Why federal land managers in the Northwest are concerned about nitrogen emissions
Fenn M, Geiser L, Peterson J, Waddell E, Porter E. 2004. Why federal land managers in the Northwest are concerned about nitrogen emissions. National Park Service, US Forest Service
The Northwest enjoys generally good air quality, especially when compared to the Eastern U. S. While there are still several nonattainment areas in the Northwest, the large urban areas of the Puget Sound and Portland/Vancouver have been largely successful in addressing their air quality problems and are in attainment for all criteria pollutants. This is an important success story. But this success in urban areas may leave our National Parks, Wilderness areas, and other protected lands vulnerable to air pollution impacts. In particular, attainment of the ozone standard and the urban focus of control strategies may lead regulators to conclude that additional NOx controls are not needed or appropriate. Further, a regulatory structure that does not include ammonia as a “regulated pollutant” and/or places it under the jurisdiction of agricultural agencies rather than within air quality agencies, means that little data is collected on this pollutant or its impacts. Together, these views may lead Northwest regulators to give control of N emissions a lower priority than do the Federal Land Managers (FLM) who are charged with protecting and preserving ecosystems.