Acid rain and transported air pollutants: implications for public policy

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6216930

Acid rain, ozone, and fine particles in the air are endangering US resources, but controlling these pollutants will be expensive. These air pollutants harm lakes and streams, lower crop yields, damage manmade materials, decrease visibility and pose a threat to forests and human health. The costs to control these pollutants include higher electricity rates, fewer jobs for high-sulfur coal miners and financial strain to utilities and industries. Acid rain and other transported air pollutants pose a special problem for policymakers: how to balance the concerns of those who bear the risk of damage with those who will pay for the control. Scientific uncertainty about many aspects of the problem complicates the decision of whether or when to control. Additional scientific research will not provide an unambiguous answer in the near future, nor will it ever resolve value conflicts. The report synthesizes what is known about pollutant emissions, movements, and effects, and estimates the risk of potential damages to resources. OTA focuses on the public policy implications of the acid rain problems and estimates the costs and potential effectiveness of various control options.

• Research Organization: Office of Technology Assessment (U.S. Congress), Washington, DC
• OSTI ID: 6216930
• Report Number(s): PB-84-222967; OTA-O-204
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Library of Congress catalog card No. 84-601073
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ACID RAIN
PUBLIC POLICY
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
ECOLOGY
NITROGEN OXIDES
OZONE
PARTICLES
PLANT GROWTH
REGULATIONS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SULFUR DIOXIDE
WATER POLLUTION
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
GROWTH
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
RAIN
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
500600* - Environment
Atmospheric- Regulations- (-1989)
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety
293000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation