Air Quality Agreement

Since approximately half of the acid precipitation in eastern Canada has come from American sources, the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement was signed... 

Since approximately half of the acid precipitation in eastern Canada has come from American sources, the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement was signed in 1991 to reduce sulfur emissions and also set up a framework for dealing with nitrogen oxides and other pollutants that commonly cross the USA-Canada border. As a result, SO2 emissions in two countries have declined substantially. Under the current programs, total emissions from the two countries are expected to drop from 28.2 million tons (MT) (Canada 4.6 + USA 23.6) to 18.3MT (Canada 2.9 + USA 15.4) by the year 2010. In Canada alone, sulfur dioxide emissions have declined considerably over the 1980-1990s and, by 1995, had been reduced to 2.65 MT, lower than the agreed upon limit of 2.9 MT (Ro and Vet, 1999). 

Appendix 9.2. Annex 2 Commitments and Actions Reported (1992-2004) Under the 1991 Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement... 

Notes This table uses the wording of the Air Quality Agreement, but the articles of the Agreement are disaggregated into distinct commitments. Actions reported are those reported in the Progress Reports under the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement. It should be noted that the commitments made in the accord are commitments assumed by the Governments of Canada and the United States. 

Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement 2004 Progress Report... 

Environmental Defense (2000), p. 22 Canada-United States, Air Quality Agreement, Progress Report, Ottawa and Washington, 1996. 

The 2004 biennial report, however, does note in passing that total U.S. SOj emissions increased in 2003, to 10.6 million tons. As a result, the EPA acknowledged, U.S. power plant emissions in 2003 were only slightly below what they were in 1995, and only 38% below 1990 levels Air Quality Agreement Progress Report, 2004, Section 1, p. 2). 

The fact that the United States has pointed to this failure on Canada s part makes it the one exception to the rule that neither Canada nor the United States have taken each other to task for AQA commitments not met. See, for example, Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement, 2002 Progress Report, Section VI, Second Five-Year Review and Assessment, p 5. 

Source Environment Canada SOE Sheet 92-1, written with specific reference to the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement and Ozone Levels in Canada. 

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