January 30, 2004
Environmental Advocates of New York
New York Public Interest Research Group

Bush Mercury Pollution Proposal Threatens New York Public Health, Fish and Wildlife

Buffalo, NY - New York public health advocates and environmental groups today denounced a Bush Administration proposal to roll back standards for dangerous mercury emissions from coal fired power plants.

They joined with a coalition of national clean air and public health organizations in saying that the proposed rules fall far short of current Clean Air Act requirements, place vulnerable populations including babies and women of childbearing age at risk, and threaten fish and wildlife populations.

“The mercury rule published in the federal register today falls far short of what the law requires, and of what health experts say is necessary to protect children from the neurotoxin mercury,” said Mary Carney, New York Public Interest Research Group Regional Coordinator. “The Administration ignored the advice of their own Federal Advisory Committee when it recommended serious controls. Now they want to shut the public out of the process.”¹

More than 50 editorials nationwide have already urged the Administration to issue a rule that recognizes the dangers of toxic mercury and takes immediate action to address the problem. However, the administration’s plan gives utility companies another decade to begin reducing their mercury emissions.

Nationally, the electric utility sector, including coal-fired power plants is responsible for 60% of mercury emissions. In NY, the utility sector emitted 15,071,746 pounds of mercury in 2001 according to federal reporting requirements issued annually. Additionally, according to 2001 EPA data, 43 states have issued consumption advisories for mercury contaminated fish. NY issued 32 fish advisories for state waterbodies.

“EPA’s own data shows that most modern coal-fired power plants can and do achieve greater than 90% control of mercury and other toxic chemicals,” said Angela Ledford, a spokesperson for Clear the Air, a national coalition of clean air and public health organizations. “Other industries, like hospital and city garbage incinerators, have been required to meet that 90% standard for over a decade. The EPA should require power companies to do no less. There’s no reason all coal-fired power plants can’t meet the same standards everyone else does.”

“According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in twelve women of child-bearing age in the U.S. already have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood,” said Christine Vanderlan, Environmental Advocates Energy Program Associate. “That means that more than 300,000 babies born each year are exposed to unsafe levels of the neurotoxin, which can cause developmental defects.”

¹http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/20040126.htm/$file/20040126.pdf