Border states including Tennessee contribute to the air pollution problems in western North Carolina, but the region benefits most from reduced emissions within the state, according to preliminary findings in a study on the region’s air quality.

A 10-year project called the Southern Appalachian Mountains Initiative (SAMI) examined the sources of air pollution and its effect on ecosystems in eight Southeastern states. Recommendations from the project are expected to be released this summer.

“We don’t know yet what SAMI will recommend, but in terms of understanding the problem, we made great progress there,” said Tom Elmore, director of the initiative. “The answers have been a long time coming, so I think people are starting to pay attention to the results.”

Preliminary findings show that pollutants from Tennessee contribute to Western North Carolina’s air pollution problem, and emissions from Georgia add to acid rain levels, according to Bill Jackson, U.S. Forest Service air resource specialist.

But models show that reducing emissions within North Carolina will provide the greatest benefit to the air quality in the western part of the state, Jackson said.

“The most important thing for us here in North Carolina is that we are our own worst polluter,” said Michael Shore, Southeast air quality manager for the environmental group Environmental Defense.

Between 200 and 300 people from the eight states — Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia — participated in the initiative.

The project included utility companies, environmentalists, and state and federal officials who worked on a consensus basis. Organizers of the project intentionally selected organizations that don’t get along, Elmore said.

Participants looked at air pollution from emissions to the effects. Computer models were used to track emission sources, simulate chemical reactions in the atmosphere and estimate environmental and socioeconomic effects, according to the preliminary study.

“I have worked on this a long time. I would say SAMI is the first process that I’ve been involved in that truly did an integrated assessment,” said John Jansen, principal scientist for Southern Company, a holding company for five southern utilities.

The project focused on areas designated by Congress that require protection from new sources of air pollution. Those include the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Shining Rock Wilderness Area and Linville Gorge.

The research showed decreases in sulfur dioxide emissions directly correlate with better visibility, according to Paul Muller, regional supervisor for the North Carolina Division of Air Quality.

The research found that sulfur dioxide emissions would drop by 23 percent by 2010 in the eight states without additional action, but those projections assume aging power plants will be upgraded when they reach a certain age.

The study also predicts future sulphur dioxide emissions could be reduced by as much as 86 percent if more stringent controls, such as scrubbers for power plants and zero-emission cars, are put in place.