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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§7470 Congressional Declaration of Purpose

Title 42 › CHAPTER 85 — AIR POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL › SUBCHAPTER I — PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES › Part C — Prevention of Significant Deterioration of Air Quality › subpart i — clean air › § 7470

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

Protect people and the environment from harm by air pollution, including pollutants that move into other parts of the environment, even when national air quality standards are met. Also protect air in national parks and other special natural or historic areas. Require economic growth to keep existing clean air, stop emissions in one State from harming another State’s pollution-control plan, and allow more pollution in these areas only after careful study and after the public has a fair chance to take part.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §7470

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The purposes of this part are as follows:
(1)to protect public health and welfare from any actual or potential adverse effect which in the Administrator’s judgment may reasonably be anticipate to occur from air pollution or from exposures to pollutants in other media, which pollutants originate as emissions to the ambient air) , notwithstanding attainment and maintenance of all national ambient air quality standards;
(2)to preserve, protect, and enhance the air quality in national parks, national wilderness areas, national monuments, national seashores, and other areas of special national or regional natural, recreational, scenic, or historic value;
(3)to insure that economic growth will occur in a manner consistent with the preservation of existing clean air resources;
(4)to assure that emissions from any source in any State will not interfere with any portion of the applicable implementation plan to prevent significant deterioration of air quality for any other State; and
(5)to assure that any decision to permit increased air pollution in any area to which this section applies is made only after careful evaluation of all the consequences of such a decision and after adequate procedural opportunities for informed public participation in the decisionmaking process.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Subpart effective Aug. 7, 1977, except as otherwise expressly provided, see section 406(d) of Pub. L. 95–95, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1977 Amendment note under section 7401 of this title. Guidance Document Pub. L. 95–95, title I, § 127(c), Aug. 7, 1977, 91 Stat. 741, required Administrator, not later than 1 year after Aug. 7, 1977, to publish a guidance document to assist States in carrying out their functions under part C of title I of the Clean Air Act (this part) with respect to pollutants for which national ambient air quality standards are promulgated. Study and Report on Progress Made in Program Relating to Significant Deterioration of Air Quality Pub. L. 95–95, title I, § 127(d), Aug. 7, 1977, 91 Stat. 742, directed Administrator, not later than 2 years after Aug. 7, 1977, to complete a study and report to Congress on progress made in carrying out part C of title I of the Clean Air Act (this part) and the problems associated in carrying out such section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 7470

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110