Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
Regional Haze Rule Enhances Visibility in National Parks, But Faces Rollback
The **regional haze rule**, a federal regulation aimed at curbing **air pollution**, has significantly improved scenic views across numerous **national parks** and wilderness areas since its implementation in 1999. For outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists, this has meant clearer vistas and a restoration of natural beauty. However, these gains are now under threat as the current administration targets the rule for potential rollback, raising concerns about the future of **visibility** and air quality in protected natural landscapes.
Improved Views Thanks to Haze Rule
Don Barger vividly recalls a 1995 hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Climbing Chilhowee Mountain, he expected panoramic views of the valley below, only to be confronted by a solid barrier of gray haze.
Today, Barger notes a remarkable difference. He can now see approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) across the same valley, extending his sightline to the distant Cumberland Mountains. This improvement highlights the positive impact of the regional haze rule over the past 26 years.
Conservationists Fear Potential Setback
This federal regulation, designed to reduce pollution in national parks, wilderness areas, and tribal reservations, has successfully restored breathtaking natural views for those who cherish the outdoors, like Barger. However, **conservationists** are worried that these advancements could be undone. The previous administration announced plans in March to rescind this landmark **environmental regulation** as part of a broader effort to roll back numerous protective measures.
“It signifies the forfeiture of a pledge made to the American populace,” stated Barger, now 74. “Future generations will unfortunately remain unaware, as I once was, of the clarity they are missing and the views they are losing.”
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Understanding Regional Haze
**Haze** is created when minute particles of **air pollution**, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, scatter and absorb sunlight. This phenomenon diminishes visual clarity and reduces overall visibility in affected areas.
In 1977, Congress amended the **Clean Air Act**, prioritizing the restoration and preservation of visibility in 156 national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, and tribal reservations across 36 states. These protected areas include iconic locations such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Glacier National Park, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Implementation and Impact of the Rule
Following years of development and legal challenges, the U.S. **Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)** officially adopted the **regional haze rule** in 1999 to implement the Clean Air Act amendments.
The regulation aims to achieve natural visibility conditions by 2064. It mandates that states develop plans incorporating emission limits, compliance schedules, and monitoring protocols. Older, polluting facilities, particularly coal-fired power plants, are required to adopt pollution control technologies like scrubbers or implement periodic shutdowns to lower annual emissions.
Challenges and Legal Battles
State implementation plans have encountered delays due to partial approvals and rejections by the EPA. Notably, major energy-producing states like North Dakota and Wyoming, along with industry groups, filed legal petitions in federal court in January. These petitions challenge EPA decisions rejecting portions of their state plans, according to insights from Harvard Law School’s Environmental and Energy Law Program.
The **regional haze rule** complements other federal anti-pollution regulations, playing a vital role in improving air quality and clearing skies over protected natural areas.
Tangible Improvements in Air Quality
An Associated Press analysis of nationwide monitoring data from 1999 to 2023 reveals significant improvements. Across 93% of monitored parks and wilderness areas, **air quality** has improved on clear days since the rule’s implementation. Critically, no park or wilderness area has experienced a noticeable decline in visibility.
The most dramatic improvement has been observed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where visibility on a typical clear day in 2023 was twice as good as in 1999.
EPA estimates indicate that the rule has achieved substantial pollution reductions between 2007 and 2018, cutting annual emissions by 500,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 300,000 tons of nitrous oxides. Consequently, average visual range has expanded from 90 miles to 120 miles in some western parks and from 50 miles to 70 miles in certain eastern parks, according to the Harvard program.
Rollback Efforts and Justifications
The former EPA administrator announced on March 12 that the agency would pursue the rollback of 31 **landmark environmental regulations**, including the **regional haze rule**. Describing it as the “most consequential day of deregulation in American history,” the administrator argued in a Wall Street Journal essay that the administration was challenging established climate change policies.
When questioned about the **regional haze rule**, the EPA stated its intention to better consider pollution originating outside the U.S. and from natural sources, while also aiming to reduce unnecessary burdens on states and industry.
Economic Considerations
A prior EPA cost-benefit assessment of the rule projected costs for energy producers reaching up to $98 billion by 2025. However, it also projected substantial benefits of approximately $344 billion, primarily from healthcare savings.
Energy producers contend that the haze rule has accomplished its objectives and that continued compliance costs are no longer justifiable.
“This represents diminishing returns,” asserted Jonathan Fortner, interim president and CEO of the Lignite Energy Council, an advocate for North Dakota’s coal industry. “The air quality is good; data confirms it, and scientific evidence supports that. The rule’s application is misguided, not due to disagreement with clean air goals, but because those goals have largely been met.”
Two federal sites in North Dakota, Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, are subject to the rule. AP analysis indicates significant visibility improvements at both sites over the five years from 2019 to 2023.
EPA officials did not respond to requests for a list of power plants closed due to the **regional haze rule**. Numerous energy industry groups, including the U.S. Energy Association and the National Utility Contractors Association, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Economic Impact of National Parks
Advocates for the rule warn that its elimination could lead to decreased tourism and reduced economic benefits for communities near national parks. The National Park Service estimates that 325 million visitors to national parks in 2023 generated $26.4 billion in spending within gateway communities.
Future of the Rule and Potential Challenges
Immediate changes to the rule are not anticipated. Conservationists expect the administration to pursue revisions through rule modifications, a process involving public comment and likely to trigger extended legal challenges potentially lasting for years.
“I have witnessed the transformation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park from being shrouded in an intensifying chemical haze,” Barger reflected. “It’s a deep connection to place. We had completely lost that. The **Clean Air Act** is effective and remains a work in progress. Consistent commitment is essential for its continued success.”