April 19, 2007

Air Pollution

Border Patrol

U.S., Canada plan pact to curtail particulate pollution

Cheryl Hogue

Canada and the U.S. will hammer out an agreement to control the cross-border flow of particulate air pollution, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson and Canadian Environment Minister John Baird announced on April 13.

The new pact will build on the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement, a 1991 treaty that initially addressed acid rain and scientific cooperation. The two nations added an annex to the accord in 2000 to cover ground-level ozone.

The yet-to-be negotiated annex will reduce solid and liquid particle pollution, Johnson and Baird said. It is also expected to reduce acid rain and haze along the U.S.-Canada border.

The two nations have not set a time frame for completing the talks on the new accord on particulates, an EPA spokeswoman tells C&EN.

Chemical & Engineering News

ISSN 0009-2347

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