Environment

Clean Air

For over twenty years, Rep. Waxman has been one of the leaders in Congress in maintaining and improving the effectiveness of the Clean Air Act.

As Chairman of the Health and Environment Subcommittee, Rep. Waxman worked throughout the 1980s for strengthening amendments to the law, and was one of the primary sponsors of the 1990 Clean Air Act. The 1990 Act focused primarily on the problems of urban smog, hazardous air pollution, acid rain, and the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.

Although Rep. Waxman is no longer Chair of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Clean Air Act, he continues to be deeply involved in all air pollution issues both as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and as Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Link to Clean Air Act Archive
This section includes information on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, op-eds authored by Rep. Waxman from 1983-1997, a review of the Clean Smokestacks Act of 2001, and documents from 2002 and earlier.

CRS Reports
For general information, you may wish to review the following reports prepared by the Congressional Research Service.

Clean Air Act Issues in the 109th Congress

Air Quality: Multi-Pollutant Legislation in the 109th Congress

Clean Air Act: A Summary of the Act and Its Major Requirements

Chronology

June 7, 2007
Rep. Waxman Sends Letter Strongly Opposing Proposed EPA Legislation
Representative Waxman and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to Chairmen Boucher and Dingell, to strongly oppose draft legislation that would override the landmark Supreme Court case which recently found that EPA has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases from motor vehicles. The members called for a progressive energy policy that addresses the nation’s energy security and tackles the crisis of global warming.

June 4, 2007
Chairman Waxman Asks EPA to Clarify the Administration's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Policy
Chairman Waxman wrote a letter asking the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify the Administration's position on whether greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced.

March 30, 2007
Chairman Waxman Expands Investigation into EPA Reversal
Chairman Waxman expands the Committee’s investigation into possible political interference with an EPA permitting decision of a liquefied natural gas facility on the California coast.

January 16, 2007
Rep. Waxman Requests EPA Analysis
For two years, EPA repeatedly stated that an energy facility off of the California coast needed to meet Ventura County’s clean air rules. Chairman Waxman requests the EPA analysis that formed the basis for the reversal of that position in June 2005.

December 6, 2006
Waxman Objects to EPA Announcement on Lead Air Quality Standards
Rep. Waxman strongly urges that the EPA renounce a dangerous proposal that would eliminate the national ambient air quality standards for lead air pollution. These standards provide a baseline of public health protection throughout the country against highly toxic lead air pollution.

July 26, 2006
GAO finds EPA Failing to Protect Public Health from Toxic Air Pollution
In a new report, GAO finds that sixteen years after Congress passed the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, EPA has failed to carry out many of the Act’s requirements to protect Americans from cancer-causing toxic air pollution.

March 2, 2006
Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry Again Question Administration's Emissions Claims
In a follow-up to the Administration's response to their Jan. 26, 2006 , letter that questioned Dr. Paula Dobriansky's statements that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in recent years, Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry remind Dr. Dobriansky that under this Administration, U.S. emissions have hit their highest level ever.

January 26, 2006
Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry Question Administration's Emissions Claims
In a letter, Rep. Waxman and Sen. Kerry ask Dr. Paula Dobriansky to explain why, as head of the U.S. delegation to the UN Conference on Climate Change, she stated that U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases had fallen, when in fact they have risen by 3.5% during the Bush Administration.

September 22, 2005
EPA is Using Katrina to Undermind the Clean Air Act
EPA has drafted legislation that would allow the agency to waive any provision of the Clean Air Act, nationwide – including limits on toxic emissions and the health-based air quality standards – without any notice or public comment whenever the Administrator chooses to declare an emergency.

July 26, 2005
Energy Bill (H.R. 6) Fails Americans in Four Fundamental Areas
Reps. Waxman, Markey, Solis and Capps release a report examining how H.R. 6 undermines national security, harms the environment, wastes tax dollars, and costs the American consumer.

July 20, 2005
Energy Bill Would Preempt States and Localities
Rep. Waxman releases a report examining how the pending energy legislation would take away authority and funds from state and local governments, further concentrating power in Washington, D.C.

October 1, 2004
Congress’ Abdication of Oversight Responsibility
One of Congress’ main constitutional responsibilities is to conduct oversight to check abuses of power by other branches of government. During the last four years, however, Congress has failed to conduct meaningful investigations of allegations of serious misconduct involving the Bush Administration.

March 18, 2004
California Members Support Waiver of Ethanol/MTBE Requirements
Fifty-two members of the California House delegation write EPA to express support for a waiver that would allow the state to sell cleaner blends of gasoline without the oxygenates mandated by the Clean Air Act.

August 21, 2003
Proposed EPA Rule Change Exempts Older Facilities from Clean Air Standards
In a letter to EPA, Senators Edwards, Lieberman, and Jeffords and Reps. Waxman, Markey, Allen, Capps, and Schakowsky object to a proposed EPA rule change that would allow existing power plants to make significant changes to their operations without having to comply with current environmental standards.

May 21, 2003
EPA Fails to Study Mercury Emissions
Rep. Waxman asks why EPA has failed to conduct an analysis of toxic mercury emissions from power plants, a move which threatens to derail the Clean Air Act rule on controlling these emissions.

March 1, 1999
Exposure to Hazardous Air Pollution
A series of reports prepared by the Special Investigations Division were the first studies to analyze levels of hazardous air pollutants -- and the health risks they generate -- based on current monitoring data. The reports found that many people may be exposed to hazardous air pollutants at levels that are hundreds of times higher than the goals of the Clean Air Act. The report on exposure to hazardous air pollutants in Los Angeles, which the Special Investigations Division prepared for Rep. Waxman, is representative of these reports.