In New York City in 1966, air pollution became so awful that hundreds of deaths were attributed to it that year. This and other serious pollution problems in America led to the 1970 Clean Air Act, which was later amended in 1977 and again in 1990. The Clean Air Act was designed to improve the air quality for all Americans. It was preceded by the Air Quality Act of 1967, which failed to do the job because it did not require environmental standards to be set. The Clean Air Act, however, charges the Environmental Protection Agency with setting standards regarding emissions of air pollutants (ranging from ozone and benzene to carbon monoxide and particulate matter) from factories, power plants, and all modes of transportation.