Trump Stops Air Testing in National Parks, Then Changes Mind
The Trump government has temporarily stopped checking air quality in all national parks across America. This sudden pause affects important testing that tracks harmful pollution at 63 national parks.
Last week, the Interior Department told two companies to stop their work measuring air pollution, according to an email seen by The Washington Post. This created more problems for national parks already dealing with many worker layoffs before the busy summer season.
After the story came out, Park Service spokeswoman Rachel Pawlitz said in an email that they would reverse these stop-work orders and “contractors will be notified immediately,” writes The Washington Post.
Harmful air pollutants
The program checks levels of harmful air pollutants like ozone and tiny particles in the air. This information helps officials decide whether to allow new factories, power plants, or oil refineries to operate near parks.
Breathing these pollutants can cause serious health problems. For instance, long- and short-term exposure to particulate matter is associated with heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks and premature death, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The program also fights regional haze, which happens when sunlight hits pollution particles in the air. This haze has made it harder to see beautiful views in parks for many years.
Review
Some Park Service workers tried to convince Trump officials to reverse their decision. “We have submitted requests to NPS and DOI management to restore these contracts”, said the email last week from a Park Service staffer. “We are currently waiting for this review.”
Jim Schaberl, who retired last year from Shenandoah National Park, believes this testing is crucial because states can’t do it themselves. “Each park has all kinds of air-quality monitoring equipment and people on the ground to maintain that equipment”, he said. “It’s really important because most states don’t have big programs to fund that. You know, within Virginia, there are not many places that do the type of air-quality monitoring that goes on at Shenandoah.”
He added that ‘to just wipe out all of the scientific data that indicates how air quality is doing in the parks — and in the country in general — is just incredible to hear. This is just a kick in the gut’.
