ABSTRACT

The development and maturation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) in the United States demonstrates an increasing federal role in the regulation of air pollution, including a broader scope to address the global issues, stratospheric ozone protection, and climate change. Until the 1950s, air pollution generally was perceived as a local and regional problem to be regulated at the local and state levels. California was the first state to act against air pollution, primarily because of deteriorating air quality in the already highly populated Los Angeles basin area with its unique geography and meteorology that exacerbated the problem.