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COMMENTS OF THE GRAND CANYON TRDST REGARDING THE WORK OP THE 

 GRAND CANYON VISIBILITY TRANSPORT COMMISSION AND PROGRESS TOWARD 

 PREVENTING AND REMEDYING IMPAIRMENT OP VISIBILITY IN NATIONAL 

 PARKS AND WILDERNESS AREAS ON THE COLORADO PLATEAU. 



SUBMITTED TO: THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND 

 NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT 

 OPERATIONS . 



DATE: APRIL 29, 1994 



Good morning. My name is Roger Clark. I am Conservation Director 

 for the Grand Canyon Trust, a 6,000 member regional organization 

 that advocates the conservation of the natural and cultural 

 resources of the Colorado Plateau. The Grand Canyon Trust's 

 headquarters is in Flagstaff, Arizona. 



The Grand Canyon Trust advocates the protection of visibility at 

 Grand Canyon National Park and the many other spectacular 

 national parks and wilderness ares of the Colorado Plateau. The 

 Trust was actively involved in negotiating the 1991 decision to 

 reduce by 90 percent the sulfur dioxide emissions at the coal- 

 fired Navajo Generating Station in Page, Arizona. I currently 

 represent the Trust as a member of the Public Advisory, 

 Communications, and Alternative Assessment Committees of the 

 Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission. 



On the clearest day, visibility on the Colorado Plateau exceeds 

 200 miles. But opportunities have faded for seeing some of the 

 world's most spectacular scenery. The Grand Canyon is all too 

 often shrouded by haze from cities, smelters, and power plants. 

 Due to continued growth in the West, additional increases in 

 visibility-impairing pollutants will further impede progress 

 toward preventing and remedying visibility impairment at the 

 Grand Canyon and other Class I areas on the Colorado Plateau. For 

 example, under the 1990 provisions of the Clean Air Act 

 Amendments, the Environmental Protection Agency projects a 37 

 percent increase in sulfur dioxide emissions in the Grand Canyon 

 region during the next two decades. 



The loss of clean, clear vistas on the Colorado Plateau is an 

 international disgrace. More than 30 million people visit the 

 region each year. This growing demand for viewing the world- 

 famous landscapes of the Colorado Plateau translates into 

 billions of dollars in direct payments for travel, 

 accommodations, supplies, and services. But aesthetics and 

 tourism are not the only beneficiaries of pollution-free air. The 

 region's fragile biotic communities, endangered species, and 

 water quality will all benefit from controlling sulfur and 



