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FACT SHEET 

FINAL REGIONAL HAZE REGULATIONS FOR PROTECTION OF 

VISIBILITY IN NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDERNESS AREAS 

TODAY’S ACTION 

! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing regulations to improve visibility, 

or visual air quality, in 156 national parks and wilderness areas across the country. 

These areas include many of our best known and most treasured natural areas, such as the 

Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Mount Rainier, Shenandoah, the Great Smokies, 

Acadia, and the Everglades. More than 280 million visitors come to enjoy the scenic 

vistas and unique natural features in these and other park and wilderness areas each year. 

! Today’s action addresses visibility impairment in the form of regional haze. Haze 

obscures the clarity, color, texture, and form of what we see. Some haze-causing 

pollutants (mostly fine particles) are directly emitted to the atmosphere by a number of 

activities (such as electric power generation, various industrial and manufacturing 

processes, truck and auto emissions, burning related to forestry and agriculture, 

construction activities, etc.). Others are formed when gases emitted to the air form 

particles as they are carried downwind. Examples include sulfate, formed from sulfur 

dioxide, and nitrates, formed from nitrogen oxides. 

! Emissions from these activities generally span broad geographic areas and can be 

transported great distances, sometimes hundreds or thousands of miles. Consequently, 

haze occurs regionally throughout the nation. 

! Today’s regulations call for States to establish goals for improving visibility in national 

parks and wilderness areas and to develop long-term strategies for reducing emissions of 

air pollutants that cause visibility impairment. EPA strongly encourages the States to 

work together in developing and implementing their air quality plans. 

! The final regulation includes a separate section that allows nine Western States 

participating in the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission to implement their 

specific recommendations for improving visibility across the Colorado Plateau within the 

framework of the national program. 

! The steps States take to implement these regulations are expected to have the additional 

benefit of improving visibility in broad areas across the country beyond these 156 

national parks and wilderness areas addressed specifically in today’s action. 

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BACKGROUND 

! The Clean Air Act established special goals for visibility in many national parks, 

wilderness areas, and international parks. Through the 1977 amendments to the Clean 

Air Act, Congress set a national goal for visibility as “the prevention of any future, and 

the remedying of any existing, impairment of visibility in mandatory Class I Federal areas 

which impairment results from manmade air pollution.” The Amendments required EPA 

to issue regulations to assure “reasonable progress” toward meeting the national goal. 

! EPA issued regulations in 1980 to address the visibility problem that is “reasonably 

attributable” to a single source or small group of sources. At that time, EPA 

acknowledged that the regulations were only the first phase addressing visibility 

impairment and deferred regulations dealing with regional haze until improved 

monitoring and modeling techniques were developed, and EPA could improve its 

understanding of the pollutants causing the impairment. 

! In 1988, the States, Federal Land Managers (e.g. National Park Service, U.S. 

Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management), and 

EPA began monitoring of fine particle concentrations and visibility in 30 national 

parks and wilderness areas across the country. This data is analyzed to understand 

what portion of fine particles and visibility impairment can be attributed to 

various pollutants in the air -- sulfates, nitrates, organic and elemental carbon, and 

crustal material (soil dust). 

! In 1990, Congress amended the Clean Air Act, providing additional emphasis on regional 

haze issues. Among other things, the 1990 Amendments required EPA to work with 

several Western States to establish a Commission to address visibility in the Grand 

Canyon National Park. EPA established the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport 

Commission in 1991. 

! Under the 1990 Amendments, Congress required EPA to take regulatory action on 

regional haze within 18 months of receiving the Commission’s recommendations. The 

Commission delivered its final report to EPA in 1996. It included significant technical 

analyses and broad-based consensus on strategies to improve visibility in 16 Class I areas 

on the Colorado Plateau 

! EPA proposed the regional haze regulations in July 1997 in conjunction with issuing new 

national ambient air quality standards for fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5 -- those 

particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter). The same particulate matter that causes 

serious respiratory health effects also degrade visibility. 

! In developing the final regional haze regulations, EPA took into account the findings of 

the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission, as well as findings from a 1993 

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report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Protecting Visibility in National 

Parks and Wilderness Areas, which confirmed that “current scientific knowledge is 

adequate and available control technologies exist to justify regulatory action to improve 

and protect visibility.” 

WHAT ARE THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH BENEFITS? 

! Visibility impairment is one of the most basic indicators of pollution in the air. 

! Visibility impairment occurs as a result of the scattering and absorption of light by 

particles and gases in the atmosphere. Without the effects of pollution, a natural visual 

range is approximately 140 miles in the West and 90 miles in the East. However, over 

the years, in many parts of the United States, fine particles have significantly reduced the 

range that people can see. In the West, the current range is 33-90 miles, and in the East, 

the current range is only 14-24 miles. The regional haze regulations allow states to 

develop coordinated strategies and implement programs to make reasonable progress 

toward the goal of “no manmade impairment” in national parks and wilderness areas by 

reducing emissions that contribute to haze. 

! Good visibility is valued by people throughout the country - in the places they live, work, 

and enjoy recreational activities. The regional haze program is designed to improve 

visibility and air quality in our most treasured natural areas so that these areas may be 

preserved and enjoyed by current and future generations. At the same time, control 

strategies designed to improve visibility in the national parks and wilderness areas will 

improve visibility over broad geographic areas, including other recreational sites, our 

cities and residences. 

! The same particles (sulfates, nitrates, organic carbon, smoke, and soil dust) comprising 

PM2.5, which are linked to serious health effects and environmental effects (e.g., 

ecosystem damage), can also significantly degrade visual air quality. Thus, actions to 

reduce levels of visibility-impairing pollutants will benefit public health and reduce 

certain adverse effects to the environment. 

WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE REGIONAL HAZE REGULATIONS? 

States/Areas Subject to the Rule 

! The regional haze regulations will improve visibility in 156 specific areas of concern, 

known as “Class I” areas. The Clean Air Act defines mandatory Class I Federal areas as 

certain national parks (over 6000 acres), wilderness areas (over 5000 acres), national 

memorial parks (over 5000 acres), and international parks that were in existence as of 

August 1977. 

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! Because of evidence that fine particles are frequently transported hundreds of miles, all 

50 states -- including those that do not have Class I areas -- will have to participate in 

planning, analysis, and in many cases, emission control programs under the regional haze 

regulations. Even though a given State may not have any Class I areas, pollution that 

occurs in that State may contribute to impairment in Class I areas elsewhere. The rule 

encourages States to work together to determine whether or how much emissions from 

sources in a given State affect visibility in a downwind Class I area. 

! The regulations also include specific provisions allowing the Grand Canyon Visibility 

Transport Commission States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New 

Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming) to implement their specific recommendations 

(according to different time frames) within the framework of the national regional haze 

program. 

Reasonable Progress Goals 

! EPA’s final regional haze regulations do not establish “presumptive targets” for showing 

reasonable progress, as originally proposed in 1997. Instead, States have flexibility in 

determining reasonable progress goals for Class I areas, taking into consideration the 

statutory requirements of the Clean Air Act. 

! States are required to conduct certain analyses to ensure that they consider the possibility 

of setting an ambitious reasonable progress goal, one that is aimed at reaching natural 

background conditions in 60 years. The rule requires States to establish goals for each 

affected Class I area to 1) improve visibility on the haziest days and 2) ensure no 

degradation occurs on the clearest days over the period of each implementation plan. 

Long-Term Strategy 

! The rule requires States to develop long-term strategies including enforceable measures 

designed to meet reasonable progress goals. The first long-term strategy will cover 10 to 

15 years, with reassessment and revision of those goals and strategies in 2018 and every 

10 years thereafter. States strategies should address their contribution to visibility 

problems in Class I areas both within and outside the State. 

! In identifying the emission reduction measures to be included in the long-term strategy, 

States should address all types of manmade emissions contributing to impairment in 

Class I areas, including those from mobile sources, stationary sources (such as factories), 

smaller, so-called “area” sources (such as residential wood combustion and gas stations), 

and prescribed fires. 

! EPA recognizes that fire of all kinds (wildfire, prescribed fire, etc.) contributes to 

regional haze, and there is a complex relationship between what is considered a natural 

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source of fire versus a human-caused source of fire. For example the increased use of 

prescribed fire in some areas may lead to particulate emissions levels lower than those 

that would be expected from a catastrophic wildfire. Given that in many instances the 

purpose of prescribed fires is to restore the natural fire cycles to forest ecosystems, EPA 

will work with States and Federal Land Managers to support development of enhanced 

smoke management plans to minimize the effects of fire emissions on public health and 

welfare. 

! In developing their long term strategy for regional haze, States can take into account 

emission reductions due to ongoing air pollution control programs (such as 

implementation of programs to meet the national ambient air quality standards for 

particulate matter). EPA expects that some States may be able to demonstrate reasonable 

progress based on these emission reductions alone, particularly for the first period of the 

long-term strategy. 

Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) 

! One of the principal elements of the visibility protection provisions of the Clean Air Act 

addresses installation of best available retrofit technology -- or BART -- for certain 

existing sources placed into operation between 1962 and 1977. The regional haze rule 

requires three basic state plan elements related to BART: 

1) a list of BART-eligible sources (includes sources of air pollutants that are reasonably 

anticipated to contribute to visibility impairment in a Class I area); 

2) a regional analysis of the cumulative emission reductions and changes in visibility that 

would result from “best retrofit” control levels on sources subject to BART; and 

3) the BART emission limits for each subject source, or an alternative measure such as an 

emissions trading program for achieving greater reasonable progress in visibility 

protection than implementation of source-by-source BART controls. 

! In determining BART, the State can take into account several factors, including the 

existing control technology in place at the source, the costs of compliance, energy and 

nonair environmental impacts of compliance, remaining useful life of the source, and the 

degree of visibility improvement that is reasonably anticipated from the use of such 

technology. 

Expanded Monitoring 

! EPA is expanding the existing Class I area visibility monitoring network from 30 to 108 

sites in 1999. EPA is working closely with State air pollution agencies and Federal Land 

Managers to efficiently design and deploy the network to provide regionally 

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representative data for all 156 Class I areas. 

Optional Approach for Regional Planning 

! Regional haze is caused by many sources located across a broad region often covering 

several states. The final regional haze regulations incorporate an optional set of 

requirements for States to submit coordinated strategies for regional haze and PM2.5. 

Some States will be able to take additional time to develop their strategies if they commit 

to participate in regional planning. 

! A given State’s commitment to regional planning includes a two-step process. As a first 

step, a State electing to participate in regional planning must submit a plan demonstrating 

the State’s ongoing participation and commitment to a regional planning process. This 

plan must address all areas in the State and demonstrate the need for regional planning by 

showing that emissions from their State are reasonably anticipated to contribute to 

visibility impairment in another State, or by showing that another State may contribute to 

visibility impairment in their State. The State plan must also include a detailed 

description of the regional planning process and it must include a commitment by the 

State to submit a coordinated control strategy at a later date. 

WHEN MUST STATES SUBMIT THEIR PLANS? 

! States are required to submit revisions to their visibility protection requirements 

following the time that EPA designates areas for the national ambient air quality standard 

for PM2.5. For those areas EPA designates as “attainment” and “unclassifiable,” States 

will have 1 year following the designation to submit their implementation plans 

(generally 2004 to 2006). For those areas EPA designates as “nonattainment,” States 

will have 3 years from the date of designation to submit their plans (about 2006 to 2008). 

! For a State that commits to regional planning, its first implementation plan committing to 

regional planning is due one year after EPA first designates an area within that State as 

attainment or nonattainment for PM2.5. Complete control strategy plans for regional haze 

would be due to EPA at the same time as the PM2.5 state plans are due (3 years after EPA 

designates an area nonattainment for PM2.5, but no later than 2008). 

! Subsequent revisions to the State implementation plans are required in 2018, and every 

10 years thereafter. With each revision, the State is required to set new progress goals 

and strategies to meet the goals. 

! States must also submit progress reports to EPA every 5 years. These reports will 

document actual changes in visibility and emission reductions within the State. At the 

time of each progress report, States will compare their current visibility conditions to 

baseline conditions (i.e. baseline is the average conditions for 2000 to 2004). The report, 

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which will be subject to public review and comment, must also include any needed midcourse corrections to emission management strategies. 

WHO WILL BE AFFECTED BY EPA’S REGIONAL HAZE RULE? 

! State and local air quality agencies will implement the regional haze program through 

revisions to their state implementation plans. However, because regional haze often 

results from pollution emitted across broad regions, EPA encourages States to participate 

in multi-state planning efforts to develop regional strategies for meeting progress goals. 

While the Clean Air Act specifically identifies certain source types as potential 

contributors to visibility impairment, ultimately the States will make decisions about 

specific emission management strategies. In some areas, existing strategies for other air 

quality programs (such as the program to attain the PM2.5 national air quality standards) 

may provide steady visibility improvements in the near-term. 

! Both the regional haze program and Clean Air Act require consultation between the 

States and the Federal Land Managers responsible for managing Class I areas. Such 

collaboration will help in developing state implementation plans and monitoring plans 

and in predicting the visibility impacts of potential new sources. 

! The principal manmade sources of pollutants contributing to fine particles in the air 

include electric power generation, automobiles, trucks, and other mobile sources, 

industrial manufacturing activities, burning related to forestry and agricultural activities, 

and dust from roadways and construction activities. Sources in these and other categories 

may be affected by this rule, depending on the reasonable progress goals and emission 

management strategies adopted by each State. 

WHAT ARE THE ESTIMATED COSTS AND BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH 

IMPLEMENTING THE REGIONAL HAZE REGULATIONS? 

! EPA has developed best estimates of the annual costs through the first planning phase of 

the rule, the year 2018. The costs and the corresponding benefits of implementing the 

regional haze rule depend on the extent to which control measures, already required under 

the Clean Air Act, will meet the visibility goals. At the low end, costs would be $1 

billion with corresponding benefits of $3.5 billion per year. At the high end, costs would 

be $4 billion with corresponding benefits of $10.8 billion per year. 

! The costs and benefits of the regional haze program are directly linked to the eventual 

choices that States will make regarding visibility goals in their Class I areas and 

associated control strategies. 

! Some States may be able to demonstrate that visibility improvement associated with other 

Clean Air Act programs, such as the new automotive emission standards, and programs to 

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meet the national ambient air quality standards for PM2.5, may be sufficient to reach their 

reasonable progress goals for the first 10 year period (generally 2008 to 2018 for most 

States). In that situation, the incremental effects of the haze rule are limited to 

administrative activities (i.e. planning, analyses, etc.) with some potential for associated 

control costs at some BART source category plants. 

! EPA conducted a number of illustrative analyses of costs and benefits for various 

progress goal levels. For the most stringent progress goal (10% improvement for the 

worst visibility days over 10 years), EPA estimated control costs would be $4 billion and 

associated benefits at $10.8 billion. These benefits are due to reductions of particulate 

matter under the regional haze rule, which will lead to reduced health risks as well as 

improvements in visibility. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 

! Interested parties can download the rule from EPA’s website on the Internet board under 

“Recently Actions” at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/oar/vis/overview.html. 

For further information about the rule, contact Mr. Richard Damberg at (919)-541-5592 

of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. 

! EPA's Office of Air and Radiation’s homepage on the Internet contains a wide range of 

information on air pollution programs and issues, including visibility issues. The Office 

of Air and Radiation's home page address is: http://www.epa.gov/oar/. 

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