NEWS & PUBLICATIONS

EPA’s New “BART” Rule Earns C-Minus

- We are disappointed that the Environmental Protection Agency’s new BART rule expected to be released today doesn’t clean up air pollution in our national parks. Our A-plus parks do not deserve C-minus protection.

This regulation is supposed to fulfill a promise that Congress made nearly 30 years ago to clean up the air pollution that spoils once-majestic views in America’s treasured national parks. But instead, EPA will pass on much of the problem to future generations.

The same pollution that ruins scenic vistas in our national parks also harms plants and animals, the lungs of visitors, and the economies of communities that depend on clean, clear park air to please tourists. The main culprits are hundreds of outdated power plants that have operated for decades without readily available and affordable air pollution control technologies. EPA’s rule fails to clean up most of these outdated power plants, condemning many national parks to a future of unsightly and unhealthy air pollution.

Americans should contact Congress and the administration and demand more for our national parks. We can and must do better.