Subcommittee on Energy and Power Schedules Clean Air Act Forum

Press Release

Rep. Ed Whitfield, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power, has scheduled a bipartisan forum on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. The subject of the forum is "State, Local, and Federal Cooperation in the Clean Air Act." Participants to be announced.

The forum is intended to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to hear a broad range of perspectives from experts about their experiences in implementing the Clean Air Act.

"Clean air is important to every single American, and the Clean Air Act plays a critical role protecting our nation's air. Since the last significant amendments more than twenty years ago, there has been a vast amount of experience with the Act," said Whitfield. "Congress has an inherent responsibility to continue to monitor whether our laws are working well, and to hear ideas for how we could do better. I look forward to having colleagues from both sides of the aisle join me as we work to ensure that the Clean Air Act works, as intended, to effectively to protect our nation's air."

The Clean Air Act was signed by President Richard Nixon in 1970 to control air pollution on a national level. Significant amendments were passed in 1977 and 1990. Since adoption of the 1990 amendments, air quality has improved dramatically. Despite the Act's apparent effectiveness, the 1990 amendments are characterized by frequent litigation, increasingly costly mandates, and a complex web of interrelated requirements for state, local and tribal governments.

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