Environmentalists love to talk about the Bush administration's assault on the environment. They claim Bush has the worst environmental policies than any president in US history. He is cited as the equivilent of a terrorist on our air and Mother Earth.
A recent report by the EPA may actually refute these accusations. The report finds that particle pollution has dropped 10% under Bush's watch.
"LOS ANGELES A new Environmental Protection Agency report says concentrations of dangerous air pollutants have declined in Southern California in the last five years.
The amount of fine-particle pollution in 2003 dropped 10 percent from 1999, and reached the lowest recorded levels since monitoring began in that year. The trend holds true for most of the country... " ~Associated Press
Here is the actual EPA report findings:
Air Quality Improvements
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Particulate matter (PM) air quality has been improving nationwide, both for PM2.5 and PM10.
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PM2.5 concentrations in 2003 were the lowest since nationwide monitoring
began in 1999 have decreased 10% since 1999 are about 30% lower than EPA estimates they
were 25 years ago.
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PM10 concentrations in 2003 were the second lowest since nationwide
monitoring began in 1988 have declined 7% since 1999
have declined 31% since 1988.
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In 2003, 62 million people lived in 97 U.S. counties with monitors showing particle pollution levels
higher than the PM
2.5 air quality standards, the PM10 standards, or both.
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Monitored levels of both PM2.5 and PM10 generally decreased the most in areas with the highest
concentrations. For example, PM
2.5 levels decreased 20% in the Southeast from 1999 to 2003. The
Northwest showed a 39% decrease in PM
10 levels from 1988 to 2003.
Sources and Emissions
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Sulfates, nitrates, and carbon compounds are the major constituents of fine particle pollution.
Sulfates and nitrates form from atmospheric transformation of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
gases. Carbon compounds can be directly emitted, or they can form in the atmosphere from organic
vapors.
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Approximately one-third of the PM2.5 improvement observed in the eastern half of the country can be
attributed to reduced sulfates; a large portion of the remaining PM
2.5 improvement is attributable to
reductions in carbon-containing particles, especially in the Industrial Midwest and the Southeast.
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Power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide dropped 33% from 1990 to 2003, largely as a result of EPA¡¯s
Acid Rain program. These reductions yielded significant regional reductions in sulfate concentrations,
reducing acid deposition and improving visibility.
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Nationwide, reductions in industrial and highway vehicle emissions of fine particles and volatile
organic compounds appear to have contributed to the improvement in PM
2.5.
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In the eastern half of the country regional pollution accounts for more than half of
the measured PM
2.5. This regional pollution comes from a variety of sources, including power
plants, and can be transported hundreds of miles. Sulfates account for 25% to 55% of PM
2.5 levels.
Sulfate levels are similar in urban and nearby rural areas. Power plants are the largest contributor to
this sulfate formation.
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In the Industrial Midwest, Northeast, and southern California, nitrates make up a large portion of
PM
2.5, especially in winter. Average nitrate concentrations in urban areas are generally higher than
nearby rural levels. Power plants and highway vehicle emissions are large contributors to nitrate
formation.
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EPA and states have put in place a number of control programs that will continue to reduce
particle-forming emissions. EPA¡¯s 2004 Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule will significantly reduce
emissions from nonroad diesel equipment across the country. EPA¡¯s proposed Clean Air Interstate Rule
(proposed December 2003) will reduce PMforming emissions from power plants in the eastern
United States.