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 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- • 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 ------- 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 ------- 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. ------- > m c o I -a o r-f CD m CO n> :* o ^ ~* P — Q - " 3 — CD < t/> QJ c/i m m "o -o D o > < S. , % CO CO CQ CD — CD -D iS ------- |