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The Economics Of The Clean Air Act Essay

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"The health effects of air pollution imperil human lives. This fact is well-documented."
-- Eddie Bernice Johnson

Air is a part of all of our lives. Without clean air, nothing we know of can exist. The debate over clean air, it's regulations, their teammates and opposition, and the economic factors coming into play into this ever-more recognizable problem is a widespread and ever more controversial one. Like a long countdown to eventual disaster, the pollution effecting our world has no doubt made increasingly more impact on our daily lives, and has increased the intensity on Washington and other countries to solve the problem. The Clean Air act is a step in the right direction, but with every answer there comes two
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For example, American fishermen average $24 billion a year in expenditures and ultimately generate $69 billion yearly for the economy. Moreover, the average
American worker recieves $20 in value in reduced risks of death, illness, and other adverse effects for every dollar spent to control air pollution. All in all, the country spent roughly $436 billion enforcing clean air regulations, and gained about $6.8 trillion in benefits in 1990. The amounts of harmful chemicals and pollutants in the air has also found to be dramatically reduced since 1970. 40 percent of sulfer dioxide in the air has been reduced, as well as 30 percent of nitrous oxide, and 50 percent of carbon monoxide.

As well as air, the EPA has produced results in protecting our nation's waterways. For example, the Clean Water Act, which passed in 1972, has since given states grants of $66 million to help install water sewage treatment plants.
They also found that the act has required the industry to install tens of billions of dollars of anti-polltion technology. The effect on the liquid industry has been enormous. Boating sales generate $14 billion alone while fishermen produce $3 million, and the nation spends an estimated $35 million anually for fish.

The economics of the Clean Air Act and the regulations pioneered by the EPA have set new standards for the production of companies. Under the current

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