The Clean Air Act’s Economic Benefits: Past, Present and Future

October 2010

This report, prepared for Small Business Majority and The Main Street Alliance, 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.  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.