Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the “War on Coal”

By Richard L. Revesz ’79 and Jack Lienke

Published Feb. 3, 2016

When Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, existing power plants were largely exempt from direct federal regulation — a regulatory practice known as “grandfathering.” Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the “War on Coal”chronicles the political compromises that gave rise to grandfathering and its deadly consequences, and the repeated attempts by presidential administrations of both parties to make things right.

Paw in print

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PAW's July/August 2025 issue cover, featuring a photo of people dressed in orange and black, marching in the P-rade, and the headline: Reunions, Back in Orange & Black.
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July 2025

On the cover: Wilton Virgo ’00 and his classmates celebrate during the P-rade.