Impact of the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990

One of the most far reaching events on the current environmental scene has been the reauthorization of the Clean Air Act. Implementation of the bill, which became law on November 15, 1990, is expected to cost approximately $25 to $30 billion per year and will affect mobile sources as well as virtually every manufacturing and power generation entity having any type of point source or fugitive emissions including seemingly minor vents. The seven titles of the bill address every issue from the attainment and maintenance of ambient air quality standards to stratospheric ozone and global climate protection. Other titles address the control emissions from mobile sources, air toxics, acid deposition, permitting and enforcement. This new law will trigger a broad array of rulemaking activities at the U.S. EPA. It is vitally important that anyone concerned with any air emissions source become familiar with these developments