Mountain air polluted and worsening
Because of wind patterns that carry pollution into the mountains from the upper midwest, and because of the way the mountains trap ground level ozone in the valleys in the summertime, air quality here is sometimes very, very bad.
Recent Federal government decisions have worsened the problem, and as the Associated Press’s Duncan Mansfield reports, there may be still another poor decision in the offing: the loosening of restraints on building coal-fired power plants near parks.
Mansfield quotes Don Barger, southern regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, who notes that air quality levels in the Great Smokies have already hit the “orange alert” level this summer:
When that happens, Barger told Mansfield, “the park is getting hammered. People in the park are getting hammered. Plants in the park are getting hammered,” Barger said. “It doesn’t matter where it averages out some other time. You have a family from Ohio on vacation. It is the only time they are going to be there. What views can they see? What air are they breathing?”
“… the park is getting hammered. People in the park are getting hammered. Plants in the park are getting hammered … It doesn’t matter where it averages out some other time.”
Sometimes, the effects on tourism seem overstated, as those of us who live here are more heavily impacted.
Learn more about air quality issues from the Canary Coalition
Learn more about air quality issues from the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Learn more about earlier EPA decision here
Learn about pollution and how it relates to outdoor activities here.
Related posts:
