We will be able to reduce hospital admissions and deaths from air pollution on both sides of the border. The agreement is part of a larger and multi-faceted program for air quality improvement in both countries. In the United States, commitments will be met through a NO x emission reduction program which will reduce summertime NO x emissions in the U.S. transboundary region by 43 percent by 2010. This will mean that emissions from power plants in the summertime will be reduced by more than 70 percent. Further reductions in NO x and VOCs will come from existing U.S. vehicle and fuel quality rules and standards for other sources of volatile organic compounds such as consumer and commercial products.
Smog knows no borders.
Bilateral and international negotiations to improve our global environment may be difficult, but they do bring results. This achievement gives us hope that we can reach other agreements to tackle our global environmental problems. In Canada, new regulatory standards for vehicles and fuels, aligned with those in the United States, will be put in place as part of a broader Clean Air Agenda. Part of delivering cleaner air for Canadians is the implementation of Canada-Wide Standards for reduction of ground level ozone with provinces and territories. It is estimated that the total NO x reductions in the Canadian transboundary region will be 44 percent year-round by 2010.