Ginny Roscamp, Senior Press Secretary, Federal Communications, Sierra Club, ginny.roscamp@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Major environmental organizations including the Sierra Club have submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during its comment period on the proposed restructuring of the Regional Haze Rule, calling on the EPA to abandon its attempts to weaken the rule, and instead maintain the rule to ensure continued progress toward clean air and clear skies at national parks and wilderness areas across the U.S. The comment period closed December 1.
- Read the technical comment letter submitted by 12 organizations: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/environmental-groups-anprm-regional-haze-rule-revision-comments.pdf
- Read the sign-on letter signed by 36 organizations: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/36-community-organizations-comments-on-haze-anprm_12125.pdf
Under the EPA’s current Regional Haze Rule, states must submit state implementation plans every 10 years to protect visibility in treasured national parks – like Yosemite, Acadia, Shenandoah, and Rocky Mountains – and wilderness areas – like Sipsey, Joyce Kilmer, Dolly Sods, and Boundary Waters Canoe Area – to demonstrate continued, reasonable progress toward the national visibility goal of the Clean Air Act. The EPA intends to weaken the rule, and as a first step, issued a public comment period for its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. A second public comment period on the rulemaking is expected in early 2026.
“The Regional Haze Rule is a time-tested, effective program that requires federal and state agencies, federal land managers, and stakeholders to work together to restore clear skies in 156 national parks and wilderness areas (Class I areas). The Haze Rule has delivered significant cost-effective clean air benefits to national parks, wilderness areas and communities across the nation in the past 15 years — over 1.4 million tons of visibility impairing pollution has been reduced, improving scenic views and making air healthier to breathe across the nation,” reads the sign-on letter. “But there is still a lot of work to do as visitors regularly miss out on over 50 miles of scenic views and experience unhealthy air when visiting these treasured places.”
In both letters, the groups expressed concern that EPA’s deregulatory direction, as stated by Administrator Lee Zeldin in March 2025 and in Project 2025, will run contrary to the visibility goals of the Clean Air Act, weaken the Regional Haze Rule, and undermine years of progress toward cleaner air in parks and wilderness areas. The groups reject any efforts by the EPA to weaken the effectiveness of the rule, including by allowing states to avoid requiring pollution control systems, avoid identifying emissions reduction measures, and avoid developing regular regional haze plans altogether.
“Many sources of air pollution that were expected to retire, clean up, or otherwise reduce emissions can no longer be assumed to be on that same course given dramatic changes in the last year to clean air policies, facility or pollution control operations, and pollution exemptions granted by presidential decree,” reads the sign-on letter. “Americans and people from around the world love and cherish our national parks and wilderness areas. We must ensure continued reductions in haze pollution in the years and decades to come to benefit these treasured places and our communities.”
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Earthjustice, National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, and Southern Environmental Law Center also expressed concerns about the timing of the comment period due to the government shutdown, which prevented affected agencies like the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service from providing adequate feedback. The EPA ignored the groups’ request for a comment period extension.
The technical comment letter was submitted by 12 organizations: Center for Biological Diversity, Clean Air Task Force, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, National Parks Conservation Association, Montana Environmental Information Center, Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.
The sign-on letter was signed by 36 organizations.
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.