Regional Differences in Ozone
Region 1: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut
Local Sources of VOCs
VOC sources in this region are very similar to those in the nation as a whole. The largest sources generated by human activity are highway vehicles and solvents, which make up 29 percent each. Off-highway vehicles make up 20 percent. The next largest categories are other fuel combustion (7 %), storage and transport (6 %) and waste disposal and recycling (5%). Total tons generated by human activity in 1999 were 747,249, the lowest of all the 10 regions.
Local Sources of NOx
Highway vehicles make up a much larger percentage of NOx emissions in New England than in the nation as a whole. Off-highway vehicles are the same percentage as the nation (22%). However, cleaner power plants in the region result in electric utilities contributing only 9 percent of the region’s NOx emissions. Other fuel combustion (8%) generates a slightly higher percentage of NOx than the nation as a whole, while NOx from industrial fuel consumption is much lower than the nation at 6 percent. Total tons generated by human activity in 1999: 745,050, the lowest of all the regions.x
Trends
Ozone levels have declined significantly more in Region 1 than in the nation as a whole. Region 1 has seen more reductions in ozone levels than all other regions except Regions 9 and 10 (the west coastal states, Alaska and Hawaii). Levels have declined by 20 percent from 1982 to 2001, compared with the national levels, which have dropped by 11 percent in that time frame. However, ozone levels in the region declined by only 3 percent in the 1990s.xi
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