42 U.S.C. § 7416
Section 7416 · Retention of State authority
Amended 5 times on record
Applied in 84 court decisions — leading case Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation & Development Commission (1983)
Most recently applied in In Re County Commissioners of Boulder County and City of Boulder, Plaintiffs: v. Suncor Energy USA, Inc.; Suncor Energy Sales, Inc.; Suncor Energy Inc.; and Exxon Mobil Corporation, Defendants: (May 2025)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Except as otherwise provided in sections 1857c–10(c), (e), and (f) (as in effect before August 7, 1977), 7543, 7545(c)(4), and 7573 of this title (preempting certain State regulation of moving sources) nothing in this chapter shall preclude or deny the right of any State or political subdivision thereof to adopt or enforce (1) any standard or limitation respecting emissions of air pollutants or (2) any requirement respecting control or abatement of air pollution; except that if an emission standard or limitation is in effect under an applicable implementation plan or under section 7411 or section 7412 of this title, such State or political subdivision may not adopt or enforce any emission standard or limitation which is less stringent than the standard or limitation under such plan or section.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
References in Text
1857c–10(c), (e), and (f) (as in effect before August 7, 1977), referred to in text, was in the original “119(c), (e), and (f) (as in effect before the date of the enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977)” meaning section 119 of act July 14, 1955, ch. 360, title I, as added June 22, 1974, Pub. L. 93–319, §3, 88 Stat. 248, (which was classified to section 1857c–10 of this title) as in effect prior to the enactment of Pub. L. 95–95, Aug. 7, 1977, 91 Stat. 691, effective Aug. 7, 1977. Section 112(b)(1) of Pub. L. 95–95 repealed section 119 of act July 14, 1955, ch. 360, title I, as added by Pub. L. 93–319, and provided that all references to such section 119 in any subsequent enactment which supersedes Pub. L. 93–319 shall be construed to refer to section 113(d) of the Clean Air Act and to paragraph (5) thereof in particular which is classified to subsec. (d)(5) of section 7413 of this title. Section 7413 of this title was subsequently amended generally by Pub. L. 101–549, title VII, §701, Nov. 15, 1990, 104 Stat. 2672, and, as so amended, no longer relates to final compliance orders. Section 117(b) of Pub. L. 95–95 added a new section 119 of act July 14, 1955, which is classified to section 7419 of this title.
Codification
Section was formerly classified to section 1857d–1 of this title.
Amendments
1977—Pub. L. 95–190 inserted reference to specified provisions in effect before Aug. 7, 1977.
1974—Pub. L. 93–319 inserted reference to section 1857c–10(c), (e), and (f).
1970—Pub. L. 91–604, §4(c), substituted provisions which authorized any State or political subdivision thereof to adopt or enforce, except as otherwise provided, emission standards or limitations under the specified conditions, or any requirement respecting control or abatement of air pollution, for provisions which authorized any State, political subdivision, or intermunicipal or interstate agency to adopt standards and plans to achieve a higher level of air quality than approved by the Secretary.
Modification or Rescission of Rules, Regulations, Orders, Determinations, Contracts, Certifications, Authorizations, Delegations, and Other Actions
All rules, regulations, orders, determinations, contracts, certifications, authorizations, delegations, or other actions duly issued, made, or taken by or pursuant to act July 14, 1955, the Clean Air Act, as in effect immediately prior to the date of enactment of Pub. L. 95–95 [Aug. 7, 1977] to continue in full force and effect until modified or rescinded in accordance with act July 14, 1955, as amended by Pub. L. 95–95 [this chapter], see section 406(b) of Pub. L. 95–95, set out as an Effective Date of 1977 Amendment note under section 7401 of this title.