Acid rain over the United States and Canada: The DC circuit fails to provide shelter under section 115 of the Clean Air Act while state action provides a temporary umbrella

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review; (USA)

OSTI ID:5966235

Garland, C

Acid rain as a transboundary pollution problem affecting Canada and the United States is addressed. International agreements have, so far, been unsuccessful. This article probes why there is a wait for controls and solutions for acid rain. The formation of acid rain form the oxidation of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere is explained, as is the finger-printing method of tracing deposition chemicals to their sources. Effects of acid rain on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, humans and building materials are also covered. The majority of the article is devoted to proving the ineffectiveness of the Clean Air Act. Events leading to the case between New York state and EPA Administrator Lee Thomas are presented. The EPA lost the court decision to New York, and their appeal in the DC Circuit Court is analyzed according to various sections of the Clean Air Act. The rules proposed by Minnesota and several other states to protect the environment from acid deposition emphasize the need for more cooperation between the US and Canada and use of already written laws.

• OSTI ID: 5966235
• Journal Information: Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review; (USA), Journal Name: Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review; (USA) Vol. 16:1; ISSN 0190-7034; ISSN BCERD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACID RAIN
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CANADA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
CLEAN AIR ACT
CONTROL
DEPOSITION
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
LAWS
LEGAL ASPECTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION LAWS
RAIN
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
TRANSFRONTIER POLLUTION
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA