The Adirondack Council

News Release

For more information:
John F. Sheehan -518-432-1770
518-441-1340 (Cell)

Released, Friday July 25, 2003

ALBANY, NY - The Adirondack Council today praised Gov. George E. Pataki's plan to bring 10 Northeastern states together to fight the carbon dioxide emissions that lead to global warming.

"This plan could not have come at a better time," said Adirondack Council Executive Director Brian L. Houseal. "Congress appears to be unable to reach a consensus on an immediate solution to carbon dioxide emissions. We are pleased that Governor Pataki has taken this bold step toward a collective solution."

Houseal explained that the Governor's program would also have a very positive impact on the Congressional debate over acid rain.

"Congress's disagreements over how to solve global warming were threatening to halt progress on bills designed to curb acid rain and mercury emissions," said Houseal. "This 10-state agreement allows Congress to move forward immediately on solutions to acid rain and mercury emissions, while the Northeast takes the lead on solutions to carbon dioxide.

"This regional approach can be a model for the entire country," said Houseal. "We strongly urge other states to opt into the coalition or form their own regional pacts. The current coalition already accounts for 20 percent of the nation's population. By adding other states, or creating similar regional agreements, states could get a start on controlling most of the carbon dioxide produced in the United States."

The Adirondack Council held a two-day climate change conference in the central Adirondacks last summer, drawing experts from throughout the Northeast to discuss the potential impacts on people and the environment. One of the main findings of the discussions was that the 9,800-square miles of forest in the Adirondack Park absorbed huge amounts of carbon dioxide, but would not continue to do so if the forest was destroyed by acid rain.

"New York has done all it can to control acid rain," Houseal said. "We need Congress to finish the job by placing new caps on sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury from fuel-burning electric power plants. And we need Congress to act quickly.

"Already, roughly 700 of our lakes are too toxic from acid rain to sustain their native life," Houseal said. "More than half of our red spruce forests at high elevations have died since 1970. Mercury is building up in our lakes to the point where it is poisonous to the entire food chain, including people.

"The good news is that every single clean air bill being debated by Congress will fix the nation's acid rain problems," Houseal said. "The only major differences between them were the approaches they took to carbon dioxide. All of them cut sulfur, nitrogen and mercury far enough to stop the damage by the end of the decade. Then, every area of the country, from Maine to Georgia to Colorado and California, would have a chance to recover."

Founded in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded, 18,000-member organization dedicated to ensuring the wild character and ecological integrity of the Adirondack Park.