Dateline: 02/19/01
The Canadian federal government is putting over $120-million towards fighting smog and greenhouse gas emissions, says Environment Minister David Anderson. The initiatives implement the December 2000 "Ozone Annex," an agreement signed by Canada and the United States detailing the commitment of both countries to dramatically reduce smog-causing pollutants which create health and environmental problems.
According to Anderson, air pollution causes more than 5000 Canadians to die prematurely each year.
After consultations with the auto industry and the oil and gas sector, the federal Department of the Environment has set a 10-year plan focusing on three major areas: transportation, monitoring and reporting.
The goal is to meet or exceed the standards being brought in by the U.S. government.
The Canadian federal government will put nearly $50 million over the next four years into implementing new emissions standards for vehicles, engines and fuels.
Nearly $30 million will be put into expanding and improving the federal and provincial networks of monitoring stations across the country. Two networks are maintained:
- National Air Pollution Surveillance Network (NAPS)- a joint federal, provincial and municipal government network - primarily urban
- Canadian Air and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CAPMoN) - primarily rural
The investment to improve monitoring will complement work under way by the U.S. New England Governors and the Eastern Canadian Premiers.
Another $22.9 million will go towards expanding the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), the on-line database that allows both governments and individual Canadians to measure the progress made towards clean air.
