Today I read in paper about heavy fine of $600,000 imposed on US Grocery retailer Safeway on grounds of violating the Clean Air Act. Then I got curious to know what exactly is Clean Air Act.

In October 1948, a thick cloud of air pollution formed above the industrial town of Donora, Pennsylvania. The cloud which lingered for five days, killed 20 people and caused sickness in 6,000 of the town's 14,000 people. In 1952, over 3,000 people died in what became known as London's "Killer Fog." The smog was so thick that buses could not run without guides walking ahead of them carrying lanterns.

Events like these alerted USA to the dangers that air pollution poses to public health. Several federal and state laws were passed, including the original Clean Air Act of 1963, which established funding for the study and the cleanup of air pollution. But there was no comprehensive federal response to address air pollution until US Congress passed a much stronger Clean Air Act in 1970. That same year Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  and gave it the primary role in carrying out the law. Since 1970, EPA has been responsible for a variety of Clean Air Act programs to reduce air pollution nationwide.

The Clean Air Act is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and enforce regulations to protect the public from airborne contaminants known to be hazardous to human health.

Actions to implement the Clean Air Act have achieved dramatic reductions in air pollution, preventing hundreds of thousands of cases of serious health effects each year.

The Act calls for states and EPA to solve multiple air pollution problems through programs based on the latest science and technology information.

The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate six major pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter.

Coming back to Safeway paying fine of $600,000 . Apart of such heavy fine , as terms of settlement , Safeway  has agreed to a nationwide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from refrigeration equipment at its 659 US stores. It seems this is the largest ozone protection case ever reached under the Clean Air Act.

So it proves that strong and stricter laws and policies are absolutely needed to promote reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other such causes of Global warming.