EPA must protect our air

Bristol (Tenn.) Herald Courier: On a clear day, the views in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are awe inspiring.

Clear days, however, are hard to find — especially in the summer when warm, stagnant air traps a blanket of pollution over the park.

The EPA must stand for protection of our nation’s air, land and water rather than capitulating to the demands of the White House and its energy industry cronies.

The air pollution rule change, likely to be finalized this summer, is a rewrite of the provision of the Clean Air Act that applies to Class I areas.

Monitoring air pollution

Returning to the rule change, the EPA has proposed to alter the way it monitors air pollution in the parks. Present regulations require pollution to be monitored in 3-hour and 24-hour increments. This captures spikes in emissions that occur in periods of peak power demand — mostly the result of increased generation at coal-fired power plants.

The federal government has a duty to protect our cherished national parks for the next generation.