U.S., Canada formally sign clean air treaty

December 8, 2000
Web posted at: 11:31 AM EST (1631 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The United States and Canada signed an agreement Thursday to sharply reduce smog-causing pollution emitted mainly by power plants, with the aim of bringing healthier air to millions of people living in both countries by 2010.

In a signing ceremony at the Canadian Embassy, officials said the deal, which was finalized in October, would reduce both nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds caused by power plants and commercial and consumer products.

"Canada and the United States broke new ground with the acid rain agreement of the 1980s and today's agreement takes us further in protecting our citizens from the health effects of dirty air," said David Anderson, Canada's minister for the environment, who represented Ottawa at the signing ceremony.

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Air pollution currently accounts for about 5,000 premature deaths in Canada and about 60,000 in United States annually.

The agreement specifically takes aim at lung-damaging ground-level ozone in the eastern half of North America, the industrial heartlands of both countries.

The cross-border agreement will require power plants and other industrial sources to cut their nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent to 75 percent by 2004.

The United States will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 35 percent by 2007, which implies a 70 percent reduction from power plants and major industrial sources. The aim is to reduce U.S annual emissions by 43 percent by 2010.

Both sides also pledged to cut production of volatile organic compounds. These substances, when combined with nitrogen oxides in sunlight, create ground-level ozone.

Canada also plans to tighten its vehicle emission standards and bring them into line with those in the United States.

Frank Loy, U.S. undersecretary of state for global affairs, said the bilateral ozone pact reflected the two nations' common stance on reducing pollution.

"It's the latest in a long string of thoughtful, generous collaborations when dealing with environmental issues," Loy said.

Separately Thursday, Anderson announced that senior officials from the United States and Europe meeting in Ottawa were unable to reach a deal on salvaging an international treaty to curb global warming.

Talks among the world's major industrial powers broke down at the last minute during November climate change meetings in The Hague.

The Ottawa round of discussions was staged to try and reassemble the talks for a quick return to broader discussions in Oslo, which are now in serious jeopardy.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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