EPA's Regional Haze Program

In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major effort to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas. The Regional Haze Rule calls for state and federal agencies to work together to improve visibility in 156 national parks and wilderness areas such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Great Smokies and Shenandoah. The rule requires the states, in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other interested parties, to develop and implement air quality protection plans to reduce the pollution that causes visibility impairment. The first State plans for regional haze are due in the 2003-2008 timeframe. Five multi-state regional planning organizations are working together now to develop the technical basis for these plans.

• Regional Haze Rule (590k PDF) -- Text of the April 1999 final regional haze rule and preamble as it appeared in the Federal Register.
  
• Fact Sheet (27k PDF) -- Plain English description of the final regional haze rule.
• Complete Visibility Protection Rule (78k PDF) -- EPA's full visibility protection regulations, which consolidate EPA's 1980 visibility regulations and 1999 regional haze rule.
  
• Rule Development Timeline (8k PDF) -- Timeline indicating key milestones between 1977 and 1999.
  
• State Implementation Milestones (12k PDF) -- Timeline for state implementation activities, beginning in 1999.
• List of 156 National Parks and Wilderness Areas (Class I Areas) Protected Under the Regional Haze Program. (.txt)