Recent actions by strategy partners
To address the important issue of air quality in this region,
government agencies are working on numerous initiatives within their mandates and authorities.
The following are some select practices in place to reduce air pollution and its effects in the
Georgia Basin / Puget Sound transboundary area:
 Federal actions
Provincial and State actions
Regional actions
Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment
 development of the Harmonization Accord designed to lead to improved cooperation and better environmental protection across Canada.
development of air related Canada-wide standards for benzene, dioxins and furans, mercury, and particulate matter (PM) and ozone.
Environment Canada
development of a 10-year Plan of Action to develop new Canadian emission standards for vehicles and engines, aligned with those of the USA EPA. Regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and emissions control programs will be developed to reduce emissions.
working with the US EPA to develop the Ozone Annex to the 1991 Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement. The Ozone Annex was negotiated to reduce the transboundary movement of smog-causing pollutants and commits both countries to control and reduce emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) which are precursors of ground-level ozone.
development of the Interim Plan on Particulate Matter and Ozone detailing the Government's efforts on reducing emissions, the science behind policy decisions to protect the health of Canadians from toxic air pollutants, the clean air activities within government and the programs to engage Canadians to take action at home and in their communities.
completing a comprehensive scientific study, Pacific 2001, to provide a better understanding of, and reduce the uncertainty of the sources, formation and distribution of PM and ozone in the Lower Fraser Valley.
working with the marine sector to reduce emissions in coastal British Columbia waters.
Cargo ship in Vancouver harbour
Environmental Protection Agency
development of more stringent standards for particulate matter (PM) and ground-level ozone .
intensifying efforts to reduce or elimiate the harmful health effects related to agricultural burning in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This includes the development of a Strategy for Agricultural Field Burning.
proposal of the Clear Skies legislation, which would set strict, mandatory emissions caps for three of the most harmful air pollutants - sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and mercury. If enacted, Clear Skies will cut power plant emissions of these pollutants by 70 percent, eliminating 35 million more tons of these pollutants in the next decade than the current Clean Air Act.
assessing the possible health hazards associated with exposure to diesel engine exhaust, which is a mixture of gases and particles. The assessment concludes that long-term (i.e., chronic) inhalation exposure is likely to pose a lung cancer hazard to humans, as well as damage the lung in other ways depending on exposure.
Engine exhaust from a diesel truck
B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
analysis of options for BC vehicle tailpipe emission standards (pdf) for the post-2004 period.
the BC Scrap-It Program — the first of its kind in Canada — has been extended to include more financial incentives and alternative transportation modes.
monitoring and analysis of ground-level ozone concentrations at various sites in British Columbia for 1986-1997.
monitoring and analysis of fine particulate (PM10) levels in British Columbia for 1990 - 1995.
completion and summary of the 1995 emission inventory for the Sea-to-Sky Airshed and is the first emissions inventory produced for the area.
Washington State Department of Ecology
supporting an automotive and emissions testing program in five Washington State counties.
Industrial air emissions
Fraser Valley Regional District
successful lobbying to ensure that industry is fitted with the best available emission reducing technology in the Fraser Valley.
Greater Vancouver Regional District
adopted the nation's first regional Air Quality Management Plan (pdf) in 1994.
installed new pollution control and heat recovery technologies on the GVRD municipal solid waste incinerator to reduce NOx emissions.
continuing to address commercial sector air pollution through measures such as improved vapour recovery at gas stations, reducing solvent emissions from dry cleaning facilities, and others.
co-operatively developed the AirCare program to reduce emissions from automobiles and supported the emission inspection and maintenance program for light duty vehicles in the Lower Mainland of B.C.
collecting methane gas emissions from the Port Mann landfill and selling it for industial use.
monitoring and reporting on an Air Quality Index for the Lower Fraser Valley. (A map of the monitoring network is available).
development of the Livable Region Strategic Plan, Greater Vancouver's regional growth strategy, and the Sustainable Region Initiative.
Northwest Air Pollution Authority
testing indoor air quality in public schools and assisting with indoor air quality problems in the American Pacific Northwest.
working with local governments to promote energy efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
testing for toxic air pollutants in Bellingham to assess public health risks.
providing funding to significantly enhance ambiant air monitoring, which provides a better understanding of air pollutants.
working through the Wood Stove Program to inform residents about the health impacts of wood smoke, wood stove laws, and proper use of wood heating devices. The goal of the program is to reduce the significant health impacts of wood smoke pollution.
partnering with a local non-profit organization (Climate Solutions) to inform local counties and cities about global warming and what can be done at the local level to address it. The goal is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses as well as traditional air pollutants through energy conservation efforts.
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
studying the effects of air toxics on human health from sources such as diesel engines in the Puget Sound area.
working with a consortium of partners, to develop the
Diesel Solutions program
to make diesel vehicles in this region dramatically cleaner. This voluntary
initiative will leverage ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel into western Washington and enable a wide range
of public and private fleets to join a consortium to retrofit diesel vehicles. This is a model program
with experience that can be transferred to other urban areas.
Providing an up-to-date
Air Quality Index for
areas in the Puget Sound. Information includes air quality trend charts for the previous three days,
the latest air quality forecasts for the region, current ozone conditions and an ozone map,
and images from the Seattle visibility camera.
Participating in
Air Watch Northwest, a program to help people understand the relationships between their own actions,
the weather, and air quality. This program uses weather forecasts and other data to predict air quality
and provide public warnings of possible increases in pollution levels. It also empowers individuals to
make lifestyle changes that reduce air pollution.
A list of the participating agencies
in the Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy is available.
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Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia
