Place: Theodore Roosevelt National Park
(North Dakota)
Threat: Air Pollution
 On November 10th 1978, Theodore Roosevelt National
Park was elevated from a memorial park to national park
status by President Carter.
The colorful North Dakota
badlands provide the scenic backdrop to the park, which
features a prairie ecosystem, one of the few National
Parks with such an ecosystem.
It is the only National
Park named after a person and commemorates the
"father" of the conservation movement.
The park memorializes our 26th President for his enduring contributions to the
conservation of America’s resources.
Today, rising levels of air pollution and the lowering of Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) standards for air quality threaten this unique national treasure. Since 1999,
EPA officials have said that industrial pollution in North Dakota violates federal clean air
rules. North Dakota power plants exceeded the ceiling for sulfur dioxide by about 66,000
tons.
"Looking across the rugged badlands vista at Painted Canyon gives you such a sense of
wonder," said Jonathan Bry, a Sierra Club volunteer in North Dakota. "It would be a
shame to see a power plant mar this spectacular landscape."
The threats along the border of Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s borders continue to
grow with coal-fired power plant construction and oil and gas development surrounding
the park. Not only would the park be harmed if the threats continue, but North Dakota’s
tourism industry would suffer as well.
"Tourism is North Dakota's second largest industry and Theodore Roosevelt
National Park is our biggest tourist attraction," said Wayde Schafer with the Sierra Club
in North Dakota. "We can't afford to pollute this natural jewel."
There is a better way. North Dakota should be in full compliance with the Clean Air Act,
rather than the new modeling proposed by the state, and oil and gas wells should be
placed outside of the viewshed of the park.
Sierra Club Contact:
Wayde Schafer, North Dakota: 701-530-9288
Additional Info:
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