Longtime residents of Los Angeles remember the days when the mountains around the city were all but invisible. Today they’re a central part of its craggy beauty.
It’s not just Southern California. Thanks to the Clean Air Act of 1970, air across the United States has gotten 77 percent cleaner—even as the population, the economy, and the number of cars on the road have grown. That improvement has lengthened millions of lives, saved trillions of dollars, and made the country a global air pollution success story.
The landmark law was a bipartisan achievement, winning unanimous Senate approval and passing the House of Representatives with just one “no” vote.
