Links
EPA: Air pollution standards fail to protect environment
Current air pollution standards for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) aren't strict enough to prevent damage to the environment, according to a new policy assessment from U.S. EPA that suggests tougher rules could be on the way.
EPA is undergoing a review of the secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for both SO2 and NOx. The welfare-based rules, distinct from the health-based limits on emissions that cause health problems such as asthma, are intended to prevent air pollution that harms the soil, water, crops, vegetation, man-made materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility and climate.
And according to a draft analysis of recommendations from scientists, the current standards have failed to prevent those types of impacts. Nearly the entire country has achieved attainment with the standards, which have not been changed since they were established in 1971, but emissions continue to harm wildlife, the report (pdf) by EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment concludes.
In the Adirondacks of New York and the Shenandoah region of Virginia, populations of acid-sensitive trout are down, the report says. In other places, scientists have found levels of SO2 and NOx that threaten populations of sugar maple and red spruce trees.