WASHINGTON DC – Government-ordered pollution controls on power plant smokestacks are saving Adirondack Park lakes and streams from destruction, protecting public health and saving huge amounts of money for the average American, according to new federal study.

“This study shows that the national cap-and-trade program for acid rain has been effective, has cost much less than anyone predicted and has returned huge benefits in terms of both environmental protection and money,” said Brian L. Houseal, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council, a privately funded environmental organization that has been a national leader in the fight against acid rain.  “Acid rain falling on the Adirondack Park has decreased by about 60 percent since 1990.  For every dollar spent on cleaning up acid rain and smog, the public has realized a benefit of between $50 and $150.

“The only realistic conclusion you can reach after reading this report is that pollution controls save lives, save lakes and save money,” Houseal said.  “There is no public downside to controlling air pollution.  People are healthier, the environment is recovering and the impact on the economy is  positive.  Best of all, we know how much more pollution we need to cut to protect the most sensitive places on the country, such as the Adirondacks and the Appalachians Mountains.”

The 2011 National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program was completed in December and released to Congress this week.  It was prepared by the US Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, US Geological Survey and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. 

The study was mandated by Congress to track the impacts of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, which led to the nation’s first acid rain control program.  Its findings will be used to judge the success of existing government-ordered pollution control programs and predict what is needed to fully protect the nation’s most hard-hit locations.