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Show Clean air proposals will affect six Utah areas An Interior Department recommendation recom-mendation that six areas in Utah be redesignated Class I air quality will have "little immediate effect, but should be viewed with concern" U.S. Senator . Jake Garn (R-Utah) said Monday. The National Park Service announced an-nounced last week that Dinosaur, Cedar Breaks and Natural Bridges National Monuments, along with Paria and Dark Canyons, and Grand Gulch should receive stricter federal protection from air pollution. The recommendations apply to over 325,000 acres of federal lands in Utah, some of which are already being studied for wilderness designation. "The recommendations can have little immediate effect, since under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 only the governor of the states in question has authority to change air quality designation," Garn pointed out. "However, I am concerned that these recommendations will intensify the current conflict over wilderness proposals." Redesignating an area "Class I" provides the Federal Land Manager the authority to assess effects of increased in-creased air pollution on specific areas, before damage can occur, and to prohibit developments whose emissions - will cause a decline in air quality. "Such areas as Paria and Dark Canyons are under consideration as wilderness and there is great concern the wilderness designation may mean Class I air quality," he said. "Under the law that is not so, and should not be so, but these recommendations will only fuel that speculation. "This action can be seen as a signal of the continuing trend to increase federal authority over western lands," Garn said. "The Clean Air Act offers more than adequate authority to protect air quality values without the Class I designation." Garn explained that comments from governors of affected states will be included directly in the Park Service proposals when they are submitted to Congress, and that states retain final Bay on the issue. "It is clear that the states will have their voice heard, unless Congress changes the law, and I see little chance of that," he said. The Utah Republican noted that the Park Service action eliminated Rainbow Bridge and Timpanogos National Monuments for suggested redesignation. "When the Park Service announced its initial study, I requested that these areas be dropped since they did not meet the 5,000 acre limitation set by the Act," Garn said. "I commend the Service for acknowledging this." The recommendations came as part of a package seeking redesignation for 41 other sites nationwide. They resulted from the Clean Air Act, Part C. Section 164(d) mandating Park Service review of "any appropriate areas where air quality related values are important attributes of the area." The recommendations recom-mendations are sent to Congress and affected states, who are responsible for undertaking any redesignation. |