EPA Goes Google with Hi-Tech Online Air Quality Tools

Ever use your computer to "fly" through the mountains, or zoom in on a satellite picture of your house? Now you can use the same technology to learn more about emissions and air quality across the country and where you live.

EPA has developed two tools that allow users "see" air quality information on a virtual globe. Both tools were unveiled to the public on Monday.

"Google has changed the way people use the Internet. By combining their innovative mapping tools with our air data, EPA and Google are changing the way people use the Internet to protect their health," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

The first tool is part of the new "Air Emission Sources" Web site, which is designed to make emissions data for six common pollutants easy to find and understand. Based on the latest National Emissions Inventory, the site uses charts and Google Earth files to answer a user’s questions. Users can look at overall emissions, emissions by type of industry, or emissions by largest polluter.

Want to know what industry emits the most sulfur dioxide in your state? Select your state from a map, pick a pollutant, and the site creates a chart showing you emissions by industry. Want to "see" which refineries in your state emit the most sulfur dioxide? Use the "tilt" feature in Google Earth to quickly find the largest emitter. Then click on the balloon to get more details about emissions from that facility.

EPA also is providing Air Quality Index (AQI) information in the Google Earth format. Use the AQI tool to quickly see air quality across the country, then click on a specific location to see that city’s AQI forecast and current levels of ozone or particle pollution.

The AQI is EPA’s color-coded tool to inform the public about daily air pollution levels in their communities. EPA, in collaboration with state and local governments, provides AQI forecasts and conditions for more than 300 cities across the United States.

See the Source:
EPA - Air Emissions Sources
View information in Google Earth format about which facilities emit any of six common pollutants
Air Quality Index forecasts and current conditions
See Acid Rain Program data

air pollution
particle pollution

The EPA Acid Rain Program 2005 Progress Report

2005 Progress Report (PDF 4.4 MB; 32 pp) Appendix A (Excel) Appendix A (PDF 205 KB; 81 pp)Appendix B1 (Excel) Appendix B1 (PDF 70 KB; 44 pp)Appendix B2 (Excel) Appendix B2 (PDF 27 KB; 23 pp)

Some of these files are presented in Adobe Acrobat format. For more information about how to use this format, see EPA's PDF page.

From the report executive summary: The Acid Rain Program was created to implement Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The purpose of Title IV is to reduce the adverse effects of acid deposition through reductions in annual emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 10 million tons and by 2 million tons below projected levels, respectively.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the key pollutants in the formation of acid rain. These pollutants also contribute to the formation of fine particles (sulfates and nitrates) that are associated with significant human health effects and regional haze. Additionally, NOx combines with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to form ground-level ozone (smog) and nitrates that are transported and deposited at environmentally detrimental levels in parts of the country. These pollutants, in their various forms, lead to the acidification of lakes and streams rendering some of them incapable of supporting aquatic life. In addition, they impair visibility in our national parks, create respiratory and other health problems in people, weaken forests, and degrade monuments and buildings.

In the United States, the electric power industry accounts for approximately 67 percent of total annual SO2 emissions and slightly more than 20 percent of total annual NOx emissions.

Since the start of the Acid Rain Program in 1995, the lower SO2 and NOx emission levels from the power sector have contributed to significant air quality and environmental and human health improvements.

Since its inception, the Acid Rain Program has:

- Reduced SO2 emissions by over 5.5 million tons from 1990 levels, or about 35 percent of total emissions from the power sector. Compared to 1980 levels, SO2 emissions from power plants have dropped by more than 7 million tons, or about 41 percent.
- Cut NOx emissions by about 3 million tons from 1990 levels, so that emissions in 2005 were less than half the level anticipated without the program. Other efforts, such as the NOx Budget - Trading Program in the eastern United States, also contributed significantly to this reduction.
Led to significant cuts in acid deposition, including reductions in sulfate deposition of about 36 percent in some regions of the United States and improvements in environmental indicators, such as fewer acidic lakes.
- Provided the most complete and accurate emission data ever developed under a federal air pollution control program and made that data available and accessible by using comprehensive electronic data reporting and Web-based tools for agencies, researchers, affected sources, and the public.
- Served as a leader in delivering e-government, automating administrative processes, reducing paper use, and providing online systems for doing business with EPA.
- Resulted in nearly 100 percent compliance through rigorous emissions monitoring, allowance tracking, and an automatic, easily understood penalty system for noncompliance. Flexibility in compliance strategies reduced implementation costs.

A 2005 study (PDF 532 KB; 15 pp) estimates that in 2010, the Acid Rain Program's annual benefits will be approximately $122 billion (2000$), at an annual cost of about $3 billion - a 40-to-1 benefit-to-cost ratio.

The Acid Rain Program 2005 Progress Report includes special sections on fuel switching and compliance options, EPA's framework for accountability, program costs and benefits, surface water quality monitoring, impact assessment, environmental justice, and the Clean Air Rules. Building on the Acid Rain Program model, EPA promulgated the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), to address transport of fine particles and ozone in the eastern United States, the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) to reduce nationwide mercury emissions from power plants, and the Clean Air Visibility Rule (CAVR) to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.