HARRISBURG—The
state Environmental Quality Board (EQB) today voted overwhelmingly to
approve implementation of the Rendell administration’s plan to require
Pennsylvania’s power plants to reduce mercury pollution by 90 percent
by 2015. The proposal is supported by public health, citizens and
sporting groups, and only three dozen of the nearly 11,000 public
comments recently submitted on the issue opposed the Rendell
administration’s proposal. With approval from the 20 member EQB, the
proposal now moves on to the final stages of regulatory adoption, but
legislation that would derail the proposal is still being considered by
the House of Representatives.
“Today’s
vote is good news for Pennsylvania’s environment and public health,”
said Nathan Willcox, energy and clean air advocate for PennEnvironment.
“As the Commonwealth moves one step closer to cutting toxic mercury
pollution from our coal-fired plants, PennEnvironment urges state
legislators to support Governor Rendell’s much-needed proposal.”
Like
lead, even small levels of mercury exposure can affect the way kids
learn, think, memorize and behave. Coal-fired power plants are
responsible for at least 40 percent of the nation's mercury emissions,
and Pennsylvania's power plants have the second highest mercury
emissions in the country. This mercury accumulates in lakes and rivers,
contaminating fish.
In the spring of last year, the Bush
administration established a mercury reduction rule that declassifies
mercury as a toxic pollutant and allows polluters to trade emissions
credits, so that the oldest and dirtiest power plants in the
country—many of which are located in Pennsylvania—could buy their way
out of significant mercury emission reductions.
The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has developed
a state-level proposal that would require 90 percent mercury reductions
from Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power plants by 2015, and not allow
Pennsylvania’s plants to opt out of reducing their emissions by
purchasing credits from plants in other states. The proposed rule has
been applauded by environmental, sporting, and public health advocates.
Earlier
this spring, however, Senate Bill 1201 (SB 1201) and its companion bill
in the House, House Bill 2610 (HB 2610), were introduced to block the
state-level proposal and force Pennsylvania to instead adopt the weaker
federal regulations. Intensive lobbying by the utility and coal
industries in favor of the legislation resulted in the Senate passing
SB 1201 in June, but the House of Representatives left for its summer
recess without voting on either SB 1201 or HB 2610. The House could
still vote on these bills this fall, though, and environmental,
sporting, and public health advocates are working to ensure that this
legislation is defeated.
The
EQB held a 60 day public comment period this summer on the Rendell
administration’s proposal, which included public hearings in
Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Norristown. The public hearings were
dominated by individuals speaking in favor of the Rendell
administration’s state-level proposal, and only 36 of the roughly
11,000 public comments submitted were in opposition to the Rendell
administration’s proposal.
Now
that the program has the EQB’s approval, the program must next be
reviewed by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. DEP must
finalize and submit its final proposal to the federal Environmental
Protection Agency by November 17th, 2006.
