Even if you buy the notion that the original federal Clean Air Act was a good idea designed to promote health and protect the environment, little that’s been done to amend or adjust the law over the last four decades has addressed either health or environmental issues. Instead the law has been changed to help “dirty air” states keep air-polluting businesses from moving to “clean air” states.

That was a key piece of the argument Donald van der Vaart presented today during a speech to the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society. Van der Vaart is chief of air quality permits for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, though he offered a disclaimer that his speech was not meant to reflect official DENR policy.

In the video clip below, van der Vaaart explains that the State Implementation Plans, or SIPs, linked to the original Clean Air Act led to changes that had little to do with health or environmental protection.

Click play below to watch the full 47:56 event.

You’ll find other John Locke Foundation video presentations here.