2010 Progress Report - International Joint Commission

Progress Report 2010
Conclusion
The United States and Canada continue to successfully fulfi ll the commitments set forth
in the Air Quality Agreement. While the initial focus of the Agreement was on reducing
emissions of SO 2
and NO x
, the major contributors to acid rain, the two countries expanded
their efforts to cooperatively address transboundary air issues, such as ground-level ozone
and particulate matter, over the past decade. The Ozone Annex, added to the Agreement
in 2000, committed both countries to reducing emissions of NO x
and VOCs, the precursors
to ground-level ozone, a key component of smog. Considerable progress has been made
to address transboundary ozone pollution in the eastern border regions of each country.
Efforts to address particulate matter levels in the air are important in the United States
and Canada. Both countries recognize the signifi cant human health and ecosystem effects
(including acid rain and regional haze) associated with PM 2.5
and its precursors. Canada
and the United States anticipate negotiating the addition of a Particulate Matter Annex
(PM Annex) to the Air Quality Agreement once each country has refi ned its domestic
policy approach for managing emissions of PM and its precursors.
The Air Quality Agreement established a formal and fl exible method for addressing
cross-border pollution and continues to pave the way for cooperation on a variety of
air quality issues going forward.
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