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Joint U.S.-Canada Air Quality Progress Report Released
Release Date: 11/21/2002
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(11/21/02) The United States and Canada today jointly announced the sixth biennial Progress Report on acid rain, ozone and other transboundary air quality cooperation as part of the 1991 United States-Canada Air Quality Agreement. The 2002 Progress Report emphasizes continued success in reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), the major contributors of acid rain. Today’s report states that both countries continue to be on target for meeting reduction requirements of SO2 and NOx. The report outlines new requirements for the Ozone Annex to the Agreement signed in December 2000, has the full text of the Ozone Annex, and is the first to provide ambient air quality data for ozone, NOx and hydrocarbons for all sites within 500 kilometers of the U.S.-Canada border. The report details joint efforts on transboundary particulate matter (PM) analysis. In addition, the report includes the second five-year comprehensive review of the Air Quality Agreement which assesses the Agreement’s effectiveness. The review concludes that the United States and Canada continue to successfully fulfill the obligations of the Agreement, but that work remains to be done. Sulfur dioxide emissions from all affected utility units in 2001 achieved about a 32 percent reduction from 1990 emissions levels and a five percent reduction from 2000 levels. Nitrogen oxide emissions from all utilities in 2001 also continued a downward trend achieving a 30 percent decline from 1990 emissions levels and an eight percent reduction from 2000 emissions. The report also cites analysis of a national long-term wet deposition network (called the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN)), whichshows continued dramatic reductions in sulfate deposition, up to 30 percent over the past decade. Copies of the report, “United States-Canada Air Quality Agreement 2002 Progress Report” are available at: https://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/usca/2002report.html.
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