Highway Fund Sanctions for Clean Air Act Violations. CRS Report for Congress

摘要

Under the Clean Air Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency211u001eis required to impose highway fund and other sanctions on areas that she 211u001edetermines not to have submitted or not to have implemented adequate plans to 211u001eattain air quality standards. The threat of sanctions is a powerful tool that 211u001eCongress gave EPA to encourage state compliance with the Act's objectives. EPA 211u001ehas formally notified the states of its intent to use this tool 855 times since 211u001e1990. Actual imposition of sanctions, which cannot occur until 18 months after 211u001eformal notification, is a relatively rare event, however. The Agency has imposed 211u001esanctions 14 times since 1990; they are currently in effect for only one small 211u001earea in Montana. This report provides information concerning the authority to 211u001eimpose sanctions, lists the 14 areas that have been subject to sanctions since 211u001e1990, describes their status as of October 1997, and discusses the role of 211u001esanctions and alternatives under the Act.