The Unfulfilled Promise of Effective Air Quality and Emissions Monitoring

Abstract

Is extensive, direct monitoring of industrial emissions and air quality too difficult and expensive to be practical? Much of the Clean Air Act regulatory program rests on an assumption that the answer to this question is “yes.” This assumption has hobbled EPA and state regulation of air quality. Regulators, the regulated community, and courts have all become comfortable with implementation plans, permit limits, and enforcement decisions based on unverified estimates. The result? Air quality and health protection goals that remain unmet. Monitoring technology is changing, however, and as the technology improves, the fallacy of arguments against direct measurement of emissions and air quality becomes more transparent. This article is about the importance and uses of reliable, publicly available data regarding emissions of pollutants and ambient air quality.

Keywords: Environmental Law, Clean Air Act

JEL Classification: K32