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New Materials Available
Throughout the history of the Clean Air Act, questions have been raised as to whether the health and environmental benefits of air pollution control justify the costs incurred by industry, taxpayers, and consumers. While the benefits and costs of individual programs and standards continue to be addressed through narrowly-focused regulatory analyses, there has never been a comprehensive, long-term, scientifically valid and reliable study which answered the broader question:
"How do the overall health, welfare, ecological, and economic benefits of Clean Air Act programs compare to the costs of these programs?"
To address this void, Congress added to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments a requirement under section 812 that EPA conduct periodic, scientifically reviewed studies to assess the benefits and the costs of the entire Clean Air Act.
To request paper copies of the reports by mail, contact Barbara Morris by phone at 202-564-1666, or by fax at 202-564-1554. For further technical information on either the retrospective report or the prospective reports, contact Jim DeMocker by phone at 202-564-1673 or by e-mail at democker.jim@epa.gov.
Retrospective Study, 1970 to 1990 - On October 15, 1997, EPA issued the first in this series of reports, entitled "The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act, 1970 to 1990," following completion of a six-year process of study development and outside expert review. The report shows that the public health protection and environmental benefits of the Clean Air Act exceeded the costs of its programs by a large margin.
First Prospective Study, 1990 to 2010 - On November 15, 1999, EPA issued the second in this series of reports, "The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act, 1990 to 2010" This second study, the first of an ongoing series of prospective analyses, was also issued after a six-year process of study development and outside expert review. This first prospective study also finds that the benefits of the programs and standards required by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments significantly exceed costs.
Second Prospective Study, 1990 to 2020 - On May 12, 2003, EPA released an analytical blueprint for the third study in this series of Reports to Congress. The third report will update and extend the November 1999 prospective study. EPA's Science Advisory Board Council on Clean Air Act Compliance Analysis conducted a public review meeting to discuss the analytical blueprint on June 11-13, 2003. Additional materials were made available in August 2006 and March 2007.