North Carolina is home to so many beautiful national parks. From Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we have some wonderful places to explore. Right now, the NC Division of Air Quality (DAQ) have the opportunity to better protect these natural treasures by curbing air pollution with their draft Regional Haze Rule plan.
We know that North Carolina's air quality has come a long way over the last 20 year, thanks to better air quality regulations. However, the draft Regional Haze Rule plan submitted by our state regulators doesn't do enough to protect clean air. The plan falls short in creating any new reductions in pollution and doesn't consider the huge amount of pollution coming from Duke Energy's coal fired power plants (the largest haze polluters in our state).
Tell DAQ you want to see strong air pollution regulations in place in their Regional Haze Rule plan below.
Dear Decision-Maker,
We, the undersigned, are concerned that the Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (RHSIP) does not do enough to protect clean air, our communities, and national parks. We urge the Division of Air Quality to improve its RHSIP by adding consideration of all haze-causing pollution and expanding its list of sources to include all of Duke Energy's coal-fired power plants. These sources constitute North Carolina's largest visibility-harming air polluters, which the state is obligated to review and consider in this plan.
Specifically, the plan should include nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) pollution reduction options, instead of focusing only on sulfur dioxide (SO2). These pollutants seriously harm visibility and public health.
Please do the right thing and protect North Carolina's clean air. Thank you.
