Clean Air Act
Overview
Originally enacted in 1955 to protect the nation’s air quality, the Clean Air Act (“CAA”), took its current form after the 1990 amendments. 42 U.S.C. 7401–7671q. The CAA defines its purpose as “to protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population.” 42 U.S.C. § 7401. The Act provides a comprehensive and complex regulatory framework for regulating stationary and mobile sources of air pollution. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish minimum national standards for air quality, and assigns primary responsibility for enforcement and compliance to the states. The Act also establishes a permit system for all major sources of pollution and addresses prevention of pollution in areas with clean air. Read the full overview
Note: Recently added resources are posted at the top of the applicable sections.
Major Statutes
Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401–7671q
Regulations
E.P.A. Air Programs, 40 C.F.R. §§ 50–98
National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards, 40 C.F.R. § 50
Requirements for Preparation, Adoption, and Submittal of Implementation Plans, 40 C.F.R. § 51
Air Emissions Reporting Requirements, 40 C.F.R. § 51, Subpart A
National Volatile Organic Compound Emission Standards for Consumer and Commercial Products 40 C.F.R. § 59
Standards of Performance for Grain Elevators, 40 C.F.R. § 60.300–.304
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollution
Distribution and Use of Phosphogypsum for Outdoor Agricultural Purposes, 40 C.F.R. § 61.204
Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting, 40 C.F.R. § 98
Case Law
Case Law Index for Clean Air Act
Administrative Law Decisions
E.P.A. Office of Administrative Law Judges
Clean Air Act: Agriculture-Related Enforcement Cases
Center published USDA Judicial Officer’s Decisions
Center Research Publications
Environmental Law: Federal Laws That Affect Agriculture – PowerPoint Presentation (Springsteen)
2005 Environmental Law Update (Feitshans)
Managing Carbon in a World Economy: The Role of American Agriculture (Garry)
Congressional Research Service Reports
Reports– published and made available by CRS beginning in 2017
Subjects- published by CRS and made available by NALC until 2018:
Agricultural Law Bibliography
Introduction | Keyword Search | Browse Categories
Legal publications on Clean Water Act:
Pesticides, Herbicides, Insecticides, Fungicides, Fertilizers
Reference Resources
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
National Research Program: Soil and Air
National Research Program: Agricultural and Industrial Byproducts
Economic Research Service (ERS)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Agriculture: Inventory and Emissions Factors
Animal Feeding Operations – Air Programs
Clean Air Act(CAA) Compliance Monitoring
Clean Air Act Stationary Source Compliance Monitoring Strategy
Clean Air Act Permitting for Greenhouse Gases
Particulate Matter: Agriculture
Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Global Change and Climate Programs
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
Air Quality and Atmospheric Change
Conservation Technical Assistance
National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Congressional Resources
Reports on Clean Air Act (Government Accountability Office)
Clean Air Act: EPA Should Improve the Management of Its Air Toxics Program (GAO, 2006)
Other Federal Resources
AirNow (Current Air Quality Index)
Managing Manure to Improve Air and Water Quality (ERS, 2005)
USAID, Environment and Global Climate Change
Publications
One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Three if by Air: The Changing Face of Environmental Regulation of Production Agriculture (Ferrell & Lashmet, 2016)
The Creature from the Potomac Basin: Environmental Law under the Trump Administration (Ferrell, Goeringer & Lashmet, 2017)
International Resources
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
Additional Resources
Air Quality in Animal Agriculture (eXtension)
Animal Agriculture and Air Quality (Iowa State University)
Air Management Practices Assessment Tool
Publications and Research Reports
California Air Resources Board
Center for Agricultural Air Quality Engineering and Science (Texas A&M University)
Regulation of Greenhouse Gases Under the Clean Air Act (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions)
Feedlot Air Emissions Treatment Cost Calculator (eXtension)
Legislative History of the Clean Air Act
Manure Management and Air Quality (University of Minnesota)
Mitigating Air Emissions from Animal Manure: Summaries of Innovative Technology (eXtension)
National Air Quality Site Assessment Tool
National Association of Clean Air Agencies
Purdue Agricultural Air Quality Laboratory (Purdue University)