Media Clipping — January 22, 2004, The Moncton Times and Transcript

Coal energy makes N.S. a big polluter

Study finds N.S. responsible for 25 per cent of Canada's sulphur oxide emissions

Nova Scotia produces sulphur oxide emissions that are two times higher than the Canadian and American averages, adding to a potent mix of chemicals that contribute to acid rain and health problems, says a new report.

The study, compiled by GPI Atlantic, found that the province's heavy use of coal-fired energy generation plants has made it the country's biggest producer of sulphur oxide, which is among a family of pollutants linked to respiratory and heart problems.

"We are the victim of huge amount of transboundary pollution from the United States and central Canada, but the part that's not usually talked about is what we're responsible for ourselves," Ron Colman, one of the report's authors, said yesterday.

"The fact that Nova Scotia is responsible for 25 per cent of all Canada's sulphur oxide emissions is quite dramatic."

The report estimated that sulphur oxide emissions in 2002 caused $212-million worth in damages in Nova Scotia. That includes costs associated with health care and resource depletion.

Canadians routinely blame U.S. power plants as the major source of pollutants that drift north, but Colman says high energy production in Eastern Canada creates substantial pollution.

The report, which took three years to produce, found that Halifax had Canada's highest annual average of sulphur dioxide, a member of the sulphur oxide family.

Sulphur dioxide is a colourless, pungent gas that is a byproduct of industrial processes and the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal. GPI Atlantic, a non-profit research group based in Halifax, also concluded that lakes in Nova Scotia are slower to recover from acid rain than those in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland.

Nova Scotia Power, which produces the bulk of energy in the province, has said it is moving away from its reliance on coal-fired plants and is looking more to natural gas, lower sulphur coal and wind turbines for power sources.

Under a provincial plan, sulphur dioxide emissions must be reduced 25 per cent by 2005 and 50 per cent by 2010; nitrogen oxide 20 per cent by 2009; and mercury 20 to 50 per cent by 2005.

Copyright © 2004, The Moncton Times and Transcript