Results of the acid rain program: Status and trends of emissions and environmental impacts (1990–2002)

Both SO2 and NOx emissions from power generation sources have significantly declined under Title IV. In 2002, SO2 emissions from Title IV-affected sources totaled 10.2 million tons and NOx emissions from all Title IV-affected sources totaled 4.5 million tons, down 35% and 33% respectively from 1990 levels. Sources in states with the highest emissions continue to reduce their emissions the most, and there have been no significant geographic shifts in emissions. The benefits of these emission reductions include improvements in air quality (which are expected to lead to significant human health benefits), broad-scale reductions in sulfate deposition, and improvements in visibility. While surface waters in some areas have begun to show signs of recovery from acidification, acidification is still occurring in many areas. Although there have been no broad-scale regional reductions in nitrogen deposition, nitrogen deposition has declined in some areas, benefiting some nitrogen-sensitive forests and coastal waters and acid-sensitive lakes and streams.