Group To Inform Smokies Visitors of Park's Pollution

By The Associated Press · Chattanooga Free Press

In this mention

The National Parks Conservation Association is launching a grassroots campaign at Great Smoky Mountains National Park to address worsening ozone pollution, which has been ranked among the worst in the nation for two consecutive years. The organization is advocating for congressional passage of two bills that would close a loophole allowing older coal-fired power plants to operate with lower emission standards, aiming to reduce nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, carbon dioxides, and mercury in power-plant emissions.

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KNOXVILLE — A national
parks advocacy organization is
taking its concerns over worsen-
ing ozone levels directly to visi-
tors at the Great Smoky Moun-
tains National Park.

The National Parks Conserva-
tion Association recently ranked
the Smokies among the 10 most
"at risk" parks in the nation for
the second year in a row.

Its staff members plan a pres-
ence at the park's Sugarlands Vis-
itors Center every Saturday this
summer to educate patrons on the
severity of the park's air pollution
and to encourage action.

Specifically, the association
wants to generate grass-roots sup-
port for two bills before Congress
that would close a loophole allow-
ing coal-fired plants built before
1985 to operate with lower emis-
sion standards than new plants.

The bills, which would signifi-
cantly reduce nitrogen oxides,
sulfur dioxides, carbon dioxides
and mercury in power-plant emis-
sions, so far have failed to win the
support of a single congressional
representative from Tennessee.

"Air pollution is defeating the
purpose for which people come to
the park," said Don Barger, the
association's southeast regional
director. "Congress needs to act,
and they'll only do that if they
hear from the people."

Ozone is a colorless gas that
forms when nitrogen oxides emit-
ted by power plants, factories or
gasoline-burning engines mix with
hydrocarbons in the presence of
sunlight. In addition to causing
environmental damage, it poses a
health hazard, particularly for
children, the elderly and anyone
with asthma or lung disease.

Last summer and again this
summer, the higher elevations of
the Smokies have recorded some of
the worst ozone levels in the nation.

This year, since the park issued
its first ozone advisory on March
8, there have been 12 days when
the ozone has exceeded health
standards set by the Environmen-
tal Protection Agency.

Environmentalists say the park
is on track to break last year's
record of 52 days of high ozone.
Park spokesman Bob Miller said
the park's air has been especially
bad the last two years due to hot,
windless weather that causes
stagnant air to get trapped in the
mountains.