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50 years in, Clean Air Act’s societal benefits still outweigh costs
The Kingston Fossil Plant smokestacks rise above the trees behind homes in Kingston, Tenn. in this Aug. 7, 2019, photo. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
The landmark Clean Air Act (CAA) turns 50 this month, and its impact has been dramatic: Ambient measures of pollutants have fallen more than 90% in some areas, and improvements in air quality are credited with preventing hundreds of thousands of premature deaths.
Despite this success, the debate rages on over whether the costs to industry of further pollution reductions are too high-most recently, the Trump administration declined to tighten soot rules. After five decades, has the CAA accomplished its mission?