The West has always held a special place in America s spirit. Clean air, water and the freedom of open space gave rise to the oldest and most pristine National Park. Every year nearly four million visitors come to Yellowstone National Park, and that number just keeps growing.
Families come to enjoy sights that aren t readily accessible in most of the rest of the country.
But with this growth comes the distressing reports that our national parks, including Yellowstone, are in serious danger from air pollution. With those visitors come about one million cars and the result can be very damaging to the environment. Already, the coalition is offering far-thinking ideas that may revolutionize energy consumption and foster a regional approach to transportation that benefits all of the gateway communities to the two national parks. In order to begin this comprehensive study, the Clean Cities Coalition has developed an implementation plan and is drafting grant proposals. Over the last year, the coalition partners have held regular discussions and met with senior officials at the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Interior and Agriculture, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.