Economic and Environmental Impacts of Regional Haze

A study by Abt Associates for the Clean Air Task Force examined the health benefits of achieving substantial additional reduction in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions from power plants nationwide. (Clean Air Task Force, 2000) The study concluded that reducing these emissions by 75% from 1997 levels could reduce the annual number of premature deaths associated with current levels of fine particle pollution in the U.S. by 18,000.

The U.S. EPA estimated the economic benefits of achieving a 170,000 ton reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions in the Western states at roughly $1.3 billion in avoided health care costs (pg 175 Regional Haze and Visibility in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, NESCAUM, January 2001).

The same report stated that visitors to parks and wilderness areas rank clean air and scenic views among the most important attributes of these areas. Thus, regional haze could lead to a decrease in visitors' enjoyment of these areas, fewer visitors and less time spent in and around these areas. This would mean lower revenue for the local economy and the state.

The same sulfate and nitrate fine particles that form regional haze pollution are acidic, and are transformed further in the atmosphere then deposited to the earth in rain, fog and snow (generally called "acid rain"). Acid rain can result in increased acidity of lakes, rivers, and streams making them unsuitable for many fish, loons, other insect and fish-eating birds, as well as salamanders and frogs.

Further, the acidic sulfate and nitrate fine particles that are deposited on surfaces wash away important ions (calcium and magnesium) from plants and soil resulting in decreased levels of plant nutrients and poorer forest health. As a result, red spruce trees and sugar maples, the source of maple syrup, have been killed by acid rain. (For additional information, see summary.)

Acid Rain also erodes buildings, historical monuments and other cultural resources.

Nitrate deposition has been associated with increased toxicity of fish habitats, impaired health of several plant and tree species, and the proliferation of oxygen-depleting algae in sensitive bays and estuaries. When excess nitrogen coming into an ecosystem exceeds the plant and soil microbes' ability to retain it, that ecosystem is considered in a state of 'nitrogen saturation'. Ecosystem processes and biodiversity are disrupted when an environment becomes nitrogen saturated.

Simply put, there is significant evidence that regional haze and acid rain negatively impact the environment and the economy.