Passed in 1963, the Clean Air Act was a landmark piece of
environmental legislation in the United States that continues to
play an important role in shaping policy today. Among its many
accomplishments, it set the stage for the use of citizen
lawsuits to enforce environmental legislation, creating a
valuable tool for environmentalists. Yet, the history of citizen
lawsuits isn’t often explored, which is unfortunate, because
it’s actually rather fascinating. Citizen suits allow members of
the public to file suit in a number of different ways to compel
the enforcement of legislation. One option is to sue directly
for activities that are not allowed under a given statute; for
example, the residents of a community with poor air quality
could sue a firm that releases toxins into the air if the
release rate exceeds allowable limits or venting includes
forbidden materials. Without the power of a citizen suit, people
would be at the mercy of the government when it comes to
enforcing legislation like this, a serious is