Mercury Emissions Rules Bent (written by industry w/o EPA input)

Mercury Emissions Rules Bent to Benefit Industry, Officials Say


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mercury16mar16,1,...

Political appointees in the Environmental Protection Agency bypassed agency professional staff and a federal advisory panel last year to craft a rule on mercury emissions preferred by the industry and the White House, several longtime EPA officials say.

The EPA staffers say they were told not to undertake the normal scientific and economic studies called for under a standing executive order. At the same time, the proposal to regulate mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants was written using key language provided by utility lobbyists.

The Bush administration has said that the proposed rule would cut mercury emissions by 70 percent in the next 15 years, and is tied to the president's "Clear Skies" initiative. But critics say it would delay reductions in mercury levels for decades at a risk to public health, while saving the power and coal industries billions of dollars.

Studies designed to address such questions are the ones that were not conducted.

EPA veterans say they cannot recall another instance when the agency's technical experts were cut out of developing a major regulatory proposal.

Our local (NJ) paper has just published a series of stories on mercury pollution.

A few facts...

Every lake and stream in NJ (as well as much of the East) is tainted by mercury. The state has been forced to warn residents to limit their intake of fish taken from NJ waters.

Because of contaminated fish, more than 630,000 unborn children are exposed to unsafe levels of mercury. This from the EPA itself.

The technology exists, (has existed for some time) to cut mercury emissions by 90% over just three years.

Bush is giving utilities 15 years for a 70% cut in emissions.

will suffer.