1997 America's Air
America's love affair with the automobile has influenced everything from the designs of our cities to the subjects of our songs. Unfortunately, our automobile-dependent society has also resulted in higher fossil-fuel consumption, smog-filled cities, and other environmental problems. The U.S. government has taken steps to reduce these effects, including a new ozone standard put into effect on this day. The new regulation tightened the standard on the amount of ozone permitted in the air, setting the cap at .08 parts per million. As automobiles are the primary source of emissions that help form ozone, surpassing even industrial sources, consumers are directly affected by the new standard. Cities that do not meet national standards face strict penalties, including mandatory vehicle inspection and costly retrofitting of pumps at gas stations, all of which translate to higher gas prices.