35 



Another area that EPA should really be taking the lead on is just 

 providing a focus for reaching a consensus on how to monitor visi- 

 bility and track it. 



Mr. Synar. Well, the Park Service is the primary agency for that 

 monitoring, but you also heard a couple minutes ago they are cut- 

 ting back, so that is going to hurt us, too, isn't it? 



Mr. White. Yes. 



Mr. Synar. Now your report also stresses that the fight for bet- 

 ter air quality in parks and wildernesses needs to be done over a 

 long period and that you say that the end is nowhere in sight, no 

 pun intended. What should the strategy be to be effective? 



Mr. White. Well, we would suggest setting an approach that 

 aims at continuing to decrease emissions and to track progress to- 

 ward the visibility goal over the course of the years. 



Mr. Synar. We need the regional haze regulations, don't we? 



Mr. White. That is right, yes. 



Mr. SYNAR. In your working with this, have you seen any Federal 

 commitment that you would be proud of? 



Mr. White. No, sir. No. 



Mr. Synar. Well, Professor, let me thank you for coming. I think 

 your efforts and your help on this very important subject was vital 

 today, and I know you had to come in from St. Louis. We appre- 

 ciate it. 



Ms. Steinhardt, Mr. McGee, we also appreciate the outstanding 

 work from the GAO, and we appreciate all three of you being here 

 this morning. I think it has really set the tone for what we are try- 

 ing to accomplish today. 



Thank you very much. 



Mr. White. Thank you. We appreciate your interest. 



Mr. Synar. We will be here forever, it seems, on this subject. 



Mr. Synar. Our next panel is Mr. David W. Carr, Southern Envi- 

 ronmental Law Center, Charlottesville, VA; Christine Shaver, En- 

 vironmental Defense Fund, Boulder, CO; Mr. John T. Leary and 

 James M. Souby, from the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Com- 

 mission; Patrick J. Michaels, associate professor, State climatolo- 

 gist, University of Virginia. 



We have accompanying Mr. Leary are Roger Clark, conservation 

 director, Grand Canyon Trust, Flagstaff, AZ, and Sean B. Kendall, 

 Phelps Dodge Corp., Flagstaff, accompanying Patrick Michaels is 

 Greg Clayton from the Regional Air Office of Fredericksburg, VA. 



As you saw from the last panel, we swear in all our witnesses. 

 Do any of you have any objection to being sworn? 



Anyone who may be called upon to answer questions stand and 

 take the oath. 



[Witnesses sworn.] 



Mr. Synar. Welcome this morning. 



What we would like to do is hear from all four of you, so I would 

 ask you to take 20 minutes total. Your entire testimony will be 

 made a part of the record. 



