Sightline, Summer 2001, Uphill Battle: Acid Deposition, Clean Air Act, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

SIGHTLINE

SUMMER 2001
Vol. 2 No. 1

AIR
The Acid Test

HUMAN INTERACTION
Back to the Future

WILDLIFE
Deviant Behavior

WATER
Aquatic Insects on the Frontline

INVASIONS
Big Hogs, Big Problems

VEGETATION
Managing the Land

BIODIVERSITY
Campaign to Identify Smokies' Species Continues

SIGHTLINE
is published on behalf of
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
by the
Energy, Environment and Resources Center (EERC)
at the
University of Tennessee.

EERC conducts research designed to promote real-world solutions to problems in the fields of energy, environment, technology, and economic development.

SIGHTLINE is sponsored by:

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

and

Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association

Uphill Battle
30 Years of Progress on Acid Deposition

BY ELISE LeQUIRE

· 1970: The Clean Air Act of 1970 mandates reductions in emissions of six criteria pollutants, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, primarily to safeguard human health.

· 1977: Clean Air Act Amendments include provisions for protection of Class I areas, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and mandate that federal land managers protect air-quality related values, including visibility, flora, fauna, surface water, ecosystems, and historic resources.

· 1978: National Atmospheric Deposition Program-made up of state, federal, and private organizations-launches a national monitoring program to collect data on the chemistry of acid deposition and track long-term effects.

·1980: The Acid Precipitation Act authorizes the organization of a cooperative federal program, the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), to coordinate research on acid deposition and report its findings to Congress.

· 1990: Title IV of the Clean Air Act calls for utilities that burn fossil fuels to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2 ) emissions 10 million tons below 1980 levels by 2010 and to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions by 2 million tons below 1980 levels. Phase I compliance began in 1995-1996; 445 mostly coal-burning power plants joined the program. Phase II compliance, which targets larger plants and all new plants, began in 2000.

· 1995: All of the first-phase goals for SO2 are met; SO2 emissions from targeted utility plants drop 39 percent below allowable levels. However, NAPAP reports that most of these reductions occurr in the Midwest, and there is no evidence of significant decreases in nitrate concentrations in precipitation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports to Congress that additional reductions in sulfur and nitrogen deposition would be required to fully recover sensitive Adirondack lakes.

· 1997: EPA revises the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and fine particulates, establishing more-protective limits where ozone exceeds 0.08 parts per million in an eight-hour period and a new 24-hour and annual standard for fine particulates 2.5 microns or smaller.

· 1998: EPA issues a rule requiring 22 Eastern states and the District of Columbia to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides from stationary industrial sources that contribute to regional air pollution in the form of ozone and fine particulate matter by 2003. EPA did not mandate how states are to achieve these goals, but the agency did require states to produce a State Implementation Plan to be filed by 1999.

·1999: EPA issues the Regional Haze Rule requiring states to establish goals for reducing fine particulate emissions from stationary and mobile sources to improve visibility in Class I areas and achieve natural conditions by 2065.

· 2000: EPA releases final rules establishing stricter standards for sulfur content in gasoline and diesel fuel and for tailpipe emissions of nitrogen oxides from vehicles, including light trucks and sport utility vehicles.

· 2001: The Southern Appalachian Mountains Initiative (SAMI)-a multiagency voluntary organization composed of eight states and a number of federal, industrial, and nonprofit organizations-issues its final summary and recommendations of strategies to remedy existing and prevent future adverse impacts on Class I areas in the Southern Appalachian Mountains <http://www.saminet.org>.

SIGHTLINE

Uphill Battle 30 Years of Progress on Acid Deposition

Uphill Battle
30 Years of Progress on Acid Deposition