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> October 15, 1999:
Hour Two: Trans-boundary Air Pollution
This week, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer threatened several New York power plants with lawsuits that could force them to cut emissions. Spitzer's announcement comes on the heels of New York plans to bring suit against seventeen midwestern power plants, seeking reductions in ozone, VOC (volatile organic compounds) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions. The suits against the midwestern plants hinge on allegations that the plants have increased their operating capacity without upgrading emission controls as required by the Clean Air Act. | The issue of trans-boundary air pollution has long been a contentious one between northeastern states and states in the midwest. Canada also has accused the U.S. of polluting its airspace with emissions from cars, factories, and power plants. The basic problem is simple -- some places say that pollution in their area really is coming from emissions in other areas. But the story surrounding the issue is more complex, involving the economics of power production, the text of the Clean Air Act (which exempted some power plants from having to install pollution-gobbling scrubbers) and the meteorology of air flow above the U.S.
Are the air pollution problems in the Northeast really the fault of companies in the west? What's a bigger factor in creating air pollution, factories or cars? And who should be responsible for cleaning up the air? We'll try to clear the air on this hour of Science Friday. | 
Photo: Leroy Woodson, US EPA |
Guests:
Carol Browner
Administrator
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC
Frank O'Donnell
Executive Director
Clean Air Trust
Washington, DC
David Flannery
Legal Counsel
Midwest Ozone Group
Paul Miller
Senior Scientist
Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management
Boston, Massachusetts
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Air Pollution - US EPA Office of Air and Radiation
Clean Air Act - Table of Contents
UN Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
National Park Service Visibility Monitoring
Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM)
Midwest Ozone Group
Power Magazine
Main EPRI Page
The Electric Utility WWW Resource List
- This segment produced by:
Annette Heist
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist
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