The National Parks Traveler reports that the increasingly smoggy national park views are due to President Bush's "relatively laissez-faire approach to coal-fired power plants."The National Parks Conservation Group's recent report points to the Bush administration's weakening of clean-air regulation as the culprit to the poor-air quality and views that are becoming more common over certain parks:
"Already, one in three national park sites has air pollution levels that exceed health standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Most of the air pollution now marring the parks’ scenic views, harming plants, and risking the health of wildlife and visitors, results from the burning of fossil fuels, especially by coal-fired power plants. Worse yet, more than 100 new coal-fired power plants are in various stages of planning and development across the country, putting national parks at risk."Read the full story: Coal-fired plants obscuring national park vistas
