The Federal Clean Air Act (CAA) was established to improve air quality, protect public health, and to protect the environment. The CAA has been amended over the years, most significantly in the 1990s.

 

The Clean Air Act links together air quality planning and transportation planning through the transportation conformity process, namely, through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. The EPA periodically sets, reviews, and revises the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which are standards for harmful pollutants commonly found in outdoor air. In collaboration with MDOT, the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission analyzes transportation projects to ensure emissions from these projects will not negatively impact our region's ability to meet the NAAQS. The most recent analysis for projects may be viewed on our TIP webpage. 

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From 2017-2019, Tri-County housed and coordinated the Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities, a coalition of stakeholders working locally to implement alternative and renewable fuels, idle reduction measures, fuel economy improvements, and emerging transportation technologies. Learn more about their initiatives at www.michigancleancities.org. ​

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