Arizona Climate Action Coalition * Cascabel Working Group
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks * Elders Climate Action – Arizona Chapter * Friends of Ironwood Forest * Grand Canyon Trust * Moms Clean Air Force – AZ National Parks Conservation Association * Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter * Sky Island Alliance *
Tucson Audubon * Xplore Outside
July 15, 2024
Dear Administrator Regan and Regional Administrator Guzman:
On behalf of the undersigned organizations and businesses, we write to support EPA’s proposed partial approval and partial disapproval of Arizona’s regional haze state implementation plan for the second implementation period. The organizations represented on this letter are concerned with the pollution from coal plants, mines and other industrial facilities operating in Arizona that emit haze-causing pollution that not only mar scenic vistas in our parks and wilderness areas, but
also harms the health of our communities.
Arizona is known for its vast landscapes, night skies, diversity of people and cultures and breadth of lands and waterways for recreation and peaceful enjoyment. Having clean and clear air across our state is important for so many reasons, including protecting the health of our communities, maintaining our ability to recreate outdoors and finding calm in the scenic views across the state. The quality of the air we breathe affects Arizonans and visitors to the state as well. Arizona’s economy benefits greatly from tourists to our state—in 2022, outdoor recreation alone contributed $11 billion in value to Arizona’s economy and supported 106,500 jobs.1 Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation, 2022: https://apps.bea.gov/data/special-topics/orsa/summary- sheets/ORSA%20-%20Arizona.pdf This is a once-in-a-decade opp
We applaud the EPA for proposing a partial disapproval of Arizona’s flawed regional haze plan. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) produced a plan that will do nothing to clear the air of haze pollution in Arizona and in communities and Class I areas across the Southwest. The EPA’s proposal goes a long way to correct a weak and deficient plan, but we urge EPA to make the following improvements before finalizing the proposal:
- Confirm the polluting facilities that ADEQ improperly excluded from analysis in the state’s plan;
- Confirm the specific errors in each of the selected source’s review of pollution controls; and
- Consider the equity and environmental justice impacts of the state’s plan and maximize the environmental justice co-benefits of haze pollution reduction opportunities.
This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to preserve scenic vistas for future generations, keep Arizona’s tourism thriving, and protect the health of all who live here and enjoy Arizona’s treasured public lands.
We look forward to supporting a strong final action from EPA that will deliver improved visibility and air quality in parks and our communities.
Sincerely,
| Hazel Chandler Coordinator Arizona Climate Action Coalition Phoenix, Arizona Philip A. Francis, Jr. Chair Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Washington, DC Tom Hannagan President of the Board Friends of Ironwood Forest Tucson, Arizona Hazel Chandler AZ Regional Coordinator Moms Clean Air Force – AZ Phoenix, Arizona Sandy Bahr Chapter Director Sierra Club – Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter Phoenix, Arizona Melissa Fratello Executive Director Tucson Audubon Tucson, Arizona | Anna Lands Chairperson Cascabel Working Group Benson, Arizona M. Jennifer Chandler Director Elders Climate Action – Arizona Chapter Prescott, Arizona Amanda Podmore Grand Canyon Director Grand Canyon Trust Flagstaff, Arizona Sanober Mirza Arizona Program Manager National Parks Conservation Association Tucson, Arizona Emil Burns Program Director Sky Island Alliance Tucson, Arizona Jim Dublinski Owner Xplore Outside Scottsdale, Arizona |