The various air pollution laws which have developed throughout our history have helped to curtail the damage that humankind has had on the atmosphere. The greatest problem with air pollution laws is that they are generally not passed until there is an actual air pollution problem. While we are now starting to readjust our focus on the prevention of further air pollution, the necessary laws to curb future damage is still a long way off.

The original air pollution laws hit the books in 1955. States were dealing with the air pollution problems that were surfacing by passing their own laws only to find that there was not enough impact on the air quality. National mandates came through in recognition for the need to stabilize the national air pollution laws. There were few restrictions that were passed in 1955, but the necessary funding for national observation and research was granted so that we would know just how bad the problems could be in the future.

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It wasn’t until 1963 that the air pollution laws were put into place to actually reduce and prevent further contamination of the  air, by that point air pollution from cars was significantly on the rise. Back then, while the scientific research was not as advanced as it is today, the first real efforts to recognize and reconcile the damage to the air was put into place. This was the act that led to emission standards for automobiles and trucks as well as a reduction in the use of oil and coal with a high sulfur content. These small steps were a vital part toward the abatement of air pollution.

In 1967 the air pollution laws were amended to include the nationalized standard or clean air production for industries throughout the country. This was a hot topic of debate as there was a near majority vote that the government could not make an air pollution law that dealt with all industries in the same manner.

In 1970, when the environmental movement started to take off on a large scale, the Clean Air Act was passed into air pollution law. Overall, this was eventually considered to be a rather useless piece of legislature since the deadlines to meet tighter vehicle emissions were continuously extended. Regardless, the Clean Air Act of 1970 increased public awareness, extended funding, included the study of noise pollution, and finally gave the government the right to prosecute companies that were not in compliance of clean air standards.

Amended in 1977, the Clean Air Act was the first to recognize that there was destruction to the ozone layer and the first to implement research and abatement programs to help dissuade the continued destruction of the ozone.

Chlorofluorocarbons hit the scene when the Clean Air Act of 1990 gave Congress a long thoughtful pause as the real need to start making restrictive air pollution laws became increasingly clear. The use of CFCs were addressed and plans to eliminate them from our daily life were put into place, tighter restrictions once again were placed on vehicle emissions, and the initiation of the Best Available Control Technology air pollution law was created. The BACT was designed to implement the tightest possible air pollution control after the total cost of doing and the availability of current technology was considered.

President Obama was part of the newest act waiting for the passage into law that caps clean energy laws. This is a huge step toward creating a cleaner environment, encouraging clean energy jobs, and helping move the industries of resistance toward clean energy.

As environmental concerns continue to mount, many organizations are holding their breath in the hopes that the newest air pollution laws will take effect without amendment or relaxed laws. If we are ever going to clean up our air we need to press our politicians to take bold steps toward reducing emissions and creating clean energy to change the age old argument against tightening regulations. If the industries switch to clean energy, there will no longer be heavy cost concerns that plague an industry from making environmentally healthy decisions.