Clean Air Act

GAO summarized and updated its reports and ongoing reviews relating to the Clean Air Act.

Major reports pertaining to the Clean Air Act included those on: indoor air pollution as an emerging health problem; federal-state environmental programs; energy health and safety issues needing a coordinated approach; the policy conflict between energy, environmental, and materials policies in the automotive fuel-economy standards; the Tennessee Valley Authority clean air settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the fluidized-bed combustion process as a method to burn coal efficiently and economically and meet air pollution requirements; the U.S. mining and mineral-processing industry; the review process for priority energy projects; improving the scientific and technical information available to EPA in its decisionmaking process; air quality; EPA tampering and fuel switching programs; better enforcement of car emission standards; U.S. refining capacity; improvements needed in controlling major air pollution sources; and 16 air and water pollution issues facing the nation. Ongoing reviews pertaining to the Clean Air Act included: a review of constraints in implementing the Clean Air Act for stationary sources; an assessment of the potential of developing a market for air pollution rights in the United States; acid precipitation; the effects of regulation on the electric utility industry; an evaluation of federal efforts to convert oil- and gas-fired boilers to coal; and an evaluation of the desirability of early public involvement in identifying locations for energy facilities.