Clean Air Act Amendments of 1979

Clean Air Act Amendments of 1979 - Title I: Clean Air Act Amendments - Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to amend certain regulations to require gasoline retail outlets to offer a blend of unleaded gasoline and alcohol which contains not less than ten percent alcohol, if supplies of such a blend are reasonably available. Stipulates circumstances in which such requirement may be waived.

Prohibits the Administrator from imposing a prohibition on the use of alcohol as a fuel unless such imposition will, taken as a whole, result in better air quality than would be the case if no such prohibition were imposed.

Title II: Gasohol Motor Fuel - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to promote the use of alcohol-blended fuels in the United States. Requires the Secretary, in consultation with other specified Secretaries, to study: (1) the most suitable raw materials, other than petroleum or natural gas, for the production of alcohol motor fuel; and (2) the nature of the alcohol motor fuel distribution systems and the various production processes, using feedstock other than petroleum and natural gas.

Directs the Secretary, within six months after the completion of the study, to establish goals for the production of alcohol motor fuel in the United States in each of the calendar years 1982 through 1991, beginning with one percent by volume of the projected consumption of gasoline used as motor fuel in 1982, and culminating with ten percent of the corresponding projected consumption in 1991. Specifies a similar schedule for refiners for the blending of alcohol and gasoline for motor fuel over the same period of time. Instructs the Secretary to determine goals which are technically and economically feasible, and which result in steady progress toward meeting the goal set for 1991.

Requires annual reports from refiners to the Secretary. Establishes a civil penalty of $1.00 per gallon of fuel sold that is not in compliance with such requirements.

Requires any person constructing a facility to distill alcohol for motor fuel to use fuel sources which are renewable.

Title III: Alcohol Production Incentives - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction, for income tax purposes, with respect to the amortization of any qualified alcohol-producing facility based on a period of 60 months. Defines such a facility as a tangible property used in producing alcohol (the primary use of which is fuel or other petroleum substitution) from coal or biomass. Specifies a formula for determining the amount of such deduction.