Statement by Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today issued the following statement on finalization of the Clean Air Interstate Rule:

"The Clean Air Interstate Rule will have a significant and positive impact on the visibility in our Eastern parks and will improve the ecosystems that thrive in these parks. Acid rain will be substantially reduced as would nitrogen loadings into our streams, lakes and watersheds. It also will reduce the health impacts of air pollution to the public visiting the parks.

"National Park Service monitoring of air quality in parks shows that visibility has been steadily improving in many areas over the last 20 years. These improvements are mainly due to existing Clean Air programs. The Bush Administration is building aggressively on this progress. With CAIR, major parks in the East are expected to come into attainment for smog by 2015.

"CAIR uses a blend of market-based approaches designed to stimulate investment in cleaner, new technologies. This represents the best approach to reducing air pollution even further and faster while ensuring a healthy economy and affordable energy prices.

"We look forward to Congress sending the Clear Skies legislation to the President's desk this year as well-to extend these same benefits to every park and public land across the nation."