Environmentalists, fishing enthusiasts push for limits on coal plant mercury

By David Steinkraus

Tuesday, April 6, 2004 12:55 AM CDT

RACINE - Federal legislators, state lawyers, and advocates are pushing the federal government hard to apply a strict limit on the emission of mercury from coal-fired power plants.

In the meantime, advocacy groups say that Wisconsin needs to impose its own strict rule. Such a proposal is in the final stages of work and is scheduled to come before the state Natural Resources Board in June.

We need parallel rules from the state and federal government in order to put the lid on mercury pollution, said Angela Ledford, director of Clear the Air, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. She visited The Journal Times editorial board on Friday with Marc Looze, clean air campaign director for Clean Wisconsin.

On Thursday, news organizations reported that 45 senators and the attorneys general of 10 states had signed a letter urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw its proposed mercury emissions rule. That rule would set up a cap-and-trade system. A limit would be set for mercury emissions from power plants, and utilities whose plants emitted more than their allotted amount of mercury would be able to buy credits from plants that emitted less than the allotted amounts.

The problem, Ledford said, is that the EPA's proposal would make better pollution control equipment optional for power plants, and that the proposal sets an emissions cap that is too lenient.

Other industries, such as hospitals and municipal waste incinerators, have been brought under regulation, she said. According to Ledford, "power plants are the last uncontrolled source of mercury."

The EPA rule, Looze and Ledford said, is attracting criticism not only from environmental groups but also from sport fishing groups because mercury pollution threatens the sport fishing industry and people's enjoyment of the outdoors.

"There's definitely a relationship between local sources and local contamination of fish," Looze said. A study of a northern Wisconsin lake found a regional reduction in contamination of yellow perch when mercury emissions were decreased, he said. Similar effects have been seen in Florida, Ledford said.

As a pollutant, mercury is different than other contaminants because it builds up in the environment, Looze said. "So really, 1 pound of mercury is quite different than a pound of many other types of pollutants."

Technology to capture about 90 percent of mercury emissions is feasible, Looze and Ledford said, and competition among technology vendors would ensure that systems would be available within a few years.

Wisconsin also needs a strong emissions rule to complement the federal law, Looze and Ledford said.

To achieve an 80 percent mercury emissions cut by 2015, estimates say that the maximum cost of the Wisconsin emissions rule would be $21 per year on an electric bill, Looze said, "the price of a fishing license. That's up to 17 bucks this year. I just bought one yesterday."

After a critique by the Legislature and some revisions, Wisconsin's proposed rule will return to the Natural Resources Board in June.

The public comment period for the EPA's proposed rule has been extended until April 30.

On the Net: You can find more information about mercury and the proposed Wisconsin emissions rule at dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/reg/ mercury/rule.htm; You can find information about the proposed federal rule at www.epa.gov/air/mercuryrule

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