One in three national park sites has air pollution levels that exceed health standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 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.

10 national parks most threatened by new coal-fired power plants (in alphabetical order):

• Badlands (South Dakota)
• Capitol Reef (Utah)
• Great Basin (Nevada)
• Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee and
  North Carolina)
• Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)
• Mesa Verde (Colorado)
• Shenandoah (Virginia)
• Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota)
• Wind Cave (South Dakota)
• Zion (Utah)

Related links:

• National Parks Conservation Association report “Dark Horizons”
• Green Right Now: Environmental groups sue over national park air quality