Acidification: cost-benefit analysis zeros in on power producers, refiners

Measures reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by Europe's power producers and oil refineries are viewed by the European Commission as among the most cost-effective in combating acidification. The main elements of the Commission's strategy include the establishment of national emission ceilings; EU ratification of the 1994 Sulphur Protocol to further reduce sulphur emissions under the UN ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution; a revision of directive 93/12/EEC limiting the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels, this time including heavy fuel oils; revision of the 1988 Large Combustion Plants directive; and the designation of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea as SO2 emission control areas. (UK)