The Clean Air Act
Choose one of these environmental regulations, or another policy that interests you; then, research your chosen regulation or policy’s requirements and environmental and economic impacts. Remember that the Strayer Library is a good place to start. http://research.strayer.edu
Write a 3–5-page paper in which you do the following:
Describe three key elements of the regulation or policy you chose. Specifically, discuss who is affected and what actions they are required to undertake, including federal and state agencies and specific industries, and how these requirements are enforced.
Assess three effects this regulation or policy had on our environment. Next, quantify its effects, if possible, to analyze whether or not the regulation had the desired effect on the environment.
Discuss three economic effects of your chosen policy or regulation. Next, describe the direct costs of implementation, as well as the effect the regulation has had on economic growth. If possible, find a benefits/cost analysis that will provide you with objective analyses of this regulation’s economic impact.
Speculate whether or not you believe that this policy or regulation has been successful overall. Next, debate whether or not your chosen policy or regulation has promoted environmental benefits or outweighed its economic costs. Lastly, determine whether you would recommend renewing this policy or regulation when it comes to its expiration date, or whether you should let the policy or regulation expire. Justify your response.
Sample Solution
The Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) is a comprehensive Federal law that regulates all sources of air emissions. The 1970 CAA authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and the environment. Changes to the act in 1990 included provisions to (1) classify most non attainment areas according to the extent to which they exceed the standard, tailoring deadlines, planning, and controls to each area`s status; (2) tighten auto and other mobile source emission standards; (3) and require formulated and alternative fuels in the most polluted areas. Experience with the Clean Air Act since 1970 has shown that protecting public health and building the economy can go hand in hand. Today, the annual benefits from cleaner air include up to 370,000 avoided premature deaths, 189,000 fewer hospital admissions for cardiac and respiratory illnesses, and net economic benefits of up to $3.8 trillion for the U.S. economy (NRDC).
