WESTBROOK, CT — The northeastern corner of North America can expect to have better air due to a new plan (also referred to as historic) to reduce emissions.

Under the plan accepted Monday at the annual meeting of new England Governors and Eastern Canadian premiers, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2010.

The commitment comes even though the leaders were told they are leading the clean air race (cutting back emissions). Also, it has been reported much of the northeastern smog problem comes from the Midwest region of the country.

“For a lot of these things, we’re downwind,” reported Premier Bernard Lord, to local media. “But we have to show the leadership to convince the rest of North America to move ahead in the same direction that we’ve adopted. It won’t solve our problem unless we ensure that we put pressure on other parts of North America to also clean up their act to make sure that we have a cleaner environment.”

Under the plan put forward by the group’s committee on the environment and energy, a mid-term goal is to reduce emissions below 1990 levels by 2020 and a long-range goal is to reduce emissions by 75 per cent or more from their current levels.

Lord defended the target levels as appropriate, even though they don’t match the levels set through the Kyoto protocol in 1997, which was eventually spurned by U.S. President George Bush this year.

“The objectives we have set today are very aggressive targets of reduction. In fact, they may be very difficult for us to achieve, but I think it’s important for us to aim as high as is realistically possible,” says Lord.