Gasping for Breath: The Administrative Flaws of the Federal Hazardous Air Pollutant Program

81 Pages Posted: 11 Sep 2006 Last revised: 14 Oct 2013

See all articles by Victor Byers Flatt

Victor Byers Flatt

Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Date Written: September 1, 2006

Abstract

This article explains the continuing problems with protecting human health under the current Federal Clean Air Act's Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) program. In particular, the article focuses on the difficulties in protecting the public from residual health risks, when maximum technological controls have been put into place on all sources. The article then examines the causes of this problem, concluding that they can be traced to problems in the statutory implementation and enforcement regime concerning residual health risks. This problem is not unique to health protection with air toxics and is consistent with general theories of implementation of public health protection statutes. The article then surveys fourteen states that have stricter protections than the federal government for residual risk from air toxics, and analyzes these states' success in reducing air toxic concentrations. The article then explores the commonalities of the programs of the most successful states, and from that produces recommendations for improving the federal HAP program.

Keywords: air, toxic, hazardous, pollution, chemical, petrochemical, clean air act, ambient

Suggested Citation

Flatt, Victor Byers, Gasping for Breath: The Administrative Flaws of the Federal Hazardous Air Pollutant Program (September 1, 2006). Ecology Law Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 107, 2007, U of Houston Law Center Working Paper No. 2006-W-01, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=929211 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.929211

Victor Byers Flatt (Contact Author)

Case Western Reserve University School of Law ( email )

11075 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106-7148
United States

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