Ozone pollution adds to haze on Great Smoky Mountains
This area was once known as the “Land of the Sky,” a southern Appalachian mountain region with air so clear and crisp it was marketed to tourists for its restorative properties.
Now, especially in the summer, those skies are choked with a gray haze so thick it obscures the views and local meteorologists issue air quality forecasts with the temperature predictions.
Larry Adcock, a retired wildlife biologist, lives with his wife in a house that rests in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an idyllic setting that they may soon abandon. “It’s the ozone problem; it’s just terrible,” Adcock said. “You’ve got people who come to the Smoky Mountains and never realize the ‘smoke’ is air pollution.”
The haze choking the Smokies hangs over a legal battle between the Tennessee Valley Authority and environmentalists who want the federal government to aggressively enforce a Clinton administration rule to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants.
While the increase in automobile traffic in the region and factories outside contribute to the problem, environmentalists say much of the blame is attributable to coal-burning industries like the TVA. (Boston Globe)