ES&T
CURRENTS INTERNATIONAL Canada officially registered deep disappointment with the U.S. announcement that efforts to combat acid rain would be limited solely to research for the foreseeable future. In a diplomatic note delivered to the Reagan administration, Canada asked the U.S. to explain how it intends to meet its obligations to Canada concerning transboundary air pollution. Canada believes that "the decision ignores principles contained in bilateral treaties directed at protecting the North American environment," said Allan J. MacEachen, deputy prime minister and secretary of state for External Affairs. MacEachen noted that when President Reagan visited Canada in 1981, he stated that both countries must cooperate to control transboundary air pollution.
WASHINGTON Nuclear power in the U.S. is not likely to be expanded in this century beyond the reactors already under construction unless major changes are made in the technology, management, and levels of public acceptance, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) said in a recent report. Too many financial risks are now associated with nuclear power plants because of uncertainties in the growth in demand for electricity, high capital costs, operating problems, increasing regulatory requirements, and public opposition. "Nuclear power will not be a credible energy option for this country" unless confidence in it is restored, the report states. In testimony before a Senate committee, acid rain controls have been endorsed by the American Public Power Association (APPA), the only national electric utility association in favor of immediate controls. However, the association believes that emissions from all mobile and stationary fossil fuel sources—not just power plants— 104A
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should be taxed to pay for the controls. "As suppliers of electric power . . . our members are willing to pay their fair share," said Ruth Gonze, who testified for APPA. She urged Congress to adopt a financing program that would remain in effect until emission reduction goals are met. APPA represents more than 1750 local publicly owned electric utilities.
Florio: introduces Superfund bill Persons harmed by exposure to toxic substances would be allowed to recover medical and relocation expenses under a Superfund reauthorization bill introduced by Rep. James A. Florio (D-N.J.). The bill would also make permanent the $1.6-billion federal fund created by the Superfund law and add $1.8 billion to the fund each year for the first five years. It creates a new tax on generated wastes and provides federal funds to states for the longterm maintenance of Superfund sites. The bill also contains a mandatory schedule for the cleanup of Superfund sites. Asbestos fibers in ambient air probably cause some cancer deaths each year, according to a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences. The study also suggests for the first time that other asbestoslike fibers such as certain forms of fiberglass and mineral wools may also be carcinogenic. However, the data on the other fibers are too uncertain to make a definite judgment. The report concludes that nine out of one million people in the general population would die from a lifetime ex-
posure to the amount of asbestos generally found in the ambient air. It also states that the physical properties of asbestos appear to be related to adverse health effects and that substances used as asbestos replacements may cause the same problems. Release of chlorofluorocarbons at current rates could reduce stratospheric ozone by 2-4% by late in the next century, according to a new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. This estimate is lower than previous estimates. In 1979 the council estimated an ozone reduction of 15-18%. In 1982, the estimate was 5-9%. The new estimate was derived from improved mathematical models and recent atmospheric research.
STATES According to agency sources, EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus is planning to approve relaxations in SO2 control requirements in state implementation plans (SIPs) for several midwestern states. It is estimated that allowable S 0 2 emissions will increase about 200 000 tons as a result of this action. The Clean Air Act requires the agency to approve SIP revisions if they will not result in violations of the national ambient air quality standards. For the First time, a utility has voluntarily decided to install a scrubber to reduce SO2 emissions. Boston Edison, one of the Northeast's largest electric utilities, will install a scrubber on a plant it is converting from oil to coal in New Boston, Mass. Originally, Boston Edison planned to convert two plants to coal, increasing annual emissions by 90 000 tons. After the Boston Globe published a study showing that local sources cause 15% or more of the acid rain problem in Massassachusetts and that the coal conversions would increase total
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© 1984 American Chemical Society
