are allowed to

[mengta]

A 1972 agreement between Canada and the United States reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities are allowed to dump into the Great Lakes.

why is it "are allowed to" rather than " have been allowed to"

thanks

[Anglika]

It is ongoing - they are still allowed to dump stuff into the lakes.

[BobK]

... but if you were referring to the state of the law since 1972, you'd use 'have been':

Since the law changed in 1972, the US and Canada have been allowed...

b