Pollution in Denver is Rocky Mountain High

Bad news for three state parks in Denver: The smog has increased or the visibility has worsened at Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde and the Great Sand Dunes. Government data shows that levels of nitrogen compounds—which can eventually acidify soil and water—are on the rise in Rocky Mountain National Park, an attraction that pulls as many as three million tourists a year.

Expert perspective: ""For environmentalists, the problem of poor air quality in US national parks is more than a bit ironic," says SPEA professor Matthew Auer. "Under the amended Clean Air Act, national parks are designated Class 1 areas, signifying the best air quality.  "Yet smog and haze problems rivaling those of big cities can be found in the Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Acadia, and in the Rockies.  Ubiquitous natural gas production and processing, intensified agricultural production, and more cars on the road explain much of the problem in the intermountain west.  Power plants are more energy efficient today than in years past and there are more high fuel economy cars on the road in this region. 

"However, power stations are also working harder than they were last decade, so they send greater absolute volumes of pollution skyward (including nitrogenous compounds that form acid rain).  Moreover, there are more vehicles on the road, swamping out any environmental progress made on a per-auto basis. 

"On the positive side, considerably tougher anti-pollution standards governing smog and haze are to be implemented in the years ahead.  There is guarded optimism among park officials in Colorado and elsewhere that cleaner, clearer air is in the offing.  Sounds good.  Similar predictions were voiced a few years back, before the latest round of pollution reduction efforts.  Yet today, air quality in too many national parks resembles that of a smoker’s pub."

The news story can be found here.

For more on Matthew Auer, click here or go here.