Corporate polluters writing Minnesota's mercury laws

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1556/5535016.html

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency last year weakened a statewide proposal to reduce smokestack mercury emissions after giving utility and industry officials an early, behind-the-scenes opportunity to suggest revisions.

While discussing the draft plan with major mercury emitters, including Minnesota Power and Xcel Energy, MPCA officials last fall refused to meet with environmental groups that support tough regulation of the toxic heavy metal. At one point, an MPCA official told environmental groups that there was nothing to talk about.

Mercury-contaminated fish have been found in more than 800 Minnesota lakes and many rivers, prompting health warnings to limit consumption.

Internal agency documents show that an MPCA draft plan in October called for specific mercury-reduction targets in 2015 and later years. After showing that proposal to industry officials, MPCA officials dramatically rewrote it, eliminating the target dates and making other key changes. The plan does not require emission controls.

The downtown incinerator has reduced mercury emissions.Bruce BispingStar TribuneTop MPCA officials defended their decision to give industries early access to the proposal, saying that affected companies' views are important and that environmentalists could comment later. The plan to eventually reduce mercury emissions by 93 percent was made public in December, and is now open for comments from anyone.

"We were very cognizant about talking to industry ahead of talking to others," said Lisa Thorvig, MPCA assistant commissioner for water policy.

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Where are Minnesota's Democrats on environmental issues like this? I can't remember the last time I heard a leading Democrat speak up for the environment (and I don't expect Republicans to). I think it was John Marty on the trashing of the state's ATV policies, which was done with the help of some anti-environment Democrats. It's always the private sector nonprofits that have to defend the environment, while the very agencies that are supposed to protect us against corporate polluters are now openly giving preferential treatment to the polluters.

Why the hell are "affected companies" given private audiences on policymaking but "environmentalists" (meaning the rest of us) can wait until the public comment period--to comment on policies that industry has already rewritten? Who are these people working for? Maybe we should head down to Stillwater Prison and have the cons rewrite our criminal code while we're at it.

Taxes and education aren't the only issues anymore, but the way the debate goes, it sure seems that way. When are Democrats going to start holding Pawlenty and his party accountable for turning Minnesota into just another polluted hillbilly state overrun by ATVs and jet skis?

We need to put the green back in the Democratic Party!

but there will become a time when the living will envy the dead.

we are talking about some really serious heavy metal poisoning and respiratory problems.. they think the extreme birth defects in Iraq are from the Depleted uranium.. it may be the uranium and not the radiation.

there are a lot more plants using more coal so these 23 year old statistics need updating.. but under Bu$h the money will never be released for the testing... they will make a big deal about all they are going to do.. but they wont do it.

in 1982 the U235 released from power plants could have made 4 primitive Hiroshima bombs

the brain damage from the Mercury will cause much suffering and the Fascist Government will never admit responsibility and never provide treatment or care for the lives they destroyed

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/coalmain.htm

Regular people have to find a means by which to point out to legislators that we expect them to toe the line on this one.

DPB