The Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act is the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from area, stationary, and mobile sources. This law authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards to protect public health and the environment.

The goal of the act was to set and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975. The setting of maximum pollutant standards was coupled with directing the states to develop state implementation plans applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the state.

The act was amended in 1977 primarily to set new dates for achieving attainment of NAAQS since many areas of the country had failed to meet the deadlines. The 1990 amendments to the act were intended, in large part, to meet additional concerns such as acid rain, ground-level ozone, stratospheric ozone depletion and air toxics.

For more information, visit EPA's Clean Air Act Web Site. For information on standards for motor vehicles and motor fuels, visit Title II - Emission Standards for Moving Sources.

Published: April 1, 2003