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Home | 2000 Announcements 
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Mobile Source Toxic Air Emissions Air quality management efforts in the Great Lakes region have taken a major step forward, thanks to a decision support tool developed by the Great Lakes Commission. Working with the air quality agencies of its eight member states and Ontario, the Commission has developed and released a Great Lakes Toxic Air Emissions Inventory that tracks the release of dozens of contaminants from point sources (such as factories and other industrial sources); area sources (such as consumer and commercial solvent use); and mobile sources (such as motor vehicles). The mobile sources feature is new to the inventory, with previous releases including only point and area sources. The top three total emissions (point, area and mobile) are 545 million pounds of toluene, 311 million pounds of xylene and 144 million pounds of benzene, of which mobile sources contribute more than 50 per cent. The inventory, which relies on 1996 state and provincial data, will be used to strengthen state and provincial decisionmaking; promote consistency from one jurisdiction to the next, establish standard data collection procedures; and lay the foundation for a fully automated emission estimation and inventory system. “The addition of mobile sources makes this inventory the most detailed account of toxic air emissions in the region,” explains Lloyd Eagan, director of Wisconsin's Bureau of Air Management. “This is a terrific step forward in obtaining a better assessment of the impact of atmospheric sources to environmental quality.” Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Regional Great Lakes Air Toxics Emissions Inventory will be updated annually. Inventory results are available online (http://www.glc.org/air/inventory/1996/). or can be purchased in hard copy from the Great Lakes Commission for $20.00 U.S./$30.00 Canadian. Inventory software is available for public use and downloading at http://www.glc.org/air/. Press advisory: For information on specific jurisdictions, contact the appropriate Inventory Steering
Committee member. *Steering Committee Chair The Great Lakes Commission is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency created by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of state legislators, agency officials and governors’ appointees from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. |
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