National Park Service

Vision and Guiding Princip

for National Air Program

Chris Shaver

National Park Service

Air Resources Division

May 14, 2009
• General observation

• Basis for perspective• What’s a good start, but vague or n

more attention

• What’s missing• Parting shots
General Kudos

• Vision on target• Peripheral vision well-focused

– Move toward integrated, multi-pollu

approach

– Recognition of climate change overl

• Guiding principles broad enough t

encompass issues and strategies

• Surprising amount of detail given 

diverse interests represented in CA

• Sticky and complex topics fairly v
NPS Perspective: Non-Urban Monitoring Network

Changes in soil & 

water chemistry

Laa

Surface water N saturation

Continuum of Ecological Impacts from A

Changes in tree chemistry

Change in alpine plant species 

Change in aquatic plant species composition

Effects aquatic (episodacidific

Glacier

Yosemite

Mesa Verde

Rocky Mtn

Ozone Increasing

O

Ozone Decreasing

Great Smoky 

Comparison of Ozone Trend Approaches at Se

Great Basin

1995 - 2007

1995 - 2007

1995 - 2007

1995 - 2007

Ozone Increasing
We are here

Our Place on the Planet
Goals, results & accountab

 Need for goals linked to ecological 

impacts

 Greater collaboration in planning & 

implementation

 Performance measures, accountabil

protecting clean(er) air, including ecological health

 Understand and embrace connectio

between people, ecological health aecosystem services 
Appropriate tools, includin

innovation

Technology for source 

categories – nationally

Multi-pollutant conceptPollution preventionMulti-pollutant 

implementation

Watch out for multi-med

impacts
Conduct & use research

 Emissions, monitoring and 

research all important, but

 Don’t neglect

Emerging pollutants (NH4) 

multi-stressor effects

Predictive needsTechnological & fuel innovCharacterization of econom

ecosystem service benefits
Build capacity & partnersh

 It takes more than EPA and 

States

 Money, people, guidance Recognition that others may b

better positioned to lead

 “Improved understanding” 

should be coupled with responsiveness to science, incorporation into planning & accountability metrics
Public education & involve

Access to public-friendl

and action-oriented mes

Emphasize multi-media 

benefits of pollution conand prevention and behaadjustments
What About...

• Geographic scale of air quality prob

– Regional, interstate, national and global– Clarify roles and responsibilities – Institutional mechanisms (& support for the

• NAAQS dilemna

– Science vs practicality, honesty vs hope of 

compliance

– How to ensure accountability and diligence

the envelope without penalizing failure to accomplish impossible, 
Consider multi-media 

connections

• Air disperses, transforms and deposits pollutio

– Water (deposition)– Wildlife (bioaccumulation)– Soil (nutrient loading, leaching)

• Control strategies to reduce risk in one media 

increase risk in another (e.g., waste managemerenewable energy)

• Connections between programs within EPA an

States and Tribes to avoid redundant, counterproductive, ill-informed actions

• Optimization requires coordination and dialog

dialogue needed
Climate Change Connectio
Links and Symbosis

• Need for resiliency 

– Criteria pollutant control programs improv

health

• Some criteria pollutants = GHGs, others intera

GHGs

• Synergistic and/or confounding impacts

– Multi-media, multi-pollutant– science, policy and management issues NE

be addressed

• Advance opportunities for technological innov
Be guided by constellation of ideas, not just the North Sta
http://www.nature.nps.go

For More Information

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National ParksPhoto: USGS