Kayah Swanson, kayah.swanson@sierraclub.org
Lam Ho, lho@npca.org
The Regional Haze Rule, a program established under the Clean Air Act, could be one of the most effective ways to clean up air quality and visibility in iconic national parks like Utah’s Mighty Five, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. The rule requires states to consult with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service to develop and implement air quality protection plans to reduce the pollution that causes visibility impairment. But since the program’s establishment in 1999, states like Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota have produced do-nothing plans that avoid requiring pollution controls on polluting coal-fired power plants, or have legally fought the program’s requirements.
After EPA missed deadlines to approve or disapprove state plans, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association and our partners were forced to sue the agency to push for compliance with regulatory deadlines. Now EPA must make a final decision on state plans in Wyoming, Utah and North Dakota in the coming year.
What: A workshop about the Regional Haze program, what’s to come, and impacts to EPA Region 8, including Utah, Wyoming, and North Dakota. A recording will be available following the webinar.
When: Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 5:30 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time
Where: Reporters can RSVP via Zoom by clicking here
Who:
Rob Joyce, Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter Director
Lindsay Beebe, Sierra Club State Lobbying and Advocacy Representative
Natalie Levine, Interim Campaigns Director, Clean Air Program, National Parks Conservation Association
Shannon Anderson, Powder River Basin Resource Council
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.