CLEAN AIR PROTECTION PROBLEMS AT 

 NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDERNESS AREAS 



FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1994 



House of Representatives, 



Environment, Energy, 

 and Natural Resources Subcommittee 

 of the Committee on Government Operations, 



Washington, DC. 



The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9 a.m., in room 

 2247, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Mike Synar (chairman 

 of the subcommittee) presiding. 



Present: Representatives Mike Synar and William F. Clinger, Jr. 



Also present: Representative Henry A. Waxman. 



Staff present: Sandra Z. Harris, staff director; Ruth Fleischer, 

 counsel; Elisabeth R. Campbell, clerk; and Charli E. Coon, minority 

 professional staff, Committee on Government Operations. 



OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN SYNAR 



Mr. Synar. The subcommittee will come to order. 



This subcommittee first examined the effectiveness of the Fed- 

 eral programs which are supposed to protect our national parks 

 and wilderness areas from the effects of air pollution 4 years ago. 



We found 4 years ago that these programs worked barely, if at 

 all, to safeguard some of America's most precious resources. At that 

 time we looked at two kinds of programs, prevention of significant 

 deterioration for new sources and best available retrofit technology 

 or BART for existing sources. We found that neither was effective 

 and that one had barely been tried. 



We released a General Accounting Office report 4 years ago at 

 that hearing that found that over 90 percent of the polluting facili- 

 ties which affected the parks and the wilderness areas were ex- 

 empt from PSD because of their size or age. Even worse, the PSD 

 regulations were hampered by an inefficient administration system 

 which failed to get paperwork to the parties in time to be useful. 



We found 4 years ago that the BART program, which applies to 

 existing, sources was in even worse shape than PSD. Only one case 

 affecting the Grand Canyon had been brought using this cum- 

 bersome and expensive authority. 



Finally, 4 years ago we criticized EPA for having failed — since 

 1980 — to issue regional haze regulations, the only effective method 

 for controlling visibility problems. 



Well, here we are 4 years later. What has changed since 1990? 



EPA still has not issued regional haze regulations. And only one 

 more case is being brought against the existing BART source, at 



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