The U.S. clean air act amendments of 1990: final contours of the acid rain program

The Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990, enacted on November 15, 1990, created a revolutionary new approach to the control of acidic deposition, more commonly called acid rain. With the electric power industry responsible for 60 to 70 percent of the Nation's emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), the precursor element of acid rain, the initial program is directed toward controlling SO2 emissions from electric powerplants. Gone is the old command and control regime that relied upon governmentally mandated control techniques, often on a case-by-case basis. Instead, the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) rely upon a market-based emission trading system that introduces flexibility and low cost solutions for powerplant compliance strategies. The implementation process by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward rapidly. One rule already has been finalized, dealing with auctions and sales. The core rules, four rules that deal with the central elements of the program, have been issued for comment and will be finalized in May or June of 1992. Other rules are still in the development stage; however, they deal with less central elements of the program and will not slow down the introduction of the emission trading system in time to meet the CAAA's statutory deadlines. 4 refs