Time to Move on Acid Rain

At Canada’s prodding, President Reagan’s approach to the combatting of acid rain is to promise $2.5 billion for the development of technology to reduce the offending emissions of oxides of sulfur and nitrogen from large power plants and other sources. While Reagan has been forced to recognize the existance of acid rain as a problem, he still is proposing, in effect, more research and study. The approach of six Northeastern states is to go into court to force the Environmental Protection Agency to curb such pollutants. But this does not have be an either/or situation. It should be both.

In fact, this should be a multifront war. The most potent weapon would be for Congress to launch an effective acid-rain program through new amendments to the Clean Air Act. Such legislation has been promoted by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the health and environment subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but has been thwarted by an alliance of Republicans, representatives from Midwestern states with large coal-fired power plants and Energy Committee Chairman John D. Dingell (D-Mich.).

The evidence of the damage from acid rain keeps piling up, and no longer is limited to Far North lakes and forests, buildings and statues. Reputable organizations such as the American Lung Assn. and the American Academy of Pediatrics have testified to the public health threat caused by this combination of chemicals in the air.

Canada and the Northeastern states have established specific goals for the reduction of acid-rain pollutants. Technologies are available that will reduce significantly the harmful emissions from the big electric-power plants. These techniques are widely used in both Japan and West Germany, where officials apparently decided that no further testing was necessary before acting.

A real campaign against acid rain in this country does not consist of taking one tiny step forward and two back. It is time to really move ahead.