WWRC 87-16
Testimony Summaries and Index to Materials for the Wyoming
Acid Rain Coordinating Committee: May 1985 - April 1987
Introduction
As a result of growing public concern and uncertainty about potential effects
from acid deposition on the resources of Wyoming, Governor Ed Herschler
appointed an Acid Rain Coordinating Committee to provide cohesion and
direction for the State's research, regulation, and policy-forming efforts on
issues related to acid depositions. Appointed to the Committee in May, 1985,
were Mr. David B. Park, from the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council; Mr.
Robert Wallick, from the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council; Ms. Bonnie
Pendleton, from the Wyoming Air Quality Advisory Board; Dr. Jim Barlow, a
member of the Wyoming House of Representatives; and Dr. Ron Surdam, from the
University of Wyoming. Mr. Randy Wood, Director of the Wyoming Department of
Environmental Quality, served as Executive Secretary for the Committee.
Testimony from twenty-two expert witnesses and discussions at nine public
meetings provided an understanding and perspective for both the Committee and
the public at large on acid deposition issues they relate to Wyoming. To help
direct State involvement in acid deposition research, the Committee, using
results from these meetings, was to evaluate existing research projects in the
State and identify research needs, goals, and priorities for the State. In
particular, Federal research efforts in the state were to be evaluated to
promote coordination with State efforts and to encourage additional Federal
involvement where appropriate. Then, the Committee was to prepare a report
containing their recommendations on appropriate actions, priorities, policies,
and positions for Wyoming. Finally, a reference document was to be produced
supporting all of the Committee's recommendations on the acid deposition
issues. The Committee's report was issued in April, 1987.
Currently, scientists are uncertain how patterns for atmospheric depositions
are changing in space and time, and the extent of their actual or potential
effects in Wyoming, in the rest of North America, and in Europe. Intense
concerns about the potential effects due to acid depositions have led to
extensive ongoing scientific research and widespread public speculation. In
the end, scientists can only offer guidance on the likely consequences of
altering regulatory standards for atmospheric emissions. But, by their
nature, alterations to regulations are political decisions, often motivated by
an informed public. This document, the Committee's report, and the supporting
materials provide a basis to better understand issues related to atmospheric
depositions and their potential effects in Wyoming.
The following sections summarizes testimony heard by the Committee and indexes
materials compiled by the Committee in support of their April 1987 report.
Testimony provided by the experts to the Committee is highlighted in Section
2; and an appendix at the end of this section presents an overview of current
scientific knowledge on acid depositions and its actual or potential effects.
Section 3 summarizes discussions occurring at each of the nine public
meetings, and then Section 4 presents more detailed summaries from the
testimonies and comments provided by the twenty-two expert witnesses. Section
5 contains the bibliography of material compiled by the Committee. Finally, a
general index to these materials is provided in Section 6. This index
catalogs the Committee materials by scientific subject, providing a reference
index appropriate for identifying all materials on a given topic that were
compiled by the Committee.
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