|
Latest Developments see below
Arizona is committed to improving visibility levels in the state's urban areas as well as national parks and wilderness areas.
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
(Right-click and save files to your hard drive if your browser does not display them properly.)
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
|