ADEQ: Regional Haze and Visibility

During much of the year a veil of white or brown haze hangs in the air, blurring the view of many of our nation's most treasured parks and wilderness areas. The haze is caused by tiny particles of air pollution that are carried by the wind, often many hundreds of miles from where they originated. Some sunlight is absorbed by these particles, while other light gets scattered away before it can be observed. More pollutants mean more absorption and scattering of light, which reduce the clarity and color of what we see. Regional haze affecting the urban areas of Phoenix and Tucson is commonly referred to as the "brown cloud."

Regional Haze is defined as visibility impairment that is caused by the emission of air pollutants from numerous sources located over a wide geographic area. In 1977, the federal Clean Air Act set a goal to remedy any existing visibility impairment, and prevent any future impairment, from manmade pollution at 158 national parks and wilderness areas across the United States.

The Clean Air Act requires states to submit a plan to EPA outlining how the state and regulated community will address a particular air quality problem.

The 2003 Arizona Regional Haze SIP represents the completion of work that began with the formation of the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission (GCVTC) in 1991. The Commission, formed under the authority of Section 169B of the Clean Air Act, researched visibility impairment in the Grand Canyon, and later expanded to include 15 additional Class I areas on the Colorado Plateau.

Western states, now with the assistance of the GCVTC's successor organization, the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP ), could opt to address regional haze by developing strategies under the recommendations of the GCVTC. Five states in addition to Arizona (Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, New Mexico/Bernalillo County) cooperated in the development of the SIPs. The 2003 Arizona Regional Haze SIP is located below.

Arizona Regional Haze SIP
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Transmittal to EPA Region IX
Arizona Regional Haze State Implementation Plan
Appendices to Arizona Regional Haze SIP
Regional Haze Final Draft Technical Support Document (12/15/03)

Questions on the SIP can be directed by fax or e-mail directly to the attention of Corky Martinkovic at (602) 771-2366.

Learn about other western states' regional haze SIPs
- New Mexico
  - Bernalillo County, New Mexico (contact nbutt@cabq.gov)
- Utah
- Wyoming
- Oregon

Developments in Regional Haze Planning

New: Draft 2006 Regional SO2 Emissions and Milestone Report
A specific commitment in the 2003 Regional Haze SIP required Arizona and the four other states submitting SIPs under Section 309 of the Federal Regional Haze Rule (40 CFR 51.309 ) to report the 2006 actual emissions for stationary sources emitting 100 tons per year or more of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to determine if the 2006 milestone for the backstop trading program had been exceeded. WRAP compiled the emissions reports submitted by Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the City of Albuquerque and they show that regional emissions were 30 percent below the 2006 milestone. The draft report is available from the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP).

309(g) Regional Haze SIP for Remaining 8 Class I Areas
The State of Arizona is currently involved in the development of a Regional Haze SIP for the remaining 8 Class I Areas not included in the 2003 SIP. Known as a 309(g) SIP for the portion of the federal Regional Haze Rule (40 CFR 51.308 ), Arizona is working with the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) Air Managers Committee Implementation Work Group in the development of these SIPs as well as Section 308 SIPs for the entire WRAP region.

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| Web Site Services | Last Revision Mar. 20, 2008
Any ADEQ translation or communication is unofficial and not binding on the State of Arizona.
Cualquier traducción o comunicación de ADEQ no es oficial y no sujetará a ninguna responsabilidad legal al estado de Arizona.