When the ban is lifted, holders of permits must re-apply for a new permit. The panel will examine the latest scientific findings regarding acid rain s impact on sensitive ecosystems and those ecosystems ability to recover. The panel will also examine the continuing threat posed by acid rain and associated air pollution and the adequacy of our nation s air pollution monitoring systems. Earlier this year, Representative McHugh and Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, New York Republican joined their New York colleague Republican Representative John Sweeney to introduce the Acid Rain Control Act, a bill that would cut emissions of pollutants that caused acid rain. Science tells us what the dangers are, but the people who live in the Adirondacks know these facts first hand.
Acid rain is a silent killer eating away at our beloved way of life in upstate New York.
In the Adirondacks, more than 20 percent of our lakes are dead and more than 55 percent are considered highly acidic. The damage can also be measured in human health problems such as chronic bronchitis and asthma. I am hopeful that hearings such as this will help raise awareness and help garner support for this important legislation. Mr. Southmayd was a 1972 graduate of Lake Placid High School and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree at SUNY Potsdam. He served in the United States Army for 16 years, being honorably discharged in April of this year.