MJB&A Authors Study Highlighting Economic Benefits of Clean Air Act

On October 5, 2010, M.J. Bradley & Associates released a report prepared for Small Business Majority and The Main Street Alliance, The Clean Air Act's Economic Benefits: Past, Present and Future, which demonstrates that the Clean Air Act's economic benefits have far exceeded its costs to businesses.

The report also finds that the air law has spurred technological innovations in pollution controls to meet EPA rules that have boosted U.S. exports of environmental control technologies. The report documents the 130 percent growth in exports of these technologies between 1993 and 2003. Exports were valued at $30 billion in 2004. The report also documents that between the law's inception in 1970 and significant amendments in 1990, the Clean Air Act produced $22.2 trillion in economic benefits compared a scenario of no air controls. The compliance costs for the same period were $523 billion, a cost-to-benefit ratio of more than 40:1 with net economic benefits of $21.7 trillion. In the period between the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and projected through 2010, the economic benefits are estimated as $690 billion versus compliance costs of $180 billion. The report also highlights the fact that compliance costs for businesses have been dramatically lower than initially predicted, including by EPA.

MJB&A assists private industry, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies in the strategic assessment of environmental and energy policies, programs, and technologies.

Small Business Majority is a national nonprofit small business advocacy organization focused on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses. They conduct extensive opinion and economic research and work with small business owners, policy experts, and elected officials nationwide to bring nonpartisan small business voices to the public policy table.

The Main Street Alliance is a national network of small business coalitions in 15 states supporting small business owners to bring their values into the public dialogue on pressing policy issues. Members of the alliance network share a vision of public policies that work for small business owners, their employees and the communities they serve. The alliance and its member coalitions create opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves on issues of common concern.

Click here to download the report.