(S. 3219) Clean Air Act Amendments: The vote is on the Hart amendment to retain the original auto emissions standard for nitrogen oxides. The old Clean Air Act had allowed only .4 grams of nitrogen oxides per mile, but the bill relaxed this standard to 1.0 grams per mile. Nitrogen oxide can be a dangerous cancer causing pollutant. It reaches very high levels in many large cities during rush hours. A three way catalytic converter has already been developed for us in the 1977 Volvos which meets the .4 NOX standard. Yet the Volvo's fuel efficiency has increased by 10 percent. Environmentalists favor retaining the original standard. August 5, 1976. Rejected 33-58. The correct vote is yes.