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Become a Clean Air Advocate! |
These are questions you may be asking now that you know more about air pollution and how it affects your family’s health. In this section you will find information on the local, state and national government agencies that are charged with regulating air pollution and improving the quality of the air we breathe. CLEAN AIR ACT (CAA) The Clean Air Act is the federal law passed in 1970 and improved in 1990 that forms the basis for national air pollution control. The act covers national air quality standards for major air pollutants, hazardous air pollutants standards, state attainment plans, motor vehicle emissions standards, stationary source emissions standards and permits, acid rain control measures, stratospheric ozone protection, and enforcement. In 1990 the CAA was changed to give the EPA wider regulation powers, including fining companies for violating the Act, setting deadlines for the states, local governments, and businesses to reduce air pollution. Another important change is to provide people the opportunity to take part in hearings on state and local plans for reducing air pollution. For the Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act, visit this EPA web site: http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/pegcaain.html.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mission is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment – air, water, and land – upon which life depends. They are the main federal agency that ensures that federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively. OFFICE OF AIR & RADIATION Mail Code 6101A The main office in the EPA that deals with air pollution, clean air, and air quality is the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR). OAR develops national programs, technical policies, and regulations for controlling air pollution and radiation exposure. OAR is concerned with pollution prevention, indoor and outdoor air quality, industrial air pollution, pollution from vehicles and engines, radon, acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion and radiation. Within OAR is the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS). Their primary mission is to preserve and improve air quality in the United States. AIRNOW The EPA’s AIRNOW web site is very useful for information on air pollution. This site provides national air quality information in an easy-to-understand format. The web site offers daily air quality forecasts as well as real-time air quality for more than 100 cities across the U.S. The AIRNOW web site has four main areas:
The EPA also has regional offices that are responsible for operating the Agency’s programs. There are ten regional offices, and California is part of Region 9. Region 9 has an Air Division that manages, implements, and enforces programs covering indoor and outdoor air quality, radiation, control of air pollution from stationary and mobile sources, stratospheric ozone protection, and other areas. On their web site you can get information on California’s state implementation plans (SIPs) and the air permit program under Title V. CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD (CARB) The California Air Resources Board is a state agency that is part of the California Environmental Protection Agency. CARB reports directly to the Governor’s Office in the Executive Branch of the California State government. The California Air Resources Board’s mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering the effects on the economy of the state. CARB duties are to set health-based air quality standards, set and enforce emission standards for motor vehicles, fuels, and consumer products, conduct research, monitor air quality, identify and set control measures for toxic air contaminants, oversee and assist local air quality districts that regulate many non-vehicular sources of air pollution, produce education programs and materials, and provide compliance assistance for businesses. Here are some of CARB’s Programs. For a full list go to: www.arb.ca.gov/html/programs.htm.
BAY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (BAAQMD) Local agencies responsible for implementing and enforcing the rules of the Clean Air Act are called air districts. An air district is a governing agency responsible for managing air quality on a regional or county basis. California is currently divided into 35 air districts. In the Bay Area, we have the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, BAAQMD. BAAQMD’s oversight covers seven counties – .Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Napa, and portions of two others – southwestern Solano and southern Sonoma. The District is governed by a 21-member Board of Directors, made up of publicly elected officials. The Board has the authority to develop and enforce regulations for the control of air pollution within its area. The District’s five-member Hearing Board is an independent body that deals with a company’s request for a variance or change from District regulations. They also hear cases brought by the District against those companies that violate air pollution regulations. The Hearing Board also rules on complaints against polluters that have not corrected their air pollution violations in a reasonable time period. Back to Clean Air Guide |
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Questions? - Phone: 415.342.0042 - Email: jburcham@ocefoundation.org - © Copyright 2007 OCE |
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Ozone Maps: Real-time ozone air quality maps.
EPA REGION 9 AIR DIVISION