Sources In and Near Class I Areas Forum: About

I. Background

Emissions from within and near Class I areas contribute to impaired visibility. Transportation-related emissions and other emissions from energy use are of particular concern. Prescribed fire emissions are also a concern given the Federal land managers' ongoing efforts to restore natural fire cycles and preserve ecosystems. National Park Service (NPS) nationwide policy is to mitigate visibility impairment and other air quality effects from in-park sources by reducing emissions and incorporating sustainability concepts into all plans and management decisions. The NPS has already implemented several innovative approaches to pollution prevention and reduction in many Colorado Plateau parks and intends to do more. These actions include in-park transportation systems (such as low-emission shuttles), conversion of park vehicle fleets to cleaner fuels, use of solar energy, increasing energy efficiency, and taking other steps at parks on the Colorado Plateau and in the region. In addition to in-park emissions, emissions from sources near Class I areas contribute to visibility impairment. These local emission sources must also be addressed.

II. In-park Emissions

Managers at Parks and Wilderness Areas should strive to reduce and prevent visibility-impairing emissions within Class I areas. (Note that a separate WRAP forum will be addressing prescribed fire and its associated emissions.) To this end, the In and Near Forum will:

1. Conduct a survey of park activities in order to quantify emissions and gather information regarding pollution prevention and minimization activities. Although WRAP is primarily concerned with Class I areas on the Colorado Plateau, the forum will attempt to gather available information from all NPS units on the Plateau. The forum will be seeking information regarding numbers and types of emissions sources (e.g., numbers of park vehicles, campgrounds, fireplaces, stoves, park visitors, recreational vehicles; type/amount of fuels or maintenance materials utilized---cutback asphalt, paints, solvents; etc.) and park activities to reduce/minimize in-park emissions (e.g., converting vehicles to cleaner burning fuels-propane, or converting to electric power; converting wood stoves/fireplaces to less polluting EPA-certified designs, or to propane/natural gas fuel; use of mass transit systems; use of solar power; minimizing bus idling; etc.).
2. Investigate creative ways of funding identified emission reduction strategies.
3. Work with park managers to implement identified emission reduction strategies as soon as possible.

III. Emissions From Nearby Communities and Activities

All significant sources or combinations of sources near each Class I area must be examined and cooperative, enforceable management strategies developed and implemented to assure reasonable progress toward the national visibility goal of no man-made impairment. To this end, the In and Near Forum will focus on one local gateway community and conduct a demonstration project as a case study. The case study will include a workshop with town managers, county managers, local land use planners, and other participants to reach consensus on the best approach to:

1. Educate local communities on the need to protect visibility in Class areas, and the actions NPS has taken to reduce emissions within park units.
2. Identify successful efforts underway to minimize and reduce emissions from local communities (e.g., local ordinaces, wood stove/fireplace changeout, vehicle fuel conversions, mass transit, etc.)
3. Encourage Federal land managers to become involved in local planning arenas where decision-making could effect visibility in nearby Class I areas.
4. Encourage Federal land managers to work with regulatory authorities responsible for developing and implementing visibility protection plans for Class I areas to ensure that local area emissions from all sectors (e.g., stationary, mobile, and area sources) are inventoried, tracked and reported.
5. Encourage the appropriate regulatory authority to propose emission reduction strategies for nearby sources that contribute to existing visibility impairment, either during development of the visibility protection plans or during the required periodic review of such plans.
6. Work with regulatory agencies to develop visibility protection plans for mitigating nearby source impacts on the Class I areas.

IV. Extent of In and Near Source Impacts

The In and Near Forum will consult with TOC forums (Ambient Monitoring and Report, Air Quality Modeling, etc.) to address the extent and types of visibility impact from sources in and near Class I areas (e.g., modeling techniques to characterize transport and dispersion of road dust and other local sources).

Upcoming Meetings & Calls

No events scheduled