115 



visibility days went up, then the number of good visibility days had 

 to also nave increased. 



Otherwise, the average would have changed. That is my answer 

 to your question. 



Mr. Synar. Is there a global warming problem, Mr. Michaels, in 

 this world? 



Mr. Michaels. There is an information problem about global 

 warming. That is not directly related to this area. 



Mr. Synar. What is the State of Virginia going to do, Mr. Mi- 

 chaels, on this problem, which I think 99 percent of us in this room 

 think exists, but obviously you don't? Is the State of Virginia going 

 to do anything? 



Mr. Michaels. I am not here to speak on policy. You may ask 

 my colleague. 



Mr. Clayton. I am not here to speak on policy. 



Mr. Synar. Well, I am not trying to tell George Allen how to run 

 his business down there, but I am telling you, Oklahomans 

 wouldn't tolerate that stuff. 



Let me thank this panel. I appreciate the insightful testimony, 

 which has helped us. Stay tuned. Thank you all for coming. 



Our final panel this morning, the Honorable Adela Backiel, Dep- 

 uty Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Honorable George Frampton, 

 Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Department 

 of Interior, and the Honorable Mary Nichols, Assistant Adminis- 

 trator for Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agen- 

 cy. 



Mr. Synar. Let me swear all the government in here, since we 

 have got it all here today. Let me ask anyone who may be asked 

 to testify if any of you have any objections to being sworn? If not, 

 please stand and raise your right hand. 



[Witnesses sworn.] 



Mr. Synar. Welcome. We will, as we have with the previous pan- 

 els, include the entire testimony as part of the record. Why don't 

 we begin with you, Ms. Backiel. 



STATEMENT OF ADELA BACKIEL, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SEC- 

 RETARY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT, U.S. 

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ACCOMPANIED BY DENNIS 

 HADDOW, AIR QUALITY PROGRAM MANAGER, ROCKY MOUN- 

 TAIN REGION; AND WILLIAM McCLEESE, ACTING ASSOCIATE 

 DEPUTY CHIEF, NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM 



Ms. Backiel. Good morning, Mr. Synar. Thank you very much 

 for the opportunity to testify today. With me are Bill McCleese, 

 Acting Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, and 

 Dennis Haddow, our Air Quality Program Manager for the Rocky 

 Mountain Region of the Forest Service. 



The effects of air pollutants on forest ecosystems are of major 

 concern to us. A survey of wilderness users indicated that viewing 

 the scenery through clean, fresh air is one of the most important 

 wilderness attributes. However, every wilderness area we have 

 monitored has haze present to some decree and wilderness 

 ecosystems are highly susceptible to air pollution impacts. 



