The Battle Over Air Quality Standards
Proposed by: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The American Lung Association (ALA)
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
The Sierra Club
Consumer and Other Environmental Organizations
Opposed by : The Air Quality Standards Coalition (It consists of approximately 600 industrial companies and interest groups)
Automobile manufacturers
The American Trucking Association,
The National Association of Manufacturers
The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA)
According to the annual survey of air quality done by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1995, air pollution has decreased 30% nationwide over the past twenty five years yet "80 million
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Now, EPA faces a big conflict on the control of these two pollutants.
The beginning of this conflict goes all way back to 1991, when the American Lung Association (ALA) among with consumer and environmental organizations sued EPA stating that the agency had not revised the ozone or PM standards as required by law even though there was sufficient evidence that the standards needed to be tightened. In fact, EPA has reviewed the standards only twice, in 1979 and 1987, since the initial standards were set during the early 1970s. But EPA has made no change to the standard then. As a consequence, a court ordered EPA to publish a proposed standard for public comment by the end of November 1996. On November 26, 1996, EPA announced its proposal for new air quality standards. In this proposal, EPA recommends that the standard of the ozone emission to be lowered from 0.12 ppm measured over one hour to 0.08 ppm measured over eight hours. As for the PM, the current standard requires the concentration of PM smaller than 10 micron to be lower than 50 micrograms per cubic meter annually and 150 micrograms per cubic meter daily; but the new proposal recommends the concentration of PM smaller than 2.5 micron to be lower than 15 micrograms per cubic meter annually and 50 micrograms per cubic meter daily, and the current standard is maintained for the concentration of PM larger than 2.5
I find this very unreasonable and not important really. Their reasoning for this is that the emissions from the cars is harming the atmosphere but what they don't realize is that some performance parts can make the car emit cleaner gases. There is a point where certain parts can be limited or banned but they can't just rule out all modifications to all cars because they THINK they are right. They don't truly know what is coming out of the cars besides fumes from gasoline which none of us can help unless our car is electric and slow. (sorry Tesla).
In the article, Browner tries to convince the reader that it is the right thing for the United States to change or revise the ozone standard that was developed in the 1970s to apply to the 1990s. She backs up this claim by stating that: “Americans want clean air. They want their children protected. They want EPA to do its job--ensuring that the air they breathe is safe and healthy” (Browner, 1997, para. 7). I also agree that this is true. Even if we have to cut back on some of the luxuries we Americans feel entitled to, if it helps to improve the health of the overall health of the
This source features a report by Jill U. Adams on the dangers, and current regulations of air pollution and climate change. Holding a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Emory University, the author primarily writes a health column for the Washington Post. She has also been featured in the magazines Audubon, Scientific American and Science. Because this article covers climate change, there is an inherent liberal bias. However, this bias coincides with irrefutable scientific data proving the existence of climate change. The audience for this article is anyone effected by air pollution and climate change; just about everyone. This source upholds my speculation that human beings have a significant effect on the climate. Before reading this article, I wasn’t aware that 55 million people a year died from air pollution. I found this source on CQ Researcher while searching for ‘pollution.’
Facts: In 1977 Congress revised the Clean Air Act (CAA) to address states that failed to attain air quality standards previously established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)1. This amendment to the CAA required states that were not in compliance with the established air quality standards to create a permit program regulating new or modified major stationary sources of air pollution1. The EPA defined a major stationary source as any device in a manufacturing plant that produced pollution1. This definition was later refined to allow an existing plant to use new equipment that did not meet the established standards so long as total emissions from the plant did not increase.
since 1970. 40 percent of sulfer dioxide in the air has been reduced, as well
Improved air quality wasn’t a subject of national concern until the mid 1900s. After decades of coal burning, unregulated gas emissions from cars and the excessive burning of fossil fuels, people started noticing bad air quality as a hazard to their lives. Over several decades, after seeing the costly effects air pollution was having on the environment and people’s health, interest groups like the Friends of The Earth club and the influences of Theodore Roosevelt and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring finally came together to persuade the government to enforce legislation that would reduce air pollution. Because of these efforts, the policies of the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Act of 1965, that aimed to control air pollution and raise air quality standards, helped create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 2, 1970. Since then, the EPA has passed more air quality improvement acts, and amendments to previous acts passed, to increase restrictions on air pollutants, with their main policy concern being the Clean Air Act. Improved air quality acts imposed by the EPA have been successful in cleaning the United States’ air quality by reducing ground-level ozone pollution and reducing emissions, allowing for a decrease in pollution related deaths/illnesses and a better standard of living. The EPA, through regulations and the Clean Air Act, has delivered it’s promise to improve air quality in the United States.
On to state officials, while the ADEQ is hard at work trying to control the air quality I don’t think state officials take the matter as serious as the public would want them to. The current Final Assignment-Phoenix Arizona air pollution 2
Air pollution rate may be lower that passed years, but it stills need to be lowered. According to EPA, despite dramatic progress cleaning the air since 1970, air pollution in the United States continues to harm people’s health and the environment (2016). The world still need to make better efforts improve air pollution. Air pollution causes many health problems, and environmental issues. Even when air pollution is not seen, or highly polluted it can create issues. “Newer scientific studies have shown that some pollutants can harm public health and welfare even at very low levels” (EPA, 2016). The Democratic Party and Green Party understand the efforts to improve air quality for environmental and health reasons. However, the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party need to focus on the main source of the economy growth; that starts with people and their environment. The libertarian need to focus on the people rights, by giving them the right to clean air. Air pollution needs to come to an end, following the EPA direction of air pollution is the way for a better life for people and their environment. The EPA supports regulations and advise the government on ways to lower the air pollution in the United States. It is a beneficial agency in the government to better the world now and for the
During the 1890s, air pollution also became a major issue from rapid industrialization. The result is that the government began to enact various air quality laws dating back to the early 20th century. This was regulated for the most part by the New York Sanitary Code. These are a series of local guidelines which are used to loosely enforce different environmental ordinances. They rely mainly on the individual voluntarily complying and have limited enforcement powers. (Reitze, 2005)
It is something that is highly debated due to the smoggy world that American’s live in. Metric tons of gas and smog are pumped into the atmosphere every day in America, which leads to the debate of the right to clean air. Smog obviously can cause health problems when breathed in for too long. This is a bigger problem in big cities which have factories and lots of cars. As an American we are promised many things when we are born or immigrate over here. We gain a lot of rights living here compared to some others, but is the right to clean air among those? Clean air is a subject to debate, but it isn’t always considered when talking about human rights. Moving into the future this will continue and grow as a problem for our country and world as a whole. Having the right to clean air should not only be considered but passed as a human right that everyone
Earth is the only place in the universe that can support human life. It is very important that we realize this fact and take very good care of it. Various human activities cause the destruction of earth. Human beings can live a few days without food and water however humans can last only a few seconds without oxygen. Various human activities lead to the aggravation of the quality of air. Gases produced by human activities mainly due to exploitation of resources and industrialization cause air pollution. Green house gases mainly chlorofluorocarbons; carbon
Although the United States passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, but also have half of Americans breathe dirty air (CBSNEWS,2014). The American Lung Association will release an air pollution report every year, which named the State of the Air. According to the report, although the air quality has despite the gradual increase but also have 166 million people breathe polluted air in the United States (lung.org, 2016).
The environmental issue for my Milestone project is Air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, and many harmful substances into Earth 's atmosphere, causing diseases, allergies, and death to humans, damage of other living organisms like animals and crops, or the natural environment (National Geographic, 2016). Georgia air pollution has been a focus for many years. Environmental protection Agency and Clean air act has been one of the main contributors to controlling environmental air pollution from increasing. The research is on scholars, chemicals and gases connected to air pollution and health hazards. Solution for Georgia is conserving, alternative energy and renewable resources.
You can’t escape from it. Everybody has to breath, and when air isn’t clean you health is affected. Air pollution is problem of all of us. You might think that you are healthy because you eat, and do only healthy things, so you cannot be sick, or get cancer, allergies or even die. Everybody is affected by air pollution.
The legendary words of the iconic Uncle Sam “I want YOU for the U.S. Army” is one of the world’s most predominant pieces of classical propaganda for the army. During World War I propaganda was viewed by many high powered governmental officials as another form of warfare, which was considered just as significant as the actual combat fighting during the time. The core focus of propaganda was to encourage the public and bring unity within the nation in order to fight and justify their involvement within the war. Furthermore, this encouraged the enlistment of soldiers to join the fight and targeted everyone from men to women and children. Moreover, another alternative aim was to acquire financial support to fund the war and supply disinformation