If a person conducts an appraisal of the history of environmental programs, there is one success story that is well known for its accomplishments. This success story is the account of the air pollution abatement regulatory program in the San Francisco Bay Area by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). As the first multi-county air pollution regulatory body in America, founded in 1955, it has led the nation and the world in the formulation of innovative, dynamic regulations to bring clean air to its residents. This success story has many phases and contains too many chapters to be properly chronicled in one paper. Therefore, this paper will touch upon the reason for the success of what many believe to be the most illustrious era of environmental history. The following is a historical review, of one instance of how the BAAQMD led the nation, and some say the world, in attaining health-based air quality standards through the use of adaptive planning and management.
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