Haze in our National Parks

The report identifies power plants as the primary source of sulfate particles causing regional haze in U.S. national parks, which significantly reduces visibility and diminishes visitor enjoyment. An analysis by Abt Associates estimates that eliminating power plant haze would provide a total annual benefit of $7.7 billion, comprising $4.3 billion in recreational visibility and $3.4 billion in residential visibility. The document highlights that improved visibility could increase park visitation by 10% to 25%, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for local communities. It recommends the implementation of 'best available retrofit technology' (BART) and a shift toward natural gas and renewable energy to achieve the national goal of remedying visibility impairment.

• Power plants are the primary cause of regional haze in the U.S., specifically contributing over two-thirds of the sulfate particles that impair visibility.
• Regional haze has severely reduced visibility in national parks compared to natural conditions, with annual average visibility falling to one-third in the west and one-quarter in the east. In the Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Park, average summertime visibility is reduced to 12 miles from a natural range of 80-90 miles.
• The economic cost of power plant emissions on visibility is estimated at $7.7 billion per year, split between $4.3 billion for parks and wilderness areas and $3.4 billion for residential areas.
• Improving visibility could significantly boost local economies; a 25% increase in visitation could generate annual benefits ranging from $13 million and 390 jobs to $320 million and 4,188 jobs depending on the park.
• Specific high-cost impacts of diminished visitor enjoyment are noted for several parks, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park having the highest estimated cost at $1.8 billion.
• While the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments' acid rain program began to improve visibility, EPA estimates these reductions will achieve less than 25% of the progress needed to meet regional haze goals in eastern areas.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Haze in our National Parks. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093509/Out_of_Sight.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Haze in our National Parks. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093509/Out_of_Sight.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Haze in our National Parks |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093509/Out_of_Sight.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendhaze, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Haze in our National Parks}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093509/Out_of_Sight.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }