The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990: Clean Air at What Cost?

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 19901 ("Amendments") transform the federal statute which regulates air pollution into a behe-moth of over 700 pages in length. The Amendments add substantial new requirements to the Clean Air Act of 1970,2 as previously amended in 1977. 3 Even a cursory review of the Amendments demonstrates that their requirements will affect the cost and availability of many consumer goods and services, including gasoline, electricity, dry cleaning, automobiles, and aerosols. The United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") estimated that the Amendments as originally proposed would carry an economic price tag of$19.5 billion, while industry groups estimated the total costs at as much as $40 billion. 4 EPA estimates that half of the Amendments' cost will be incurred by 1995, and the other half by 2005. 5 One environmental group official has estimated that the Amendments will cost the average American household approximately $300 to $400 per year.