WALL STREET JOURNAL
Tuesday, November 2, 1982
Acid Rain Is Caused Mostly by Pollution
At Coal-Fired Midwest Plants, Study Says
o
By a WALL STRKET JOURNAL Staff Reporter
WASHJNGTON-An extensive study prepared for the government provides new evidence that pollution from coal-burning utilities and factories in the Midwest is the major cause of acid rain. ——————
The 1.200-page draft report, compiled by
46 Industry, government and university scientists over the past two years.
years, says that
sulfur dioxide amTother
a other po
pollutants fromjhe
"
plants are carried for long distances
wines and "contribute substantially to
deposition" in the Northeast U.S.'and the
^southeastern corner of Canadft. When the
pollutants return to earth in the form of acid
rain, the report says, the> can destroy
lakes, kill aquatic life, damage buildings
and even pose a "potential threat tc human
health."
The report's findings, which are subject
to further review by the government, are
certain to provide ammunition for the Canadian government, members of Congress and
other groups that want to restrict sulfur-dioxide emissions from the Midwest. In July,
the Senate Environment Committee unanimously voted to crack down on such emissions to control acid rain. But the Reagan
administration and many industry groups
oppose such moves and contend that years
of additional research are necessary before
the government has adequate information to
require industry to spend billions of dollars
to deal with the problem.
The study was released by the Environmental Protection Agency for further scientific analysis. Researchers who worked on
the report described it as the mast comprehensive attempt so far to evaluate ihe
causes, movement, and effects
acid
ram.
When the agency asked outside experts in
1980 to start studying the problem, it said it
wanted a "scientifically unimpeachable assessment" of how much scientists know
about the issue. Although the report doesn't
make any recommendations for future government action, it goes far beyond the EPA
and the administration in identifying the
most likely causes and most serious effects
of acid rain.
Among other things, the report says nat"ral sources of acid rain are "insignificant."
and timber and mining operations dnnT account for sharp Increases tn acidity seen in
many lakes. Bv contract, the scientists note
that sulfur-dioxide emissions in the U.S. east
of the Mississlp STRTver "doubled from 1950
to_l97L"and
est power Plants and factories accountec )r the largest part of that
increase.
The report also says the acid quality of
many lakes. By contrast, the scientists note
trations of toxic metals in the food chain, including lead and mercury," which represent
"a potential threat" to humans.
The scientists said they didn't find any
'conclusive proof" that acid rain limits forest growth, but one section of the report concludes that "growth reductions are occurring" in many areas with high levels of add
rain.