Blueprint for Breathing

The 1970 Clean Air Act was no mere piety. It ordered William Ruckelshaus, as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, to propose a set of national air-quality standards, and within 90 days to determine the final ones. Now Ruckelshaus has done just that, despite protests from the Automobile Manufacturers Association, which calls his rules "disproportionate to any demonstrated health and safety need."

The rules affect two main sources of air pollution:

AUTOS emit the bulk of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Under the new rules, clean air means a maximum nine parts of CO per million parts of air during an eight-hour period. Hydrocarbons are limited to .24 p.p.m. for a maximum of three hours.

INDUSTRY emits most sulfur oxides and particulates (soot, fly ash, heavy metals). Clean air now means a maximum 80 micrograms of sulfur oxides per cubic meter of air and 75 micrograms p.c.m. of particulates as an annual mean. Both sources emit about the same amounts of nitrogen oxides, which the rules now limit to .05 p.p.m. of air. Both also contribute to photochemical oxidants, which are formed by the action of sunlight on hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxidants. The new rules limit photochemical oxidants to .08 p.p.m. of air. All this could sharply reduce present levels of air pollution. CO levels in cities (now 25 to 40 p.p.m.), for example, would be lowered to nine p.p.m.

According to the law, the states have until 1972 to present plans for compliance, and if accepted by the EPA, they have until 1975 to carry them out. Auto manufacturers have until 1975 to reduce 1970-level emissions by 90%. Last week they told Ruckelshaus that no matter how much Government pressure is exerted, Detroit will be unable to meet the 1975 deadline.

Among cities where sufficient data are available to make predictions, admits Ruckelshaus, only Cincinnati "could come close" to meeting the federal carbon monoxide deadline--providing automakers meet their own deadline. To reduce particulate and sulfur oxide emissions to required levels, big cities like New York would have to vastly increase their use of low-polluting natural gas, which is already in short supply. Most cities would also have to cut or even ban peak-hour auto commuting--and make up for it by building new, nonpolluting rapid transit systems. Unfortunately, the Government is unlikely to share the cities' staggering costs. Nixon's budget request for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration was $400 million, $200 million less than the amount authorized by Congress. The upshot is that few Ruckelshaus standards will be met on time. Yet some of them will be, which is the whole point of the exercise. Even if only in theory, the U.S. can now draw a clear line between clean air and dirty air.

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