Today In History: Clean Air Act Becomes Law

The most alarming of all man's assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials. This pollution is for the most part irrecoverable; the chain of evil it initiates not only in the world that must support life but in living tissues is for the most part irreversible. In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world -- and the very nature of its life.

-- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, Ch. 2 "The Obligation to Endure", 1962, p. 6

Signed into law on December 17th, 1963 by President Andrew Johnson, the Clean Air Act sought to address the pervasive problem of air pollution control, following the first federal legislation in 1955 involving air pollution. A new government program within the United States Public Health Service enabled research into methods of monitoring and controlling air pollution, including industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust. Seven years later, additional legislation would follow, giving federal government more control over the growing problem of air pollution.  By 1990, more amendments addressed acid rain, toxic emissions, ozone depletions, and more pressing issues, including the burning of fossil fuels.

With public health at stake, workers pitted against climate activists, and increasing economic concerns, clean air has been a litigious subject over the decades, but one that is necessary for protecting citizens against pollution-related health problems by limiting bad air and actually wedding a healthy economy to cleaner air.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Air Pollution Bill. (1963, Nov 20). The Austin Statesman (1921-1973) 
• Toth, R. C. (1963, Dec 22). U.S. Moves to Combat Increasing Air Pollution: Federal Government Given New Powers as Contamination Bill Hits $11 Billion Year. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) 
• 13 to Testify at Hearing on Air Pollution: List Includes Daley, Governor Welsh. (1964, Jan 27). Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Favre, G.H.  Staff. (1965, Aug 03). New York Battles Air Pollution: U.S. Backing Sought. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Graham, F.P.  (1969, Feb 08). U.S. Acts to Close a Polluting Plant: Goes to Court First Time Under Clean Air Act. New York Times (1923-) 
• Revising the Clean Air Act. (1976, Aug 14). Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• You and the Clean Air Act-I: Health and Air Quality Standards. (1981, Aug 04). Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Clean Air Act Rewriting Given Panel Approval. (1982, Mar 25). Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Kearney, J. (1987, May 30). Voice of the People: Clean Air Act Is Having an Effect. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Gregory, S. S. (1995, Dec 27). City Enlists in Effort to Limit Air Pollution. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 

Tips:

• Belden, Roy S., and Angela R. Morrison. Clean Air Act Essentials, Third Edition. American Bar Association, 2021. e-book.
• Davidson, Jonathan M., and Joseph M. Norbeck. An Interactive History of the Clean Air Act : Scientific and Policy Perspectives. Elsevier, 2011.
• Evolution of the Clean Air Act. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Simon, Sarah. Protecting Clean Air : Preventing Pollution. First edition., Momentum Press Engineering, 2018. e-book.
• Morag-Levine, Noga. Chasing the Wind: Regulating Air Pollution in the Common Law State. 1st ed., Princeton University Press, 2009. e-book.
• Overview of the Clean Air Act and Air Pollution. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Vachon, Todd E. Clean Air and Good Jobs : U. S. Labor and the Struggle for Climate Justice. First edition., Temple University Press, 2023. e-book.

Images:

• Clear Sky, by Jeannette Marianne E. Lee, 2013. Wikimedia Commons.
• Johnson Signing the Clean Air Act, Canva.

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