The 2005 Clean Air Act Severe Ozone Nonattainment Deadline: A Prime Opportunity to Realize the Goals of the Clean Air Act

摘要

It is often said that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Congress has been struggling with clean air problems and ozone transport questions for decades. For three years prior to the 1990 CAA Amendments, Congress debated the most fair, most health-protective way to combat ozone pollution by passing an amendment that adequately tackles many of the complexities of ozone pollution. The current Congress and the Bush Administration should carefully consider the wisdom of the 1990 bipartisan amendments before moving forward with plans to unravel the existing CAA before it is fully implemented and enforced. Now, as the 2005 deadline and other deadlines approach, it is evident that at some point in the very near future the government, industry, and citizens all must take aggressive actions to protect the health of millions of Americans. Decades of delay have already subjected millions to asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments. Deadline extensions and industrial sector exemptions introduced by both Congress and the Bush Administration will continue to condemn Americans to unhealthy air for decades longer. At this critical juncture, we cannot play politics with our health.