Oregon DEQ: Regional haze

What is Regional Haze?

Air pollution in the form of haze can travel hundreds of miles, affecting the quality of the viewing experience in scenic areas like Crater Lake National Park. This haze is composed of small particles that absorb and scatter light, limiting what we see. Sources of this haze are both urban and rural, such as motor vehicles, power plants, industrial and manufacturing processes, and outdoor debris burning, as well as natural sources such as wildfire and windblown dust. Regional haze is a national problem, affecting visibility in national parks and wilderness areas across the country.

Oregon's Regional Haze Plan

The federal Clean Air Act contains requirements to protect and improve visibility in national parks and wilderness area in the country. In 1977 Congress designated certain national parks and wilderness areas as "Class 1 areas," where visibility was identified as an important value. Currently there are 156 Class 1 areas in the country. Oregon has 12 Class 1 areas, including Crater Lake National Park and 11 wilderness areas.

To address the problem of regional haze EPA adopted the Regional Haze Rule in 1999. This rule is intended to improve visibility in all Class 1 areas, including Oregon, over the next 60 years. It focuses on improving Class 1 area visibility on the haziest days (the worst 20%) and ensuring no degradation on the clearest days (the best 20%). For the first time, states will be required to work together to improve visibility through interstate planning and implementation of regional strategies. DEQ is preparing a Regional Haze Plan to address visibility in Oregon's 12 Class 1 areas. This plan, and other related information and documents, are available by clicking on the links below.

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Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) Rules

“BART” refers to emissions reduction technology that is required by the Clean Air Act for certain older industrial facilities, like PGE’s coal-fired power plant in Boardman. The federal regional haze rule requires that certain older facilities go through a BART analysis now, and install emission controls if they have a significant impact on visibility in a federal wilderness areas or national parks. The following documents are federal guidelines and a 3rd party report on how to apply the BART rules:

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Other Haze and Visibility Programs

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Regional Haze Program

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