Recovery is a dangerous word in the hands of politicians.

[Viking12]

Dead lake comes back to life, at least for now
Scientists restock Adirondack lake, but warn of long-term problem
By Mary Esch
Updated: 7:19 a.m. CT June 8, 2006

ALBANY, N.Y. - A crystalline Adirondack lake once held up as an example of a “dead” lake devastated by acid rain has now become a symbol of nature’s ability to heal itself once pollutants are curbed.

As the name implies, Brooktrout Lake teemed with trout before air pollution from faraway cities began to change the chemistry of lakes and soils in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park. In 1984, biologists found that Brooktrout Lake and hundreds of others in the rugged region were completely devoid of fish.

Now there are signs of recovery. After the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 tightened emissions limits on Midwest coal-burning power plants, acid rain decreased significantly. As expected, the pH levels of Adirondack lakes began to rise, becoming less acidic. The surprising thing was how fast it happened.

-snip- (encouraging story, but the money quote is near the end...)

“Recovery is a dangerous word in the hands of politicians. They think the job is done,” Boylen said. “But even with more stringent regulations, there’s still more consumption of fossil fuels than in years past. If we don’t learn to conserve our energy consumption or rely on sources other than fossil fuels, the societal demands will continue to put more and more emissions into the atmosphere.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13049814/

hat tip: http://scienceblogs.com/nosenada/