| |
| Regional haze refers to haze that impairs visibility
in all directions over a large area. The distance that one can see
is limited because of tiny particles in the air absorbing and scattering
sunlight, which in turn degrades color, contrast, and clarity of
the view. On July 1, 1999 the Environmental Protection Agency announced
a rule designed to protect and improve visibility in 156 national
parks and wilderness areas throughout the country. The Regional
Haze Rule only affects Class I national parks and wilderness
areas. Alaska has only four Class
I areas subject to the rule, they are: |
 |
Denali
National Park and Preserve
© Alaska Division of Tourism |
- Denali National Park
- Tuxedni Wilderness Area
- Simeonof Wilderness Area
- Bering Sea Wilderness Area
The Regional Haze Rule establishes specific State Implementation Plan
(SIP) requirements and strategies to adopt when implementing a plan.
States must develop long-term plans for reducing pollutant emissions
that contribute to visibility degradation and within the plans establish
goals aimed at improving visibility in Class I areas. The SIP must address
haze caused by all sources of pollutants that impair visibility including
haze caused from smoke, vehicles, electric utility and industrial fuel
burning, and other activities that generate pollution.
The EPA is also in the process of developing a BART (Best Available
Retrofit Technology) rule to address regional haze. Due to a recent
court decision, the release of final BART guidelines has been delayed.
This rule could impact older facilities that fall in certain categories
by requiring them to install the best available retrofit technology.
To learn more about regional haze, see the following links:
Alaska Regional Haze Documents:
Alaska Regional Haze Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) Documents
|
|
|