In October 1948, a stagnant air mass over Donora, Pennsylvania, killed 18 people. In 1966, the deaths of 200 people in New York heightened public awareness of air quality issues and led to the creation of local pollution control programs across the country. Those efforts later were bolstered by the federal government's adoption of the Air Pollution Control Act in 1955 and the Clean Air Act of 1963. Federalization's advocates argued that without federal regulations, the states would ease their pollution standards and jeopardize the population. Goklany urges that efforts to improve air quality be subject to cost-benefit analysis, and resources spent where they are likely to have the greatest impact.
Studies suggest .
Thus, society would be better off if the former was de-emphasized with at least some of the resulting savings applied to the latter. The report is also available in two 12-page parts through PolicyFax .