Air Pollution

Regional Approaches Are Needed to Protect Visibility in National Parks and Wilderness Areas Gao ID: T-RCED-94-102 April 29, 1994

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 set a national goal of correcting and preventing pollution that limits visibility in more than 150 national parks and wilderness areas. Seventeen years later, however, visitors to these areas are unable to enjoy spectacular views, such as those at the Grand Canyon, because of interference from air pollution. In view of the limited success of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program and other efforts in controlling air pollution and in light of increasing scientific evidence that regional sources are major contributors to impaired visibility, GAO believes that some type of regional approach is needed to address the problem. EPA has indicated its intention to wait for more information before deciding whether to issue regional haze regulations. It is unclear, however, when that information will be available given reductions in the number of monitoring sites in the national parks and wilderness areas and the fact that only one visibility transport commission has been established. At the same time, the National Research Council and the Park Service have both said that current scientific knowledge is adequate and control technologies are available to take regulatory steps to improve visibility. Accordingly, GAO recommends that the EPA Administrator begin developing a control strategy for overcoming visibility impairment caused by regional sources.

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