US EPA reports level of six major air pollutants declined in 2003

Washington (Platts)--22Sep2004

Emissions of the six principal pollutants identified in the Clean Air Act
dropped again in 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said
Wednesday. The agency said annual emissions statistics for the six pollutants
are considered major indicators of the quality of the nation's air because of
their importance for human health and the existence of their long-standing
national standards. According to the agency's report, emissions have continued
to fall even as the size of the US economy has increased by more than 150%.
Since 1970, the aggregate total emissions for the six pollutants--carbon
monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter
(PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and lead (Pb)--have been cut from
301.5-mil tons per year to 147.8-mil tons per year, a fall of 51%.

Total 2003 emissions were down 12-mil tons since 2000, a 7.8% reduction, EPA
said. EPA Wednesday also released its Acid Rain Progress Report, showing
annual SO2 and NOx emissions had declined 5.1-mil tons or 32%, and 2.5-mil
tons or 37% respectively since 1990. The program generated double-digit cuts
at its inception and is now maturing, with small fluctuations up and down as
emissions gradually near their respective end goal caps, the agency said.

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