The Clean Air Act Fact Sheet

• Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970. It is a federal law designed to protect the public health and clean the air we breathe.

• The Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set health-based air quality standards to protect against common pollutants.

• The Clean Air Act has greatly improved our air. Taking lead out of gasoline, for example, has reduced lead in our atmosphere by 98%. Cars today are much cleaner and more fuel-efficient than 30 years ago. Yet according to the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2002 report, over 142 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy air.

• The American Lung Association supports the EPA's new rules regarding diesel trucks and buses. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has declared diesel exhaust a known carcinogen. The South Coast Air Quality Management District estimates that diesel exhaust is responsible for 70% of our cancer risk due to air toxics in the South Coast Air Basin.

• In 1997, the EPA developed new, stricter air quality health standards for ozone and fine particles. However, challenges from industry means we're still using air quality health standards set in 1979. The American Lung Association supports the new EPA air quality health standards.

• The Bush Administration is considering weakening a key provision of the Clean Air Act called New Source Review. This provision requires facilities like refineries, power plants and factories to install the latest pollution control technology if they modify their operations and increase emissions. The American Lung Association supports a strong New Source Review, because it will improve air quality and clean up existing sources of pollution.