Clearing the air: reforming the Clean Air Act. [Monograph]

Rejecting the notion of enormous progress being made since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, the authors attribute most of the improvement to economically induced fuel switching rather than enforcement of the Act. They see a crisis ahead as energy policy encourages greater dependence on coal and wood, inherently more polluting fuels than oil and natural gas. Unless pollution control becomes more effective, they believe that air quality is likely to be markedly degraded by an expanding economy and greater use of coal. The Clean Air Act has not been effective, they maintain, because Congress mandated that it be implemented by administrative and legal procedures rather than efficacy and efficiency. The authors advocate greater reliance on economic incentives (such as the bubble and offset policies and effluent fees). Legislators have not clarified the goals of the Environmental Protection Agency or guided it in resolving conflicts. In the authors' view, Congress should delegate the details of regulation without relinquishing oversight responsibility, specify the goals to be achieved, and ensure the scientific integrity of the regulatory process. Finally, they argue that air-pollution monitoring and inspection systems are in shambles and need congressional attention. 5 tables.