Monday, July 12, 2004
Mercury emissions proposal opposed by environmental groups
Mercury emissions proposal opposed by environmental groups
By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau
Friday, Jul 2, 2004
LITTLE ROCK - Environmental groups on Thursday urged U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., to join congressional opposition to proposed changes to mercury emissions standards.
Representatives of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, ACORN, and a couple of fishing enthusiasts used the Arkansas River and a giant, inflatable fish as the backdrop for a news conference on the issue.
'People should be able to eat fish caught in Arkansas without worrying that it is contaminated with mercury,' said Sarah Rosenburg, campaign coordinator with U.S. PIRG. 'Senator Lincoln should stand up and publicly oppose the Bush administration's mercury proposal.'
A spokesman for Lincoln said the senator appreciated U.S. PIRG bringing the matter to her attention.
'She shares their concerns about mercury emissions and will be releasing a letter next week that she'll be sending to the administration on the issue,' said Gregory Willis, spokesman for Lincoln.
Thursday's news conference was part of a national tour sponsored by Clear the Air, which described its effort as a campaign to clean up the nation's aging coal-burning power plants.
The environmental group claims the proposed EPA changes would allow power plants to emit six to seven times more mercury than allowed under the federal Clean Air Act.
Ed Barham, a spokesman for the state Health Department, said the PIRG figures sound about right. He said 20 bodies of water, both lakes and streams, contain fish consumption warnings due to mercury.
A statement e-mailed by EPA press secretary Cynthia Bergman on Thursday said the agency is proposing rules to require power plants to reduce mercury emissions.
Health warnings already exist on numerous Arkansas lakes and streams because of mercury contamination. According to U.S. PIRG, 3,659 acres of Arkansas lakes and 260 miles of streams have posted advisories that urge people to avoid or limit consumption of fish due to high mercury levels.
The environmental group emphasized that those most at risk are infants and children and the poor, many of whom subsistence fish.
More than 180 members of Congress have signed a June 23 letter asking that the Environmental Protection Agency reconsider its new regulation plans for airborne mercury emissions.
"As you undertake further study, we urge you again to meet the requirements of federal law and to act decisively in addressing the urgent threat that mercury pollution poses to our nation's public health," the letter to EPA administrator Michael O. Leavitt states.
The letter also states that the EPA in February doubled its estimate of the number of newborns exposed to unsafe mercury levels from 320,000 infants a year to 630,000.
The proposed regulation changes do not require congressional approval.
U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, is the only member of Arkansas' congressional delegation to have signed the letter, which was circulated only among House members.
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor has publicly opposed the EPA's proposed change, according to PIRG. Roddell Molineau, spokesman for Pryor, did not return a phone call Thursday afternoon.
According to Bergman, the EPA is still seeking public comment on its proposal and Leavitt has asked for additional analysis "to make sure we reduce mercury in the most effective way possible given the state of available mercury control technology."
"The process isn't complete, the agency's work is not done," Bergman's e-mail states. "This is the first time we've ever done this and we want to make sure we do this right. The final rule will be influenced by the availability of technology that has been adequately tested and available for industry-wide deployment."
Mercury exposure is most harmful to infants and children and is commonly linked to brain disorders, although it also is cause for birth defects, miscarriage, and neonatal death, said Katherine Bridgeman of the Arkansas Reproductive Genetics Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau
Friday, Jul 2, 2004
LITTLE ROCK - Environmental groups on Thursday urged U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., to join congressional opposition to proposed changes to mercury emissions standards.
Representatives of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, ACORN, and a couple of fishing enthusiasts used the Arkansas River and a giant, inflatable fish as the backdrop for a news conference on the issue.
'People should be able to eat fish caught in Arkansas without worrying that it is contaminated with mercury,' said Sarah Rosenburg, campaign coordinator with U.S. PIRG. 'Senator Lincoln should stand up and publicly oppose the Bush administration's mercury proposal.'
A spokesman for Lincoln said the senator appreciated U.S. PIRG bringing the matter to her attention.
'She shares their concerns about mercury emissions and will be releasing a letter next week that she'll be sending to the administration on the issue,' said Gregory Willis, spokesman for Lincoln.
Thursday's news conference was part of a national tour sponsored by Clear the Air, which described its effort as a campaign to clean up the nation's aging coal-burning power plants.
The environmental group claims the proposed EPA changes would allow power plants to emit six to seven times more mercury than allowed under the federal Clean Air Act.
Ed Barham, a spokesman for the state Health Department, said the PIRG figures sound about right. He said 20 bodies of water, both lakes and streams, contain fish consumption warnings due to mercury.
A statement e-mailed by EPA press secretary Cynthia Bergman on Thursday said the agency is proposing rules to require power plants to reduce mercury emissions.
Health warnings already exist on numerous Arkansas lakes and streams because of mercury contamination. According to U.S. PIRG, 3,659 acres of Arkansas lakes and 260 miles of streams have posted advisories that urge people to avoid or limit consumption of fish due to high mercury levels.
The environmental group emphasized that those most at risk are infants and children and the poor, many of whom subsistence fish.
More than 180 members of Congress have signed a June 23 letter asking that the Environmental Protection Agency reconsider its new regulation plans for airborne mercury emissions.
"As you undertake further study, we urge you again to meet the requirements of federal law and to act decisively in addressing the urgent threat that mercury pollution poses to our nation's public health," the letter to EPA administrator Michael O. Leavitt states.
The letter also states that the EPA in February doubled its estimate of the number of newborns exposed to unsafe mercury levels from 320,000 infants a year to 630,000.
The proposed regulation changes do not require congressional approval.
U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, is the only member of Arkansas' congressional delegation to have signed the letter, which was circulated only among House members.
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor has publicly opposed the EPA's proposed change, according to PIRG. Roddell Molineau, spokesman for Pryor, did not return a phone call Thursday afternoon.
According to Bergman, the EPA is still seeking public comment on its proposal and Leavitt has asked for additional analysis "to make sure we reduce mercury in the most effective way possible given the state of available mercury control technology."
"The process isn't complete, the agency's work is not done," Bergman's e-mail states. "This is the first time we've ever done this and we want to make sure we do this right. The final rule will be influenced by the availability of technology that has been adequately tested and available for industry-wide deployment."
Mercury exposure is most harmful to infants and children and is commonly linked to brain disorders, although it also is cause for birth defects, miscarriage, and neonatal death, said Katherine Bridgeman of the Arkansas Reproductive Genetics Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
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