How does wilderness designation affect air quality status?
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 designated wilderness areas existing at that time to be Class I Areas. Areas designated wilderness after 1977 are classified as Class II, unless they are additions to existing Class I areas. The Clean Air Act also allows the states to designate future wilderness areas as Class I using normal state processes. The majority of BLM wilderness areas are Class II, which allows some degradation associated with moderate industrial and population growth.
