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Department of Environmental Sciences 



Clark Hall . University oi Virginia . Charlottesville. . Virginia . 22903 

 F«# (804) 982-2137 (804)924-7761 



Testimony to the Committee on Government Operations, U.S. House of Representatives 

 April 29, 1994 





Patrick J. MichaeJ 



Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences 



University of Virginia 



Virginia State CLimatologist 



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This testimony is presented on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia by the Virginia 

 State Climatologist. The State Climatologist is an Associate Professor of Environmental ' 

 Sciences at the University of Virginia, and this testimony is also tendered with the 

 traditional protection of academic freedom. 



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Thank you for soliciting my testimony on the topic of air quality and visibility. I believe it 

 is fair to say that the perception of declining visibility has been one of the most potent 

 political forces empowering related environmental legislation and regulation. 



This is particularly true in the eastern United States. The perception that visibility in our 

 premier National Parks, such as the Shenandoah, is declining dramatically, is one with 

 particularly important economic and policy implications, for the Shenandoah is one of our 

 most frequently visited National Parks, with close proximity to the Washington 



metropolitan area. 



As Virginia's State Climatologist and a resident of the Shenandoah Valley, I share your 

 concern for the Park. As a research scientist I also have an academic interest in the large 

 scale issues concerning our atmospheric environment, and I have frequently testified before 

 the U.S. Congress on these matters. 



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The specific question I would like to address relates to several of the target issues for this 

 hearing: Is there a decline in visibility at the Shenandoah Park? If not, what are the policy 



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