Statewide Regional Haze Air Pollution Public Hearing Today

Missouri's Air Conservation Commission held a public hearing today on the state's draft Regional Haze Plan, a plan meant to cut air pollution that dims views at national parks and wilderness areas. The EPA had already partly rejected an earlier 2022 version of the plan, saying it didn't do enough. Critics, including the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association, say the new draft is worse: it drops earlier pollution-control agreements at five coal-burning power plants around the state, plants they say are contributing to haze at places like Missouri's Hercules-Glades and Mingo Wilderness Areas, as well as Mammoth Cave and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.

This isn't a program that offers homeowners a rebate or upgrade, but it does touch on the air quality in and around your region if you live in or near Missouri, or visit the affected parks. The Regional Haze Rule covers 156 national parks and wilderness areas nationwide, and advocacy groups say most of them, 97 percent by one estimate, still have noticeable haze pollution.

If you want your view heard, written comments on Missouri's plan are due to the state's Department of Natural Resources by 11:30 p.m. on September 3, 2026. Comments go by email to apcpsip@dnr.mo.gov, with a 20 MB size limit. There's no cost or upgrade involved here, just a chance to weigh in before the state finalizes its pollution plan.