Clean Air Act - Environmental PE

Nonattainment Areas

areas not meeting minimum national standards for air quality

Clean Air Act

• Establishes federal standards for mobile sources of air pollution and their fuels and for sources of 187 hazardous air pollutants

• It establishes a cap-and-trade program for the emissions that cause acid rain.

• It establishes a comprehensive permit system for all major sources of air pollution.

• Addresses the prevention of pollution in areas with clean air and protection of the stratospheric ozone layer.

1977 Amendment

Set stricter requirements for reducing emissions in areas that don't meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). They also established the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations for areas that already meet the NAAQS.

1990 Amendment

Addressed issues such as acid rain, ground-level ozone, stratospheric ozone depletion, visibility, and air toxics. The amendments included provisions to:

• Phase out ozone-depleting chemicals

• Set standards for clean fuels

• Encourage the use of new technologies to clean high sulfur coal

• Reduce energy waste

• Create a market for clean fuels from natural gas and grain

• Establish a national permitting system to regulate air pollution emissions

• Authorize new programs to control acid deposition

• Allow the issuance of stationary source operating permits

• Expand the program for controlling toxic air pollutants

• Modify and expand provisions for maintaining and attaining NAAQS

Major Source

stationary source or group of stationary sources that emit or have the potential to emit 10 tons per year or more of a hazardous air pollutant or 25 tons per year or more of a combination of hazardous air pollutants.

Area Source

any stationary source that is not a major source