Berne was settled in 1852 by Mennonite immigrants who came directly from Switzerland, and named the community for the capital of Switzerland. They began the chore of preparing for farming by clearing the land.
Intentions, however, were not always equal to actions. Implementation of the Clean Air Amendments was made difficult by a reluctant automobile industry and the energy crisis of the early 1970s. The 1970 act gave the auto industry a temporary way out of meeting the tougher standards.
After taking most of the past decade to pass through the legislative process, the Clean Air Act finally went into effect on January 1. It was passed into law in 2008. By comparison, the first Clean Air Act in the US went into effect in 1970. Nevertheless, the Clean Air Act is the first sweeping legislation governing air pollution in the country.