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U.S.-Canada Ozone Annex Negotiations Negiotators' Joint Statement Washington, DC, October 13, 2000

• We are pleased to announce that the delegations of Canada and the United States have finalized a draft of the Ozone Annex to the 1991 U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement.

• These negotiations have been characterized throughout by a cooperative and constructive spirit with both countries determined to move forward to better protect human health and the environment through cleaner air.

• The final draft text of the Annex will be referred to our respective governments for approval.

• We reaffirm our objective to have the Annex signed by both governments by December 2000.

• This final draft, negotiated by the United States and Canadian governmental delegations, was facilitated by health, environmental, industry and labour representatives. U.S. state representatives and Congressional staff participated in the U.S. delegation as well as provincial representatives in the Canadian delegation.

• The final draft defines a region in each country, associated with transboundary flows of ozone pollution and its precursors, to which the commitments in the Annex will apply. In Canada, the defined area includes the region within central and southern Ontario and southern Quebec provinces. In the United States, this includes 18 states and the District of Columbia. These regions represent about 40 percent of the population of the United States and over 50 percent of the population of Canada.

• The commitments in the final draft relate to the control and reduction of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) which are precursors of ground-level ozone, a major component of smog and unhealthy air over major regions in Eastern North America.

• The final draft includes emission control measures for NO_X and VOC emissions specific to each country.

For the United States:
• the aggressive NO_X emission reduction program (known as the NO_X SIP call) should reduce summertime NO_X emissions in the US transboundary region by about 35% in 2007. The US EPA expects that this will be achieved by a more than 70% reduction in summertime emissions from power plants and major industrial sources;
• NO_X and VOC reductions associated with existing U.S. vehicles and fuel quality rules, standards for new and modified stationary sources as well as VOC reductions associated with standards for stationary sources of hazardous air pollutants, consumer and commercial products, architectural coatings and automobile repair coatings.
• The U.S. estimates that the total NO_X reductions in the U.S. transboundary region will be 36% year-round by 2010 (43% in the ozone season).

For Canada:

• Aggressive annual caps by 2007 of 39 kilotonnes of NO_X emissions from fossil-fuel power plants in southern Ontario and five kilotonnes of NO_X in southern Quebec aligned with US standards year-round;
• Implementing stringent emission reduction regulations, aligned with the United States for:
            -- cars, vans and light duty trucks,
            -- cleaner small engines for off-road equipment and outboard motors;
            -- future diesel engines; and
            -- fuel standards.
  
• Canada estimates that the total NO_X reductions in the Canadian transboundary region will be 44% year-round by 2010.
• The final draft also provides for:
  • Annual reporting by both Parties of emissions from major sources categories and tracking of air quality within 500 km of the border between Canada and the lower 48 U.S. states;
  • Joint analysis of ground-level ozone including transboundary transport, the adequacy of monitoring networks and analysis of options for further cost-effective emission reductions; and,
  • Greater public access to information on emissions and air quality.

• The final draft provides for an initial assessment of US and Canadian progress in implementing their respective commitments in 2004, with a view to negotiating further reductions.

• The final draft was crafted through four negotiating rounds and extensive informal consultations beginning in Ottawa in February 2000 and ending in Washington, October 12, 2000.

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