Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers

The primary federal air quality law in the US is the Clean Air Act, which the 88th Congress passed in 1963. Intended to improve air quality nationwide by reducing and controlling air pollution, it was among the first environmental laws in modern US history. In 1970, along with the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), additional regulations strengthened the Clean Air Act. Since then, the EPA has administered and enforced the Clean Air Act, coordinating with state, local, and tribal governments. The law specifies National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, lead, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide, as well National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), including benzene, asbestos, formaldehyde, chloroform, dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium compounds.

Chapter 3 of Murderland describes how the passing of the Clean Air Act in 1963 inspired Tacoma-based activists to begin resisting the planned expansion of ASARCO smelters. In Chapter 5, Fraser notes how the significant additions to the Clean Air Act and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 indicated potential victory against smelters, but ASARCO executives correctly anticipated that most cities lacked the resources to enforce the new laws and thus continued large-scale industrial work.