The long national debate on the acid rain problem may be approaching a turning point. President Bush and his EPA Administrator, William Reilly, have stated their belief that the time has come to take action. The new Senate majority leader, George Mitchell of Maine, is one of the leading advocates in Congress for acid rain control. The ten-year National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) is nearing its conclusion. These developments may shift the focus of the national debate from whether there should be a new acid rain control program to how that program should be designed.

Numerous acid rain program designs have been proposed in the attempt to find a politically acceptable compromise. The design selected will have major consequences long after a program is enacted, however. It will be a key factor in the ultimate success or failure of implementation of the program by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the states, the courts, and the private sector.