210 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

state, local and Federal governments were pioneered. Air monitoring
stations throughout the State's urban and industrial areas were estab-
lished. These stations were at once unfortunately and fortunately
situated so that the content of Maryland's air registered a bleak pic-
ture. Located in primarily industrial rather than residential centers,
the results of air monitoring in Baltimore City revealed that the City
would require a two-to-fourfold reduction of air pollutants to meet
new Federal standards set as a result of the Clean Air Act of 1963.
As I noted, the location of these stations marked the coalescence of
fortunate and unfortunate factors. In the interest of pure industry,
there is little question that the totally industrialized sites were poor
choices; in the interest of pure air I cannot think of better ones. For
the dismal results stimulated almost unanimous legislative support
of Maryland's new Air Quality Control law: a law that is so progres-
sive and substantial that it has been termed "excellent" by Federal
air pollution officials and, I understand, is being considered for dis-
tribution as a "model law" by Federal authorities.

What makes this legislation so singular and significant? In the first
place it incorporates a major change in public policy for the control
of air quality, and in the mechanism which is established for that
purpose.

It contains a clear and unqualified statement of public policy: "the
policy of the State of Maryland shall be to maintain that degree of
purity of the air resources of the State which will protect the health,
general welfare and property of the people of the State. " A vast im-
provement over the extensively qualified legislation which it replaced
— a measure couched in vague and ambiguous terms requesting co-
operation and requiring persuasion which virtually begged for evasion.

It assigns full responsibility for air quality to the State Department
of Health and by vesting this authority in the Health Department
dramatizes the lethal potential of air pollution, the solemn intent to
vigorously supervise the quality of our State's air and enforce this
statute to its legal limits to protect our citizens' health.

The Air Quality Control Bill provides a clear and unequivocal defi-
nition of air pollution that includes emergency cover conditions which
are predicted with reasonable certainty, as well as actual conditions.
"Air pollution shall mean the presence in the outdoor atmosphere of
substances in quantities, having characteristics and being of a duration
which from any single source or in combination with other sources,
are or may be injurious to human, plant or animal life or to property,