Western States Submit the Nation's First Plans to Reduce Haze over National Parks and Wilderness Areas

1/6/2004

From: Patrick Cummins of the Western Governors' Association, 970-799-0970

DENVER, Jan. 6 -- Five Western states and the City of Albuquerque have completed the nation's first air quality plans designed to reduce haze over federally protected Class I areas, such as national parks and wilderness areas.

The states of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming -- all members of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) -- each submitted their plans to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December. These states are among the 13 WRAP states that are working together with Western tribes, federal agencies, industry, and environmental groups to conduct research and develop policies to reduce haze in the West.

A key element of each state plan is an innovative strategy to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from major industrial sources such as coal-fired power plants, smelters, and refineries. The plans institute a regional cap on sulfur dioxide emissions in the five states. The cap limits the tons of sulfur dioxide that can be emitted annually by industrial sources in the five state region. If industrial emissions remain below the cap, no further regulation takes effect. If the cap is exceeded, an emissions trading program is triggered to ensure the environmental goal is achieved. Under the emissions trading program, sources are given an annual emissions allowance and must limit their emissions to that level or purchase additional allowances from another source with excess allowances.

Other important elements of the plans are strategies to reduce smoke from prescribed fires and strategies to increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

These state plans take advantage of an option in the federal rules for certain Western states to implement the recommendations of the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (GCVTC) in order to satisfy their initial obligations to reduce haze. The GCVTC was created by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and conducted a 5-year study of haze at the Grand Canyon and surrounding national parks and scenic areas. The Commission's recommendations were issued in 1996 and identified strategies that were later incorporated into the federal Regional Haze Rule. In order to take advantage of this option, Western states were required to submit their plans by the end of 2003.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment for our states," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, co-chair of the Western Regional Air Partnership. "Regional haze does not recognize borders on a map, and our states recognize it will take all of us working together to protect the air quality of some of the most precious natural resources in the West, including the Grand Canyon."

Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, now EPA Administrator, served as the WRAP's co-chair for many years and helped lead development of these regional haze plans.

The Western Regional Air Partnership is managed jointly by the Western Governors' Association and the National Environmental Tribal Council. Additional information on the WRAP is available at http://www.wrapair.org.