ABSTRACT
The attachment of the American people to their parks and their wilderness is reflected in the most votes in Congress on the visibility program. The Western Regional Council, for example, has asked Congress to entirely repeal the visibility program from the Act. That same consensus that led to the preservation of our great national parks in the 19th and early 20th centuries has led to the enactment of wilderness preservation in the 1960s, and visibility protection for parks and wilderness in the 1970s. The grand vistas of the American West are a fundamental part of the American heritage. In March, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee strengthened the visibility program by incorporating the Parks Service list of proposed integral vistas into the bill. In approaching the challenge, it is important to keep the legal mandate in mind. Section 169A focuses on protecting visibility from all manmade causes.
