Maintaining air quality in a transboundary air basin : Maintien de la qualité de l'air dans un bassin atmosphérique transfrontalier, Bassin de Géorgie et Puget Sound

Successes include the 1941 Trail Smelter Arbitration, the major efforts of the 1970s and 80s that led to the development of the Canada-U. [...] Achievements at the federal, state, provincial and regional levels in the area include the 1992 Environmental Cooperation Agreement (BC Ministry of Environment (MoE), State of Washington (WA)); the 1994 Interagency Agreement (BC MoE, WA, GVRD, and the Northwest Clean Air Agency); the 2000 Joint Statement of Cooperation on the GB-PS Ecosystem; and the 2002 Statement of Intent on a GB-PS Internation [...] The Georgia Basin air basin comprises the Canadian portion of the GB-PS, including Whatcom and San Juan Counties and the southern coastline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, while the Puget Sound air basin encompasses the counties to the south of Whatcom County in Washington State (see Figure 2.1). [...] A hub of global trade and commerce, the region is a multicultural home to over six million people, drawn by the superb quality of life offered by the region – the beauty of the landscape and ocean, the mild climate, a richness of resources, and employment and investment opportunities.7 The air in the GB-PS is affected by emissions from urban, suburban, industrial, marine, and agricultural activiti [...] The goal of the Airshed Characterization study was to establish a common understanding of the current status of and trends in air quality in the GB-PS airshed.