"MADISON, Wis. — A year ago, federal environmental regulators told West Virginia officials that their plan to clear sulfur and smog from skies over the state’s national wilderness areas wasn’t good enough because a dozen coal plants didn’t analyze whether they needed better pollution controls.

Six months later, the Environmental Protection Agency, now firmly under President Donald Trump’s control, blessed the same plan, saying technology evaluations wouldn’t be necessary as long as visibility hit projected benchmarks.

Conservationists say the about-face in West Virginia is just one example of the Trump administration clearing the way for states to roll back pollution restrictions that have helped clear the air over beloved national parks and wilderness areas over the last 25 years."

Todd Richmond reports for the Associated Press March 22, 2026. [2]