National parks and coal

In its report "Dark Horizons", the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) identified "the top 10 national parks at risk from pollution from new coal-fired power plants."

The report included an interactive map created using the Google MapsNPCA application, with icons depicting the proximity of new and existing coal-fired power plants to the parks.

According to NPCA, "one in three national park sites has air pollution levels that exceed health standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Most of the air pollution affecting national parks results from the burning of fossil fuels, especially by coal-fired power plants. Until now, some remote national parks like Great Basin in Nevada and Teddy Roosevelt in North Dakota have largely been spared dirty air. But as energy development activities increase, these parks too, are now vulnerable."

"Dark Horizons" report described a set of regulatory changes proposed by the EPA that would make it easier to build coal-fired plants near parks. According to NPCA, the changes were proposed over the objections of EPA's own scientists as well as scientists at the National Park Service.

List of Threatened Parks
The top-ten parks (along with nearby plants that are identified by the "Dark Horizons" report as permitted or in the permitting stage) are as follows:

Shenandoah (Virginia)

 * American Municipal Power Generating Station
 * Greene Energy Resource Recovery Project
 * Sithe Shade Township Project
 * River Hill Power Project
 * Beech Hollow Energy Project
 * Wise County Plant
 * Longview Plant
 * Western Greenbrier Co-Production Demonstration Project

Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee/North Carolina)

 * Cliffside Plant
 * Spurlock Power Station Unit 4
 * Wise County Plant

Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)

 * Thoroughbred Generating Station
 * Spurlock Power Station Unit 4
 * JK Smith Electric Generation Station units 1 & 2

Theodore Roosevelt (North Dakota)

 * Gascoyne 500 Project

Mesa Verde (Colorado)

 * Desert Rock

Capitol Reef (Utah)

 * Toquop
 * Desert Rock
 * Intermountain Power Project Unit 3
 * Sevier Plant
 * Bonanza Power Plant addition

Zion (Utah)

 * White Pine Energy Station
 * Ely Energy Center, Phase I
 * Ely Energy Center, Phase II
 * TS Power Plant
 * Toquop
 * Sevier Plant
 * Intermountain Power Project Unit 3

Great Basin (Nevada)

 * White Pine Energy Station
 * Ely Energy Center, Phase I
 * Ely Energy Center, Phase II
 * Toquop
 * Sevier Plant
 * Intermountain Power Project Unit 3

Wind Cave (South Dakota)

 * Dry Fork Station
 * Wygen Unit 2
 * Wygen Unit 3
 * Two Elk Energy Park Unit 1
 * Two Elk Energy Park Unit 2
 * Gascoyne 500 Project
 * Evergreen Coal Creek

Badlands (South Dakota)

 * Dry Fork Station
 * Wygen Unit 2
 * Wygen Unit 3
 * Two Elk Energy Park Unit 1
 * Two Elk Energy Park Unit 2
 * Gascoyne 500 Project
 * Evergreen Coal Creek