Pollution mars the park's Blue Ridge vistas

Shenandoah National Park — with its views of the Blue Ridge Mountains — is an essential part of Virginia's natural heritage and a refuge from the Beltway's clamor. Unforunately, air pollution plagues the park, obscuring some of its most iconic views with dingy haze and posing health risks to the 1.5 million people who visit every year.

We finally have an opportunity to change that.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering reducing the amount of smog and soot allowed by law in and around Shenandoah. But big power plants and other major sources of this pollution, along with their allies in Congress, are launching a massive push to prevent the EPA from imposing stricter pollution limits.

We're working to set and enforce new rules to ease the pollution at Shenandoah.

Nearby coal plants pollute the park

Often, air pollution in Shenandoah can exceed levels deemed safe by the American Lung Association. The biggest culprits are the dozens of coal-fired power plants upwind of the park. And, with eight new facilities proposed in the park's vicinity, even more are likely on their way.

To save the views from Shenandoah, we need the EPA to reduce the amount of smog and haze allowed in the air and reduce the pollution coming from coal-fired power plants and other sources.

With your help, we can save 25,000 lives

Recently, the EPA moved ahead with efforts to significantly reduce mercury, soot and smog pollution, announcing new emissions standards that could save 25,000 lives a year.

We’re working closely with our allies in the public health community, lobbying key senators, and rallying thousands of activists stand up for public health.

It won’t be easy, but if enough of us speak out, we can drown out the coal industry lobbyists and make sure that the EPA acts to protect public health.

Click here to join our campaign.

Clean air updates

News Release | Environment Virginia

President Obama & EPA Protect Public Health, Announce Landmark Mercury Standard for Power Plants

Richmond, VA – Today, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and air toxics pollution from power plants. A record 907,000 Americans submitted comments on the standard, which is expected to cut toxic mercury pollution from power plants by 90 percent.

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Report

America's Biggest Mercury Polluters

Power plants continue to release large amounts of toxic pollutants, including mercury, into our air. In 2010, two-thirds of all airborne mercury pollution in the United States came from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants. In other words, power plants generate more airborne mercury pollution than all other industrial sources combined.

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News Release | Environment Virginia

New Report: Richmond Area Among Most Polluted in Nation, State

Richmond, Virginia –The Richmond area is among the smoggiest cities in the country and the second most polluted of the Commonwealth, according to a new Environment Virginia report released today.  The report, Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011, shows that in total, residents in the Richmond area were exposed to air quality that made it dangerous to breathe on 10 days last year, ranking it 17th in the country among mid-sized metropolitan areas. The report comes just as some members of Congress, led by Representative Eric Cantor, are pushing a bill to roll back existing limits on smog pollution from power plants.

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Report | Environment Virginia

Danger in the Air

All Americans should be able to breathe clean air.  But pollution from power plants and vehicles puts the health of our nation’s children and families at risk.  Ground-level ozone, the main component of smog, is one of the most harmful and one of the most pervasive air pollutants. 

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News Release | Environment Virginia

Obama Administration Decision on Smog Standards Puts Thousands of Lives at Risk

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Obama administration announced that it will not update critical air quality standards for ozone pollution—commonly known as smog. This decision was made despite a unanimous recommendation by the independent board of air experts and scientists created under the Clean Air Act that the current standard be strengthened to protect public health. Exposure to smog triggers asthma attacks, causes permanent lung damage and can even lead to premature death. In fact, according the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 5,000 asthma-related deaths occur each year in the United States. In Virginia 96,084 adults and 276,155 children suffer from asthma according to the American Lung Association.

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