Clean Air
Acts Programs Rules
Clean Air Act of 1990
Importance: Since its passage, ambient air concentrations for the most common, dangerous air pollutants (also known as criteria pollutants) have dropped considerably.
Impact: Notable reductions achieved through CAA pollution controls include 75% decreased emissions in primary particulates
Data:
Acid Rain Program of 1995
Importance: The SO2 program sets a permanent cap on the total amount of SO2 that may be emitted by electric generating units (EGUs) in the contiguous United States.
Impact: Since the program began in 1995, the ARP has achieved significant emission reductions.
Data:
Clean Air Interstate Rule of 2005
Importance: The Texas budget for Phase I will be 320,946 tons annually. In 2015 and beyond, Phase II budgets are based on a 65% reduction of Title IV allowances allocated to units in the affected state for SO2 controls. The Texas budget for Phase II would be 224,662 tons annually.
Impact: EPA has estimated the benefits and costs of the Clean Air Interstate Rule and finds that the rule results in estimated annual net benefits of $71.4 or $60.4 in 2010 and $98.5 or $83.2 billion in 2015. These alternate net benefit estimates reflect differing assumptions about the social discount rate used to estimate the social benefits and costs of the rule.
Data: