Northeast States Move to Force Reduction of Mercury Pollution from Midwest Power Plants
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Colin Durrant, CLF Director of Communications
617-850-1722
Boston, MA (October 30, 2008) – In a move to combat harmful mercury pollution in river, lakes and streams, seven Northeast states have asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to force the clean up of smokestack emissions from Midwest power plants.
Under a 319(g) legal petition filed Tuesday by the six New England states and New York, the EPA must initiate a management conference of polluting Midwest states to develop a cleanup plan that will take specific steps to reduce mercury pollution flowing into the Northeast region.
“Mercury pollution from smokestacks in the Midwest is contaminating the Northeast’s fish and waterways — directly threatening public health and the environment,” said Chris Kilian, Director of the Clean Water and Healthy Forests Program at the Conservation Law Foundation, a leading New England environmental group working to implement stricter mercury cleanup measures. “This petition is a critical next step under the Clean Water Act that will force Midwest coal power plants to reduce their dangerous emissions of mercury.”
Forty eight percent of mercury pollution being deposited in the Northeast from U.S. sources comes from outside the region – primarily from Midwest coal fired power plants. Under the Bush Administration, little has been done to regulate mercury emissions from Midwest plants despite years of legal action by environmental groups and states.
In 2007, the EPA approved a mercury reduction TMDL – or cleanup plan – filed by the Northeast states aimed at reducing mercury in fish, rivers and lakes to contamination levels considered safe under the Clean Water Act. The TMDL identified Midwest plants as major contributors to the region’s mercury pollution problems and identified steps under the Clean Water Act to reduce mercury in fish.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that builds up in the environment and can affect human growth and development. In the Northeast, mercury has accumulated in many fish and other aquatic organisms, and even in some birds and mammals. Humans consuming mercury-contaminated fish may be at risk. According to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), elevated levels of mercury have appeared in fish populations throughout the Northeast and 10,175 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, 46,207 river miles, and an additional 25 river segments are listed as impaired primarily due to mercury entering the region from out-of-state sources.
>> For more information on the Northeast states’ mercury reduction plans or to read the 319(g) petition visit: www.neiwpcc.org/mercury
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The Conservation Law Foundation (www.clf.org) works to solve the environmental problems that threaten the people, natural resources and communities of New England. CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to design and implement strategies that conserve natural resources, protect public health, and promote vital communities in our region. Founded in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. It has offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Concord, New Hampshire; Providence, Rhode Island; Montpelier, Vermont; and Brunswick, Maine.
