Clean+Air+Acts

Former Canadian Environment Minister Rona Ambrose introduced in mid-October 2006, a Clean Air Act with mostly measures to fight smog pollution and greenhouse emissions. On October 19, 2006, Ambrose revealed details of the plan which would include reducing the greenhouse emissions levels of 2003 by about 45 to 65% for the year 2050. There are plans for regulations on vehicle fuel consumption for 2011 as well as targets for ozone and smog levels for 2025. The effectiveness of this act has been challenged by the opposition parties, with Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party stating that the act does little to prevent climate change and that more must be done. After threatening to make this into an election issue the Conservative Party agreed to rework the act with the opposition parties. In response to the Great Smog of 1952, the British Government introduced the Clean Air Act 1956. This act legislated for zones where smokeless fuels had to be burnt and relocated power stations to rural areas. The Clean Air Act 1968 introduced the use of tall chimneys to disperse air pollution for industries burning coal, liquid or gaseous fuels The United States Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1963, the Air Quality Act in 1967, the Clean Air Act Extension of 1970, and Clean Air Act Amendments in 1977 and 1990. Numerous state and local governments have enacted similar legislation, either implementing federal programs or filling in locally important gaps in federal programs. The Clean Air Act (1990) proposed emissions trading, added provisions for addressing acid rain, ozone depletion and toxic air pollution, and established a national permits program. President Bush issued an executive order to cut greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. It was spurred by a Supreme Court ruling that the EPA must take action under the Clean Air Act to regulate GHG emissions from motor vehicles. The President proposed the 20-in-10 bill, a goal to reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next ten years. He sent to Congress a proposal that would meet it in two steps: * First, set a mandatory fuel standard that requires 35 billion gallons of renewable and other alternative fuels by 2017. That's nearly five times the 2012 current target. In 2017, this will displace 15 percent of projected annual gasoline use. * Second, the proposal of continuing the efforts to increase fuel efficiency: reforming and modernizing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards for cars and extending the current Light Truck Rule. In 2017, this will reduce projected annual gasoline use by up to 8.5 billion gallons, a further 5 percent reduction that, in combination with increasing the supply of renewable and other alternative fuels, will bring the total reduction in projected annual gasoline use to 20 percent.
 * Clean Air Acts ** -Ryan Guy
 * Canada **
 * United Kingdom **
 * United ** States