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Environmental
Monitoring
Protective
Measures
Offshore Air Quality
Compliance
The Clean
Air Act (CAA) (42
U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) is a comprehensive Federal law that regulates all
sources of air emissions. The 1970 CAA authorized the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
to protect public health and the environment. The states were directed to
develop state implementation plans (SIP's), which consist of emission
reduction strategies with the goal of achieving the NAAQS by the
legislated date.
The Act was
amended in 1977 primarily to set new goals (dates) for achieving
attainment of NAAQS since many areas of the country had failed to meet
them by the required deadline. The 1977 amendments also established the
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations for areas that
already meet the NAAQS. The PSD regulations are designed to prevent any
significant deterioration in air quality above an established baseline
level. That way pollutant concentrations may remain well within the
ambient standards.
The 1990
amendments to the CAA in large part were intended to meet unaddressed or
insufficiently addressed problems such as acid rain, ground-level ozone,
stratospheric ozone depletion, and air toxics.
COEMMon air pollutants regulated by the EPA include nitrogen oxides (NOx),
sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter, carbon monoxide (CO), volatile
organic compounds (VOC), ozone (O3), and lead.
The
following links provide more information on the Clean Air Act and the
various parts of the EPA regulatory program.
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