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The Clean Air Act of 1990: Summary

Background

Enactment: August 7, 1977

Related Legislation: Clean Water Act

Implementation and enforcement: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), authorized states, territories, and tribes, and federal agencies administering wilderness areas.

Intent

The underlying purpose of the Clean Air Act is to establish minimum national standards for air quality (McCarthy 1999). Like the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act is a federal-level environmental policy that is primarily implemented through programs at the state level. Any area of the country that fails to meet the national air quality standards is labeled as a “nonattainment area” and is subject to more specific (and more stringent) requirements. Federal standards are also established for certain sources of pollution, including cars, producers of some hazardous pollutants, and sources known to cause acid rain (McCarthy 1999).

Under the Clean Air Act, each state is required to submit a State Implementation Plan that describes how it will reach national air quality standards. States are also required to implement those plans in a timely manner; otherwise they may face sanctions, including the withholding of some federal highway funds. In addition to state-level programs, the Clean Air Act has prompted regional efforts at improving implementation, including the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP).

The most important part of the act for fire management purposes lays out tighter standards for air quality within certain national parks and wilderness areas, referred to as Class I Federal areas. All states are required to demonstrate progress toward a National Visibility Goal for these areas. Class I areas are also affected by the EPA-issued Regional Haze Rule. A state-level smoke management program is one of the requirements of this rule.

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