Air Quality: A Guide to the Issues

1) Starting Points

• Air Topics (EPA)
• Clean Air Act Issues in the 108^th Congress (Congressional Research Service)
• High School Environmental Center (EPA)

2) Books

Making sense of the Clean Air Act requires having some terminology and a framework in mind.  One way to achieve this is to browse some of the following books and online documents.  CQ Electronic Library is another excellent source for gaining background.

• Clean Air Handbook (344.73046 C623 1998)
• Blue Skies, Green Politics: the Clean Air Act of 1990 & Its Implementation (344.73046 B916B 1995) 

For additional resources, search the library's catalog using the subject term, "air pollution".

Online Documents

• Air Pollution (EPA)
• Dallas / Fort-Worth Non-Attainment Area
• History of the Clean Air Act (American Meteorological Society)
• Ozone: Good Up High, Bad Nearby (EPA)
• The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act (Dept. of Energy)
• Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP)

3) Law & Regulation

While the Congress makes laws, it is left to the various regulatory agencies to spell out how these laws will be implemented. Federal laws are collected in the United States Code and agency regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations.  State laws are collected in various codes available at Texas Statutes Online.  Texas agency regulations are published in the Texas Administrative Code. City ordinances are contained in the Dallas City Code. All of these are available in printed form at the Dallas Public Library.

• The Clean Air Act (EPA)
• The Code of Federal Regulations - Title 40: Protection of Environment
• Dallas City Code - Chapter 5A: Air Pollution
• Texas Administrative Code - Title 30: Environmental Quality
• Texas Statutes Online (search for "air pollution")
• United States Code - Title 42, Chapter 85: Air Pollution Prevention & Control

4) Magazines & Journals - Online Databases

• CQ Electronic Library (Access from Library Only)
• Dallas Morning News Archive (Access from Library Only)
  See especially: Public Affairs Collection.
• Government Documents Search(Access from Library Only)
• TexShare
  See especially: EBSCO Science, Masterfile Premier, EBSCO News and INFOTRAC Custom Newspapers.

5) Selected Federal Agencies

Different federal agencies have different regulatory responsibilities. For example: the Department of Energy has responsibility for power plants, the Dept. of Transportation deals with so-called "mobile sources" of air pollution and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is mandated to address air pollution issues across-the-board. Links to several relevant agencies are provided.

• U.S Department of Energy
• Office of Environmental Management
• Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Network

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Office of Air & Radiation
• Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards
• Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
• Office of Transportation & Air Quality
• State and Local Transportation Resources

• Department of Transportation
• Federal Highway Administration Air Quality Program
• Federal Highway Administration's Planning and Environment

• National Center for Environmental Health (Center for Disease Control)
• National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (National Institutes of Health)
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Executive Agencies

• Council on Environmental Quality

State & Regional Agencies 

• Air Quality (North Central Texas Council of Governments)
• Texas Council on Environmental Quality

6) Opposing Viewpoints

Opponents to clean air regulation often say that such government interventions interfere with free market forces, or they argue that the costs of complying with the regulations outweighs actual benefits to society. Proponents of regulation generally cite human health and well-being and potential damage to the environment as negative effects of air pollution. They also note that short-term business gains are often outweighed by longer-term costs which must be borne by society or by those who live "downstream". The following groups work to educate citizens and policy makers about air quality issues. Being advocacy groups, they tend to frame their positions in ways that support a particular approach or point of view.

Generally supportive of strong clean air regulation

• American Lung Association - Air Quality
• Downwinders at Risk (Dallas)
• Environmental Defense - Air Quality
• Ozone Can Affect Heavier People More
• Save the Clean Air Act

Tend to favor free-market approaches

• CATO Institute
• Finding Better Ways to Achieve Cleaner Air (American Enterprise Institute)
• Texas Public Policy Foundation - Articles on Air
• National Center for Policy Analysis - Air Pollution
• US Chamber of Commerce
• Why the New Source Review Program Needs Reform (Heritage Foundation)
  Note that this article was written before the passage of the 2003 Clear Skies Act.

7) Miscellaneous

The following tools are useful for visualizing and understanding the impact of air pollution on our area. (We've also included links to a simulation game and a site that provides the daily pollen count.)

Air Quality

• Air Now
• Animated Ozone Map - DFW
  Shows animated simulation of ozone concentrations. Choose a date during summer, ozone season.
• Air Quality Index (TCEQ)
• Daily Pollen Count
• Power Plant Pollution Locator
• Toxics Release Inventory Program (EPA)
• SmogCity
  Simulation game teaches about air quality.