User:Yhanpjmmz/Clean Air Act of 1963

History of Clean Air Acts
The United States used to experience severe air pollution during 1940s and 1950s.

In October 1948, one of the worst air pollutions took place in Donora, Pa. The choking, lethal haze covered the Donora's streets for about five days, and it made around 7000 residents suffered from severe respiratory or cardiovascular problems. The warm air passed over the town, trapping the cooler air and sealing off the contaminants, which blocked the route of fresh air. After one rain, the air near the ground become clear again.

The event lead to the first large-scale epidemiological investigation of an environmental health disaster in the United States. People began to consider the relationship between industrial development and air pollution. States began to passing a series of legislations to reduce the air pollution:

In 1955, Congress passed Air Pollution Control Act, and the International Air Pollution Congress held in New York City.

In 1963, Congress passed Clean Air Act with $95 million for purification at local, state, and federal level.

In 1967, Congress passed Air Quality Act, which authorized planning grants to state air pollution control agencies.

In 1970, Congress passed the amendment to the Clean Air Act, and set the air quality standards in the United States.

In 1977, Federal Clean Air Act Amendments required a review of all National Ambient Air Quality Standards by 1980. Congress added additional protection for Class I National Park and Wilderness air quality.

In 1990, Clean Air Act amendments strengthen rules on SOx and NOx emissions to help reduce acid rain.