Book Description

Acid rain -- which is largely the result of burning fossil fuels to generate electricity -- can harm human health and damage forests, lakes, and streams. EPA was directed to reduce the emissions of the two major causes of acid rain -- sulfur dioxide (SD) and nitrogen oxides (NO) -- from electric utility power plants that burn coal and other fossil fuels. This report analyzes the trends from 1990 through 1998 in: (1) SD and NO emitted into the air; (2) deposition in the eastern U.S. and in 3 environmentally sensitive areas (the Adirondack Mountains, mid-Appalachian area, and southern Blue Ridge area); and (3) sulfates and nitrates in lakes in the Adirondack Mountains and the prospects for the lakes¿ recovery from acid rain. Illustrations.