450R80107
v>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
                                                 June 1980
VisibilitTProtection
                Proposed Regulations

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                      1
NEED TO PRESERVE
BEAUTY OF PARKS
LONG RECOGNIZED
AS IMPORTANT
Millions of Americans each year travel  thousands  of miles to
experience firsthand this country's most unspoiled heritage—its
national parks and wilderness areas.   Americans  have long recognized
the need to preserve and enhance the  majestic beauties  of this  heri-
tage.  Congress in 1916 passed the national  Park  Service Act,  thus
creating a nationwide park service to "conserve  the scenery and the
natural (objects) and provide for the enjoyment  of the  same in
such manner. . .  as will leave them unimpaired."   Almost half  a
century later, the Wilderness Act received approval, providing
for the preservation of any such area.
POLLUTION A THREAT
TO SCENIC APPEAL
OF LANDSCAPES
CLEAN AIR ACT
CALLS FOR
VISIBILITY
PROTECTION
But in recent years air pollution -- spawned by rapid energy develop-
ment and industrialization -- is threatening the scenic value
of park and wilderness lands.  Congress addressed this problem in
its 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments, and incorporated provisions for
cleaning up and preventing dirty air in regions where the natural
beauty of landscapes must be protected.

The Clean Air Act authorizes the U.S.  Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to explore the effects of man-made air pollution on
visibility problem.  On May 22, 1980 (44FR34762), EPA proposed an
initial regulatory program for safeguarding over 29 million acres
of national park and wilderness areas.  The program complies with
Section 169A of the Act, which requires regulations to prevent any
future, and remedy any existing "visibility impairment" in these
areas caused by air pollution.

Specifically, visibility protection is required for all mandatory
class I Federal areas where the visual quality of the ambient air
is important.  All international parks, national wilderness areas,
and national memorial parks larger than 5,000 acres, as well as
all national memorial parks larger than 6,000 acres, comprise
mandatory class I Federal areas.  Following recommendations from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of the

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                      Interior,  EPA identified  156  class  I  areas  as  regions  where  visi
                      bility must be protected  from the  air pollution  that produces
                      visibility impairment.
POOR VISIBILITY
CAUSED BY PARTICLES
THAT SCATTER OR
ABSORB LIGHT
Visibility impairment, as defined by EPA, is any perceptible change
in visibility (including visual  range,  contrast, or atmospheric
color) from what would have existed under natural  conditions.
Poor visibility is caused when fine solids or liquid aerosols  —
usually in the form of primary particulates, nitrogen oxides,  or
sulfur oxides -- absorb or scatter light.  This light scattering
or absorption actually reduces the amount of light received from
"viewed objects," and in addition, scatters light into, or out of,
an observer's line of vision.
HAZE, PLUMES
MAJOR TYPES
OF IMPAIRMENT
Two categories of visibility impairment have been identified --
haze and plume blight.   The polluted air masses that contribute  to
haze often stretch hundreds of miles and linger for long periods
of time.  Haze discolors the surrounding air and, more importantly,
degrades the aesthetic  appeal  of landscapes by causing objects  to
appear flattened, and the horizon sky whitened, so that textures
and colors are obscured to varying degrees.  Plume blight results
when particles and light-absorbing gases are confined to a single
plume of air pollution.  Consisting of white, gray, or brown
plumes that can be easily discerned against the sky (or other
background objects), plume blight usually can be traced to one
source or a small group of sources.
                      Air pollution that contributes  to haze and plume  blight can  be
                      traced to several  industrial  or other man-made sources.   Among
                      these are:
                           • utilities
                           • industrial  fuel  combustion
                           B smelters
                           • pulp mills

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                           •  urban  plumes  (from  point  sources,  space heating,
                             mobile and  other  industrial  sources)
                           •  fugitive  dust from  agricultural  activities, mining,
                             and unpaved roads
                           •  managed use of fires
EPA PROPOSES
"PHASED APPROACH"
TO PROBLEM
Although deterioration of visual  quality is  one of air pollution's
most obvious effects,  and is the  best understood at this time,
technical and scientific limitations remain.   Recognizing these
limitations -- but recognizing also that visibility protection
must be initiated as soon as possible -- EPA has proposed what  it
terms a phased approach to this unique pollution problem.
                      After extensive review of techniques  for  identifying,  measuring,
                      and controlling visibility impairment,  EPA determined  that  current
                      modeling and monitoring techniques  require further  evaluation  before
                      they can be required as a routine  part  of a visibility protection
                      program.  However,  sophisticated analytical  techniques are  un-
                      necessary in identifying the origins  of visibility  impairment  from
                      a single source, or group of sources  (which Phase I will  address).
                      Visual observations, (ground-based  or from aircraft) or other
                      simple monitoring techniques, can  help  identify  sources whose
                      pollution contributes to visibility impairment.   Modeling and
                      monitoring techniques used in analyzing impairment  from single
                      sources should be available soon,  while similar  techniques  for
                      complex, multiple-source problems  (regional haze and urban  plumes)
                      need more research, and thus will  be  unavailable for some time.
PHASE I SETS UP
INITIAL STRATEGIES
FOR VISIBILITY
PROTECTION
EPA's phased approach reflects the varying levels of scientific
knowledge in the visibility problem.  The Agency's proposed
regulations outline Phase I of the visibility protection program,
which would:
      Require controls for certain single sources or groups of
      sources as contributors to visibility-degrading pollution.
      State agencies, in cooperation with the Department of the

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                            Interior, and the Department of Agriculture (Federal  Land
                            Managers) will analyze existing industrial  sources and,
                            where necessary, require BART installation  for sources
                            whose emission affect visibility.  In Phase I, retrofit
                            controls are expected for only a limited number of sources.


                            Evaluate and control new sources to prevent future visi-
                            bility impairment.   Visibility protection regulations
                            outlined in Section 169A of the Clean Air Act are also
                            addressed in Section 165 of the Act,  which  outlines "PSD"
                            regulations.  PSD (prevention of significant air quality
                            deterioration) regulations require that planned industrial
                            facilities, or facilities planning major modifications, be
                            evaluated for potential  visibility impacts.   If it is deter-
                            mined that a source would adversely affect  visibility in
                            class I areas, then a state must deny the required construc-
                            tion permit.


                            Require states to adopt  other strategies for remedying
                            existing, and preventing future, visibility impairment.
                            States containing class  I areas targeted for visibility
                            protection must revise their State Impementation Plans
                            (SIPs) to include long-term strategies for  making reasonable
                            progress toward the visibility goal.   For example, states
                            could consider measures  such as smoke management techniques,
                            and sources retirement and replacement schedules.

                      EPA's initial visibility  program will have  a significant impact

                      on Western regions, since visibility in these areas is especially

                      sensitive to degradation  from  pollution.  In addition, the  majority

                      of class I areas are located in the West.  Subsequent phases

                      will  focus on regional haze and urban plume controls.


STATES REQUIRED       The 36 states that contain mandatory class  I Federal areas

TO SUBMIT             targeted for visibility protection must, within 9 months of

SIP REVISIONS         the final promulgation of these rules, revise and submit to

                      EPA State Implementation  Plans that reflect the measures out-

                      lined above.  Guidelines  will  be provided by EPA  to assist

                      states with their SIP revisions.


PUBLIC HEARINGS       EPA is soliciting input from various state  and local air pollution

SCHEDULED             control  agencies, from industrial  groups, and from other public
                      and private sectors.  A 75-day comment period has been established

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to allow public comment on the proposed  regulation.   Two
public hearings, also designed to solicit public  input on
the regulations, have been scheduled.  The first  public
hearing will be held June 30,  1980,  at the EPA Building,
Room 3906 Waterside Mall, 401  M Street SW, Washington, D.C.
The second hearing is scheduled for  July 2, 1980, at  the
Salt Palace, 100 SW Temple Street, Salt  Lake City, Utah.
Both hearings will begin at 9  a.m.

All written comments on the proposed visibility regulations  should
be submitted to:  Central Docket Section (a-130), Docket  No.  A-79-40,
U.S. Environmental Protection  Agency,  401 M Street SW, Washington,
D.C. 20460.  The docket contains all materials relevant to the
regulation, and is open for public inspections.

Further information on this regulatory action may be  obtained
from Johnnie Pearson or Julie  Home, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, EPA, Research  Triangle Park,  N.C.  27711,
telephone (919) 541-5497.

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