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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
April 22, 1999

U.S. and Canada Agree to Negotiate Air Quality
Agreement Annex on Ground-Level Ozone

The United States and Canada have agreed to proceed with negotiations on an annex to the Agreement on Air Quality that will address long-range transport of ground level ozone. The 1991 Agreement provides the countries with a practical and flexible instrument to address shared problems of transboundary air pollution. Ground-level ozone, or smog, is a serious problem in North America and many communities in both countries suffer from the effects of ozone smog generated hundreds of miles away in some cases. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will participate in negotiations with Canada that are planned to begin this summer and conclude in 2000.

"This is an important step forward to address air quality concerns with Canada that will help improve the air people breathe while further protecting the natural environment on both sides of our shared borders" according to Brooks Yeager, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Environment. Recent health and environmental studies in both countries indicate that adverse effects result from ozone exposures at concentrations much lower than previously thought. Bilateral efforts under the Agreement have to date focused primarily on work related to the initial annex on acid rain.

The decision to negotiate an annex on ground-level ozone is based upon recommendations of the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Committee to EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner and Canadian Environment Minister Christine S. Stewart. The Committee issued a policy report in March that concluded that "there are substantial transboundary regional benefits to controlling nitrogen oxides emissions." Studies conducted for the report included air quality data analyses, analyses of factors contributing to ozone formation and transport, and modeling using forecasts of planned emission reduction programs in the United States and Canada.

A copy of the report, "Ground-Level Ozone: Occurrence and Transport in Eastern North America" is available at: www.epa.gov/airlinks. For further information, please contact John Bachmann, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at 919-541-5359.

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