The United States National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program

Abstract

Abstract The National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP), created by law in 1980 as a 10-year research and assessment program, was recently reauthorized by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The mandate of the first decade of activities of the Program was to determine the causes, effects, and control of acidic deposition, and to provide advice to the President and Congress on various policy options relating to acidic deposition. In its next phase, NAPAP will continue studies where important knowledge gaps remain and will expand its mission to evaluate the effectiveness of the acid rain controls required under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Thus, for the first time in the U.S., environmental legislation includes a mechanism for evaluating its effectiveness. About 90 billion dollars is spent each year in the United States to comply with federal environmental regulations. The new Clean Air Act Amendments will add another $30 billion to that cost (about $4 billion per year will be spent to control acid rain). Obviously this substantial commitment involved difficult decisions, especially when considering other important societal goals requiring expenditures. Therefore, to guide future environmental decision-making, the federal government, through NAPAP, will assess the benefits to society from such legislation, including its cost-effectiveness.