Implications of the 1977 Clean Air Act amendments for energy research and development

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 establish Federal environmental policy governing industrial development in all areas of the country. Some impacts of the legislation on energy development will be to increase the incentives for research on technologies that are inherently less polluting and on improved emission control; to accelerate the rate at which technologies with reduced emissions or with emission control advantages become economical; and to expand the role of conservation measures to reduce energy demand. The legislation will have an impact on the siting and scale of future energy facilities, on control technology requirements, and on the cost-effectiveness and relative attractiveness of various technologies to utilities and other industries. In addition to discussing these impacts briefly, this paper summarizes the Amendments for the following: prevention of significant deterioration; non-attainment of ambient air standards; new source performance standards; revision of national ambient air quality standards; non-criteria pollutants; automobile emissions; and compliance extension and coal conversion.