United States Acid Rain Program

Environmental Effects of Acid Rain. Acid Rain Program, United States Environmental Protection Agency, http //www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acidrain/index.html... 

The Eastern Canadian Acid Rain Program was highly successful at reducing SO2 emissions and sulfate wet deposition in eastern Canada (see Figure 10). Sulfur emissions actually declined more than the desired 50% by 1994, and have continued to decline modestly in the present. These SO2 emissions in the United States have also reduced dramatically, particularly since the implementation of the Canada-United States Air Quality Accord in 1991. This has been especially important to the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in eastern Canada, since US emissions are responsible for a large proportion of the acid deposition received in eastern Canada due to transboundary transport. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency (2005). EPA Acid Rain Program 2004 Progress Report, EPA 430-R-05-012. Clean Air Markets Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/airmarkets). 

An overview of acid rain monitoring activities in North America shows several national and regional programs in operation in the United States,... 

The topic of acid rain during the 1980s and early 1990s was one of controversy and of incomplete answers in terms of official policy and science—after an expenditure of many millions of dollars. In 1980. the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) was established and subsequently consumed thousands of scientific research hours and costly field investigations, including the use of numerous helicopter expeditions to northwestern mountain and lake areas of the United States and Canada. Thousands of hours of computer power were consumed. 

Acid rain was implicated in the sterilization of lakes in North Eastern United States and in Eastern Canada. Studies showed much of the air pollution responsible for acid rain originated in the United States. The Canadian government requested the United States reduce its emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. In response, the Reagan administration promised to spend 2.5 billion on a program of research and demonstration (read this to mean study). The aim was to reduce pollution from coal fired power stations. 

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