Dr. Steve Kahl Warns of Local Acid Rain Problems

Plymouth, NH- Over the past few days, rain has drenched the Plymouth area. The Pemi River has filled with ice, and threatened to overflow its banks like so many times before. Most students, except a few die hard skiers and snowboarders, are welcoming the signs of spring. As the spring season approaches though, few students are thinking about acid rain and the environmental problems that New Hampshire, and the whole North East, is facing as a result of acid rain. When most people think of New England, pictures of beautiful fall afternoons and summers in the lakes region come to mind. Few people think about factories spewing smoke and soot into the air. Understandable, considering New England is a very clean region. The mid-west is a different story, however. Factories throughout the mid-west- the Ohio River Valley in particular- burn energy year round, filling the air with chemicals and CFC’s, which cause acid rain. The wind currents carry the soot and smog all the way to New England and into southern Canada, polluting streams, lakes and protected forests in the process. Although many students are aware of acid rain, few are aware of the seriously damaging effect it has on this area. Few students are aware that Plymouth has its own Center for the Environment. The Center is run by Dr. Steve Kahl, who founded and directed the George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research at the University of Maine. Dr. Kahl remarked that, “…today environmental issues are almost invisible.” During the 1970’s and 1980’s, the story as quite different. At that time, pollution was a very serious issue. “Rivers were basically open sewers,” Said Dr. Kahl. During this time, people nation wide took notice and lobbied for the government to take steps to protect our environment and reverse the damage that had been done. The first Clean Air Act and the founding of the EPA in 1973 were the government’s response. Dr. Kahl continued to say that those measures were very effective, especially when one considers the shape that the Pemi River is in now. “Its fair to say that many of us would row, or even swim in the Pemi today,” said Dr. Kahl. The fact that the environment is in better shape now than in the 1970’s has allowed many people to forget that there is still a serious issue to deal with. Dr. Kahl continued to say that “…we need to make choices with out lives.” Pollution isn’t caused by factories alone. We pollute every time we start our cars. Of the six billion people in the world, many of them own cars. This ownership alone is a serious issue. Dr. Kahl mentioned SUV’s and the impact that they have, saying that “…electric cars and hybrids are a huge step.” The Plymouth State University campus, and indeed New England as a whole, is a beautiful and natural place. Acid rain and pollution are threatening to change to change that, if something isn’t done soon. By polluting our forests and lakes, and contaminating the food we eat, acid rain and the pollution that causes it could change the way we live forever. In an article for CNN.com, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) said that, “If we do not act soon to aggressively crack down on acid rain, the regions economy and public health will be endangered beyond repair. We need to update our Clean Air laws with comprehensive national legislation that forces antiquated power plants to either modernize or shut down.” Plymouth States Center for the Environment will be participating in many of the Earth Week events.