March 18, 2004                                        Contact: Erin Rath/Jeff Turcotte

GREGG JOINS UNH SCIENTISTS TO ANNOUNCE NEXT PHASE
OF NEW ENGLAND AIR QUALITY STUDY
Senator, researchers also announce launch of air quality forecasts

       DURHAM, N.H. -- U.S. Senator Judd Gregg, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, today joined scientists and researchers from the University of New Hampshire and NOAA at the announcement of the next phase of the ongoing New England air quality study, the largest comprehensive air quality study ever conducted in the U.S., utilizing both ships and airplanes during this summer’s field campaign. Researchers will also announce the launch of the new Air Quality Forecasts expected to begin this fall. Senator Gregg was also joined by NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher and UNH President Anne Hart.

       Senator Gregg has secured $5.75 million over the last three years through NOAA for UNH for the study. This comprehensive study will use a network of ground stations, a ship, airplanes, and balloons with sensitive instruments to track pollution from sources in the Midwest, Eastern Seaboard cities, and from within New England, across New England and the North Atlantic to Europe. The unprecedented combination of broad geographic coverage and very detailed chemical analyses will provide information critical for new daily air quality predictions by NOAA’s National Weather Service.

       In order to develop this forecasting capability, Senator Gregg has secured an additional $9 million over the last 3 years. These funds will enable the National Weather Service to implement the first real-time numeric air quality forecasting system to warn people of the severity and the composition of hazardous air pollutants. Such forecasts will be invaluable to city planners, industrial polluters, and pollutant-sensitive individuals. This detailed and accurate air quality information will enable city planners to issue policies to encourage greater energy efficiency and a reduction in emissions during peak pollutant periods. Forecasts will also provide industrial polluters with the needed information about peak pollutant periods and predicted air flows to minimize the negative effects of their emissions. NOAA expects to begin issuing ozone forecasts in the fall of 2004.

       Senator Gregg stated, “The positive effects of this study reach far beyond the borders of New Hampshire. The real-time air quality measurements and forecasts will help those who are particularly sensitive to poor air quality the same way weather forecasters predicting blizzards help people traveling by air or on the roads. The study also examines where pollution affecting our region comes from, allowing scientists to provide informed recommendations on how and why emissions from power plants should be changed. The tremendous results the program has yielded so far, like those shown today, will continue to bring acclaim to the University of New Hampshire and enhance its reputation as a first-class research institution.”

       John Aber, UNH Vice President for Research and Public Service, stated, “Senator Gregg has once again demonstrated outstanding support for high-impact projects at UNH, and a continuing commitment to helping the University reach its potential in focused areas of research excellence. The funding he has secured for these air quality projects supports programs that are nationally recognized and meet national needs. They also provide wonderful opportunities for our faculty and students.”

       On a national level, Senator Gregg co-authored the bipartisan Clean Air Planning Act of 2003, legislation that addresses our nation’s critical air pollution problems in a way that enhances air quality, protects human health and facilitates a growing economy. CAPA addresses emissions from utilities, manufacturers and factories by reducing the four primary emissions from power plants: sulfur dioxide (a contributing factor in lung and heart disease); nitrogen oxide (associated with acid rain and regional haze); mercury emissions (associated with fish contamination and birth defects); and carbon dioxide emissions (commonly linked with climate change) by establishing mandatory caps.

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