Zach Pilchen serves as an attorney-advisor with the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One of the areas of environmental law with which Zach Pilchen is most familiar is the Clean Air Act, which sets the rules by which the EPA is allowed to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
NAAQS, according to the Clean Air Act, are established based on current scientific evidence of the effects of air pollution on human health and the environment. The Clean Air Act's provisions require particular focus on potential effects on vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens, children, and individuals who have heart and lung disease. The cost of controls cannot be factored into the setting of a standard, though the cost of control strategies can be considered in their implementation.
Two types of standards can be set. Primary standards are those designed to protect human health, with an adequate margin of safety, including for the at-risk populations mentioned above such as people with asthma. The Clean Air Act also allows for secondary standards that improve public welfare by ensuring a better environment for, among other things, vegetation and crops, water, manmade materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility and climate, damage to and deterioration of property, and hazards to transportation.
NAAQS, according to the Clean Air Act, are established based on current scientific evidence of the effects of air pollution on human health and the environment. The Clean Air Act's provisions require particular focus on potential effects on vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens, children, and individuals who have heart and lung disease. The cost of controls cannot be factored into the setting of a standard, though the cost of control strategies can be considered in their implementation.
Two types of standards can be set. Primary standards are those designed to protect human health, with an adequate margin of safety, including for the at-risk populations mentioned above such as people with asthma. The Clean Air Act also allows for secondary standards that improve public welfare by ensuring a better environment for, among other things, vegetation and crops, water, manmade materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility and climate, damage to and deterioration of property, and hazards to transportation.