III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 119 

Recognizing past, present, and future public health and economic benefits 

of cleaner air due to the successful implementation of the Clean Air Act. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 31, 2011 

Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. CARPER, Mr. KERRY, Mr. 

REID, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mrs. BOXER, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. 

FRANKEN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. 

UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. 

GILLIBRAND, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. REED, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. 

INOUYE, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BINGAMAN, Ms. MIKULSKI, 

Mr. COONS, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. NELSON of Florida, and Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing past, present, and future public health and economic benefits of cleaner air due to the successful implementation of the Clean Air Act. 

Whereas for more than 40 years since passing with strong bipartisan support, the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et 

seq.) has saved lives and protected public health in the 

United States while creating jobs and enhancing national 

security; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act has saved hundreds of thousands 

of American lives since 1970; 


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Whereas the Clean Air Act has helped industry in the United 

States lead the way in creating jobs in pollution reduction 

technology, creating more than 1,000,000 jobs in the 

United States and a multibillion-dollar market for pollution reduction technology and leading to tens of billions 

of dollars in exports each year to other nations looking 

to improve their own air quality, according to the Institute of Clean Air Companies and The Small Business 

Majority; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act is estimated to provide up to $40 

of health and economic benefits to Americans for every 

dollar invested; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act is credited with reducing air pollution from lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and ozone by 41 percent 

over the 20 years prior to the date of approval of this 

resolution, while over the same period, gross domestic 

product grew by 64 percent; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act has protected children by reducing lead pollution in the air by 92 percent since 1980, 

significantly reducing the number of children with brain 

damage resulting from lead poisoning; 

Whereas the protections offered by the Clean Air Act are 

credited with saving families in the United States each 

year from 54,000 cases of chronic bronchitis, 130,000 

cases of acute bronchitis, 130,000 heart attacks, 

1,700,000 cases of asthma exacerbation, 86,000 emergency room visits, 3,200,000 lost school days for children, and 13,000,000 lost work days; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Public Law 

101–549; 104 Stat. 2399), which also passed with strong 


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bipartisan support, saves more than 160,000 American 

lives every year, has reduced power plant sulfur dioxide 

pollution by 64 percent and nitrogen oxides pollution by 

67 percent, and has decreased acid rain deposits by 40 

percent, all for a total investment of 82 percent less than 

originally estimated by the Federal Government; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 led to a 

phase-out by 1996 of the most harmful ozone layer-depleting products, for a total investment of 30 percent less 

than originally projected by the Federal Government, saving millions of Americans from skin cancer; 

Whereas the Clean Air Act vehicle standards for cars, light 

trucks, and heavy duty trucks help— 

(1) to save drivers money at the gas pump by spurring fuel efficiency innovation, at an estimated savings to 

drivers of $2,800 over the life of a vehicle; and 

(2) to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs 

while enhancing national security by saving an estimated 

2,300,000,000 barrels of oil over the life of those vehicles; 

Whereas there remains a need to reduce harmful pollutants 

under the Clean Air Act, including soot- and smog-forming pollutants, mercury, lead, arsenic, carbon monoxide, 

and carbon dioxide, to avoid negative health impacts on 

families and children that include brain damage and developmental problems for unborn children and infants, 

heart attacks and strokes, aggravated asthma attacks, 

lung damage, and early deaths; 

Whereas according to the American Lung Association 1 in 

every 10 Americans lives in an area with unhealthy yearround levels of fine particle pollution, and 6 in every 10 


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Americans live in an area with unhealthy levels of 1 or 

more air pollutants; and 

Whereas many of the leading medical professional and public 

health organizations of the United States, including the 

American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the 

American College of Preventative Medicine, the American 

Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the 

American Public Health Association, the American Thoracic Society, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of 

America, the National Association of County and City 

Health Officials, the National Physicians Alliance, the 

Trust for America’s Health, and the Children’s Environmental Health Network, have stated that continued successful implementation of the Clean Air Act is ‘‘quite literally a matter of life and death for tens of thousands 

of people and will mean the difference between chronic 

debilitating illness or a healthy life for hundreds of thousands more’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the health, economic, and na3 tional security benefits of the Clean Air Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.); 

5 (2) believes that the people of the United States 

6 deserve the cleanest air and healthiest lives possible; 

7 (3) recognizes that the Clean Air Act programs 

8 have a record of providing clear short- and long-term 

9 health and economic benefits that significantly exVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:51 Mar 31, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR119.IS SR119

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1 ceed the initial investments made in pollution reduc2 tion technology; and 

3 (4) supports the protection of children and fam4 ilies from harmful pollution through continued im5 plementation of the Clean Air Act. 

Æ 


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