America's air is getting cleaner, but "cleaner" may not be clean enough. Not only do tens of millions of citizens still breathe substandard air, but the best available scientific evidence suggests that even legal levels of pollution make people sick. In the following paper, Curtis Moore, an expert on pollution control technology, seeks to familiarize renewable energy advocates with the regulatory and health issues associated with criteria air pollutants.

Mr. Moore outlines emerging medical research indicating that the impact of air pollution on human health is worse than previously understood. Although today's powerplants, cars and factories pollute less than those built a few years ago, America's air pollution problem remains grave. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that in 1995, 80 million Americans lived in counties where air failed to meet Federal standards. Such exposure causes substantial discomfort, disease and even death. Particulate pollution alone is associated with over 50,000 deaths annually, as well as increased hospitalizations, missed work, and school absenteeism. Long-term exposure to even minuscule amounts of pollution may cause severe health problems, especially in the young, old and infirm. For these reasons, EPA has recently proposed new, more stringent rules for particulate and ozone pollution, including new standards for very fine particles.

Mr. Moore's paper suggests to us an important avenue for future research and advocacy within the renewable energy and environmental communities. With the exception of a brief mention in Title IV of the Clean Air Act, existing environmental policy makes little mention of renewables. Policymakers should focus more explicitly on the potential of these clean energy resources to meet environmental goals. In future research, REPP will explore the role that renewable energy can play in preventing energy-related air emissions.

We thank Mr. Moore and REPP's editor, Susan Conbere, for their work on this valuable paper.

Adam Serchuk & Alan Miller, February 28, 1997

Abstract Executive Summary Article