Air Pollution

Implementing the Clean Air Act has been a tremendous undertaking, requiring the commitment of major resources at the federal, state, and local levels. Since the act's passage, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued more than 150 proposed and final rules and guidance documents. Some of the delays and problems in the programs GAO has reviewed, however, suggest that the public health and environmental benefits anticipated when the act was passed may not be fully realized. State implementation plans--the key mechanism for controlling air pollution, as well as the foundation for federal-state partnerships--are not being submitted, reviewed, or approved promptly. These delays may worsen as the number of plans that states must submit rises. Similarly, uncertainties and delays in the vehicle-emissions-testing program, as well as the operating permit and air toxics programs, suggest that resources and priorities continue to be fundamental issues that EPA needs to address. The administration's recent emphasis on reinventing government only underscores the need for EPA and other agencies with growing responsibilities, but flat or shrinking budgets, to explain to Congress how funding shortfalls have affected their ability to do their work.