4/25/02 PROP OSED REVISION S TO THE REGIO NAL HAZE R ULE INCORPORATING KEY PR OVISIONS FOR NINE WESTERN

STATES AND ELI GIBLE INDI AN TRIBES FACT SHEET TODAY’S A CTION 

### ! The Envir

onmental Protection Agenc

y ( EPA) is pr

oposing to amend i

ts regi onal haze

rule to incorporate additional provisions to address visibility impairment in the 16 Class I areas on the Colorado Plateau. These provisions have been worked out by several western states that are part of the Western Regional Air Partne rship (WRAP) and EPA is proposing to approve the provisions of the WRAP Annex Plan. Class I areas are fede rally protected areas valued for their scenic vistas and include national parks and wilderne ss areas. 

### ! In September 2000, the WRAP submitted to EPA a plan containing rec ommendations for implementing the regional haze rule in the Western United States. Specific ally, the plan contains a set of recommended reg ional emissions reduction milestones for sulfur dioxide ( SO 2 ), a key

compound

in the for mation of f

ine part icles an d regional haze. The plan , also known as the Annex to the 1996 Report of the Grand Cany on Visibility Transport Commission, includes a description of an emissions trading program for nine Western sta tes and eligible Indian tribe s within that geographic area
. The trading program would be a backstop to ensure that emiss ion milestones would be met. 

### ! EPA worked with major stakeholders, including affec ted states and tribes, representatives from the u

tility , coal, a

nd coppe r smelting

industrie s, as well

as envir onmental groups in developi ng the proposal. 

### ! EPA will ac cept com ment on the

proposal for 60 da ys a fter pub lication o f the pro posed rul e in the Federal Register . In addition to accepting w ritten comments, the EPA plans to hold a public he aring i

n Phoenix, Arizona to accept oral testimony from interested members of the public. BACKGROUND 

### ! Haze is ca

used whe n sunligh t encount ers ver y small polluti on partic les in the a ir. Some light is absorbed by pa

rticles. Other light is scattered away before it reaches an observe r. More pollutants mean more absorption and scattering of lig ht, which reduces the clarity and color of what we s ee. Some t

ype s of part

icles suc h as sulfa tes scatt er more light, pa rticular ly during humid conditions.2



### ! To reduce haze, and to meet requirements of the Clea n Air Act, EPA in April 1999 issued a regional haze rule aimed at protecting visibility in 156 federal Class 1 area s. The rule seeks to improve the visibility over a wide ar ea. This would require reducing emissions from many particulate

sources. The EPA’s previous visibility re gulation, issued in 1980, addressed only loc al visibility impairment from local sources. 

### ! Under the 1999 regional haze rule, states ar e required to set periodic goals for improving visibility in the 156 natural areas. As they work to reach these goals, states must develop “implementation plans” that contain enforceable measur es and strategies for reducing visibility-impairing pollution. 

### ! The same

pollution that cause s haze als o poses se rious hea lth risks, e special ly f

or people with chronic resp iratory

disease s. 

### ! The 1990 A

mendment s to the Cle an Air Act established the G rand Can yon Visibility Transport Commission. The purpose of this commission was to advise EPA on strategies for protecting visual air quality at national parks and wilderness areas on the Colorado Plateau . In 1996, the Commission put a out report which contained long- term recommendations for visibility improvements in 16 wester n scenic areas, including the Grand Canyon. 

### ! The WRAP, a collaborative effort of tribal gove rnments, Western state governments, and various federal agenc ies , was formed in 1997 - as a follow - on to the Commission. The WRAP is divided into various technical and policy “forums” tha t develop technical and policy tools nee ded by

Western st

ates and tribes to c omply

with the EP A's visib ility regulations. 

### ! WRAP participants include:

< Wester n states: Washingt on, Oregon, I daho, Mon

tana, Wy oming, N orth Dak

ota, South Dakota, California, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

< Wester n tribes: Pueblo of Acoma, Campo Band of Kumey aay I ndians, Cortina Indian Rancheria, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Nation of the Gr and Canyon, Northe

rn Cheyenne

Tribe, Salish and Kootenai Confederated Tribes, Pueblo of San Felipe, a nd Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Ha ll.

< Feder al partic ipants: U.S. Department of Agruculture, U.S. Depa rtment of the Interior and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA is non-voting member of the WRAP board).3



### ! At the re quest of s everal Western st

ates (e special ly U

tah and A rizona) a nd other St

ate Regional Air Partnership stakeholders (industry and environmentalists), EPA’s 1999 region al haze r ule conta ined an optional pro gram f or Wester n states. This prog

ram, developed by working closely with the WRAP, is a program for preserving and improving Western visibility between 2003 and 2018. Western states c hoosing to follow the optional program must submit plans to meet program goals by the end of 2003. 

### ! When EPA finalized the regional haze rule, one issue was not resolved – long term emission caps for stationary

sources of sulfur dioxide, and details of a “backstop” emission trading progra m to ensur

e that the caps will be met. The WRAP need ed more t ime to dev elop its approach. EPA gave the WRAP until October 2000 to develop that plan or “A nnex” to the Grand Canyon V

isibility Transport Commission Report. The WRAP submitted the Annex to EPA in September of 2000. WHAT THE PR

OPOSED RU

LE INCLUDES 

### ! Today ’s rule proposes t o approv e the WRAP’ s SO 2 emission reduction milestones for each ye ar betwe en 2003 a

nd 2018. I

n addition , it include s a descr iption of a

n annual p

rocess t o determine if volun

tary measure s meet the

milestone s. 

### ! Currently, source s in the region covered by the WRAP emit approximately 650,000 tons per ye ar of SO 2 . By 2018, this proposal would re duce emissions by near ly one third. 

### ! States an

d tribes w ould colle ct annua l emission r

eports a nd proce ss them to c ollect a region al emissions total. If the re gional total exceeds the annual milestone, a backstop market trading program would be triggered to ensure that e mission reduction milestones and ultimately

visibility goals a re met. FOR MOR

E INFORM

ATION 

### ! To download a copy

of today’s propose d rule from EPA’s Web site, go to “Recen t Actions” at http://www.epa.gov/oar/oarpg 

### ! To read a copy

of the Regional Haze Rule, go to: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t1/fr_notices/rhfedreg .pdf 

### ! For more

informat ion, call Mr. Tim Smith , 919-541 -4718 at E PA’s Off ice of Ai r Quality Planning & Standa rds.