Pennsylvania. Two events in the mid-twentieth century highlighted the need for stronger air quality controls. Other American cities and states followed suit and began to regulate air pollution on a local level. In 1881, Chicago and Cincinnati passed air control measures to reduce smog. Historical Background and Scientific FoundationsĪlthough the Clean Air Act of 1970 provided the first national air pollution controls, some American cities enacted air pollution regulations in the nineteenth century. In 1970, Congress also established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), largely to implement and administer the Clean Air Act of 1970. The 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act were a major milestone, however, because the 1970 amendments marked the first time that Congress established national environmental standards and enforcement mechanisms. The first Clean Air Act was passed in 1963, and the act has been amended several times.

The primary goal of the Clean Air Act is ensuring public health, but the act has a secondary effect of improving the environment by regulating the production of some greenhouse gases. federal law designed to improve the air quality in the United States.

Clean air act