American Notes PARKS

Visitors to the Grand Canyon have long complained that smog is ruining the view. A National Park Service study tracked winter weather patterns and the sources of the haze. The main culprit: Arizona's Navajo Generating Station, an electrical plant 80 miles away. The plant, burning 24,000 tons of coal daily and releasing an estimated 12 to 13 tons of sulfur dioxide from its smokestacks every hour, was found responsible for about half the Grand Canyon's pollution.

Last week the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that up to $1 billion in pollution controls be installed at the station. But the Federal Bureau of Reclamation owns a 24% interest in Navajo and would have to contribute to the cleanup. Faced with an interagency imbroglio, Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan responded in classic fashion by ordering up yet another study, thus casting further haze over the future of Grand Canyon.