U.S., Canada still far apart on acid rain accord

Abstract

U.S. and Canadian officials have met once again to discuss an acid rain accord. To the chagrin of the Canadians, the U.S. announced that it would not accept what Canadians want—a treaty containing scheduled and specified cuts in sulfur dioxide emissions. Last spring, Canada tabled an accord calling for a 50% reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions by 1994. At a bilateral advisory and consultative group meeting on Jan. 24, the U.S. addressed that accord. The U.S. said it would continue discussions toward a bilateral air quality accord, but it would not consider a mandated emissions reduction program as part of a treaty. According to William A. Nitze, State Department deputy assistant secretary for environment, health, and natural resources, the U.S. does not think the acid rain problem is serious enough right now to justify the considerable expense of putting on scrubbers. Scrubbers are devices used to remove sulfur dioxide from stack gases. ...