One of the most common forms of air pollution - haze - degrades visibility in many American cities and scenic areas. Haze is caused when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air, which reduce the clarity and color of what we see, particularly during humid conditions.
Where does haze-forming pollution come from?
Air pollutants come from a variety of natural and man-made sources. Natural sources can include windblown dust, and soot from wildfires. Man-made sources can include motor vehicles, electric utility and industrial fuel burning, and manufacturing operations. Particulate matter pollution is the major cause of reduced visibility (haze) in parts of the United States, including many of our national parks.
Some haze-causing particles are directly emitted to the air. Others are formed when gases emitted to the air form particles as they are carried many miles from their source.
What is being done to reduce regional haze impacts?
The Clean Air Act of 1990 (Title I, Sections 169A and 169B) declared it a national goal to prevent any future, and to remedy any existing, impairment of visibility in 156 mandatory Class I Federal areas, the impairment of which results from man-made air pollution. In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued regulations for the protection of visibility in Class I National Parks and Wilderness Areas.
These regulations require states to establish goals for improving visibility by developing long-term strategies for reducing emissions of air pollutants that cause visibility impairment. The overall goal of the regional haze regulations is to achieve natural background visibility conditions in all Class I areas by the year 2064.
EPA and other agencies have been monitoring visibility in national parks and wilderness areas since 1988. The Regional Haze Rule requires the states, in coordination with the EPA, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other interested parties, to develop and implement air quality protection plans to reduce the pollution that causes visibility impairment. Five multi-state regional planning organizations (RPO) are working together to develop the technical basis for these plans.
If you would like to know more about the Regional Haze Rule, refer to EPA’s webpage Visibility and Regional Haze *.
Nebraska's Regional Haze Planning
Nebraska submitted its State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the first planning period in 2011. The SIP documents, public comments received, and EPA’s proposed and final rulemaking are available at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-R07-OAR-2012-0158/document *
Revisions to Nebraska’s SIP to address visibility impairment in the second planning period are in progress and will be available for public review and comment prior to submission to EPA.
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