The essentials
- The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Regional Haze Rule, authorized under the Clean Air Act, requires a state or federal agency to draft plans to reduce haze and increase visibility in the nation’s National Parks.
- On January 18, 2013, the EPA issued its air pollution limits proposal for the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon National Park and ten other Class I Federal protected areas, including seven other National Parks and Wilderness Areas. The NGS is one of the largest sources of nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions in the United States.
- Under these rules, NGS’s owners will be required to install Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology by 2018. Due to the NGS’s economic importance to several Native American tribes, the EPA is considering allowing a five-year extension for the installation.
- UPDATE: The EPA is accepting public comments through August 5, 2013.