ENVS 2256 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Elementary And Secondary Education Act, Sulfur
16 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Clean Air Act!
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Nixon in the 70s!•
toxic air pollutants!•
NAAQs -> national ambient air quality standards!•
regulates specific toxics, sets nationwide standards!•
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Overview!
1970 -> clean air act amendments come out!•
series of complex amendments to earlier era statute!◦
one of the first major environmental statutes to come out!•
first cutting edge, intrusive, governed way actors went about their lives!◦
a lot of pushback from individuals!◦
!
approaches air regulations in a number of different ways!•
when you set a control system, you have to figure out 2 different things!•
1) what you want to regulate!◦
2) how!◦
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Starting point!
1) harm-based standards -> set appropriate standards to minimize harm!
adequate to protect the public health after providing for an adequate margin of safety!◦
set the goal first and figure out implementation to get there!◦
2) tech-based standards -> set technology or reduction goal!
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How you want to end up!
1) harm-based standards -> implementation -> SIP (state implementation plan)!
2) tech-based standards -> outcomes follow from it!
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CAA Harm Standard!
Primary: set at level "adequate to protect the public health" after "allowing for an adequate •
margin of safety"!
when Congress is running CAA, set the level!◦
figure out how much harm is in the air!◦
this standard is what we're working towards!◦
have to find the means to get there!‣
2 elements !◦
1) protect public health -> main goal, !‣
2) allowing for adequate margin of safety -> congress acknowledges that there will ‣
be some harm!
whats the proper amount that we protect health while still not placing an •
unmanageable imposition on regulated parties!
setting an appropriate maximum level of harm, won't seriously harm the public health!◦
!
Secondary: protecting environment, protecting impacts on species, secondary things that •
don't drive how EPA sets standards!
can't take place of primary standards !◦
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Like CWA, CAA uses technological standards!•
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