Number: 1987-13
WHEREAS, the United States annually emits over 24 million tons of sulfur dioxide and 20 million tons of nitrogen oxides and Canada emits over 4.7 million tons of sulfur oxides and 1.8 million tons of nitrogen oxides according to 1980 estimates; and
WHEREAS, these sulfur and nitrogen oxides are transformed into acids and fall to the earth as acid rain or other wet or dry deposition; and
WHEREAS, upwards of 50 percent of the acid rain that falls in Canada comes from United States sources and over 10 percent of the acid rain that falls in the northeastern United States comes from Canadian sources; and
WHEREAS, acid rain and its precursors have destroyed or are endangering numerous lakes and rivers in the United States and Canada, cause significant adverse impacts to buildings, statues and monuments, present risks to human health, and are prime suspects in extensive forest and agricultural damage; and
WHEREAS, the significant adverse environmental and economic impacts of acid rain occur both within the United States and Canada; and
WHEREAS, the failure to reduce sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxides emissions has jeopardized severely the historically close relationship between the governments of the United States and Canada; and
WHEREAS, in January 1986, special envoys from both countries issued a report which acknowledged the seriousness of the acid rain problem and suggested an extensive research program but failed to provide concrete recommendations for controlling acid rain; and
WHEREAS, both President Reagan and Prime Minister Mulroney met in March 1986, and endorsed the report of their envoys but reached no further agreement on concrete steps for controlling acid rain;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Wildlife Federation and the Canadian Wildlife Federation in joint annual meeting assembled March 19-22, 1987, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, that the governments of both the United States and Canada should take immediate action to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions over the shortest possible time period; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the government of the United States should mandate controls on utility power plants, industrial sources and automobiles to assure at least a 12-million-ton reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions and a 4-million-ton reduction in nitrogen oxides emissions within the next nine years; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the government of Canada should aggressively implement its ongoing program to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in eastern Canada by 50% before 1994.