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hatrack

(62,565 posts)
Tue May 6, 2025, 06:36 AM May 6

Shitstain Regime Ends Air Quality Monitoring Near National Parks, Then (Supposedly) Reverses Itself When Story Breaks

The Trump administration has temporarily suspended an air-quality monitoring program at national parks across the country, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision is not public. The Interior Department, which includes the National Park Service, issued stop-work orders last week to the two contractors running the program, the email shows. The move adds to the chaos and uncertainty at many national parks that are already reeling from widespread layoffs ahead of the busy summer season.

The National Park Service and Interior did not initially respond to requests for comment. After this article was published, however, Park Service spokeswoman Rachel Pawlitz said in an email that the stop-work orders would be reversed and that “contractors will be notified immediately.” The two contractors — Air Resource Specialists and Desert Research Institute — did not return requests for comment.

Breathing in these pollutants is linked to a range of adverse health effects. For instance, long- and short-term exposure to particulate matter is associated with heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks and premature death, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The program also aims to curb regional haze, which forms when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air. Over the last several decades, regional haze has reduced visibility at scenic viewpoints in parks nationwide.

The State Department in March ended its own air-quality monitoring program, which relied on sensors at more than 80 U.S. embassies and consulates. That program largely operated in countries where such data was otherwise limited or unreliable.

EDIT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/05/05/national-parks-air-quality-monitoring/

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