Governor Blagojevich's Plan to Reduce Mercury Pollution

[Guest guest]

Press Release Source: Environmental Law & Policy Center

Press Statement by A. Learner Executive Director, Environmental Law &

Policy Center on Governor Blagojevich's Plan to Reduce Mercury Pollution

Friday January 6, 2:35 pm ET

CHICAGO, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Blagojevich's mercury reduction

plan is a home run. It will protect our children's health and environment by

eliminating 90 percent or more of the mercury pollution from Illinois coal

plants. We commend the Governor on moving forward to make Illinois a

national leader in stopping mercury pollution by requiring coal plants to

install modern pollution control technology to protect our public health and

the Great Lakes.

Illinois has the 4th highest number of mercury " hot spots " in the nation.

Let's do something about it now. The Governor's plan will fill the gap left

by the Bush Administration, which requires too little mercury pollution

reduction, too late.

We know what the health problems are. Mercury is a neurotoxin. It can pass

through a pregnant woman's placenta and harm fetal brain development.

We know that coal plants are the largest source of the mercury pollution,

which gets into our lakes, rivers and streams and goes up the food chain

into fish. The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued " fish

advisories " warning everyone -- especially pregnant women and women of

childbearing ages -- to severely limit their consumption of fish from

Illinois' rivers, inland lakes and Lake Michigan.

Sad, isn't it? Fish we catch in Lake Michigan and Illinois' rivers and lakes

are not safe to eat.

How bad is the problem? Estimates are that 6%-10% of women in child- bearing

ages have a mercury level high enough to put a fetus at an increased risk

for developmental problems, which can burden a child throughout life by

limiting opportunities. They also create extra costs for the health care and

education systems. A recent study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine

concluded that the U.S. could lose $8.7 billion annually in unrealized

earnings due to reductions in intelligence from mercury pollution -- far

greater than the costs of reducing mercury pollution at the source.

We know that modern pollution control equipment can eliminate most of the

mercury pollution from the coal plants. This technology is available,

affordable and in use in other states to achieve a 90% reduction in mercury

pollution from coal plants. Indeed, here in Illinois, Dynegy is moving to

install mercury pollution control technology at its Vermilion coal plant

near Danville by 2007, though not at its other plants.

By investing now to reduce mercury pollution from coal plants, we can

protect the health and well being of Illinois children and reduce the costs

of mercury exposure that otherwise will burden people's lives and the

state's economy for years to come.

We call upon the out-of-state energy companies owning coal plants in

Illinois to be socially responsible corporate citizens by supporting --

rather than showing knee-jerk opposition -- to this important plan to

protect our children's health and the Great Lakes.

We encourage Illinois residents who want to learn more about this issue to

visit http://www.stopmercurypollution.org .

We commend the Governor on his leadership, and all of us look forward to

working with the Illinois EPA and Illinois Pollution Control Board, as well

as our state legislators, to implement these strong standards in a timely

and effective manner. Let's move forward together to protect our children

and environment. Thank you.

For more information, please visit --

http://www.stopmercurypollution.org .

Mercury Issue Overview

Mercury is toxic to Illinois children.

-- Mercury is a neurotoxin that passes through the placenta and poisons

fetal brain development. Every day, thousands of developing

fetuses,

newborns and young children are exposed to mercury when pregnant and

nursing women eat contaminated fish, or children eat fish

themselves.

-- Research suggests exposure to mercury in the early stages of human

development causes permanent neurological and brain damage,

including

reduced cognitive abilities and other developmental problems.

-- Six to ten percent of women of childbearing age in the U.S. are

estimated to have mercury levels high enough to put their developing

children at increased risk for developmental problems from mercury

poisoning.

Mercury pollution is poisoning Illinois lakes and rivers.

-- Coal plants produce 60% of the mercury pollution in Illinois and the

Great Lakes states as a whole. That pollution ends up in Lake

Michigan and the Great Lakes, and in Illinois' inland rivers, lakes

and streams. Mercury contamination then works its way up the food

chain to poison fish that people eat.

-- Fish in Lake Michigan and ALL Illinois waterways are contaminated

with

mercury. The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued " fish

advisories " warning everyone -- particularly pregnant women, women

of

childbearing age and children -- to limit their consumption of fish

from Illinois' lakes, rivers and streams.

-- Mercury pollution creates local " hot spots " where the risk to public

health is elevated. Illinois is among the top five states

nationally

for the most severe mercury " hot spots. "

Governor Blagojevich has proposed strong mercury pollution control standards

to protect our children.

-- Illinois has the opportunity to enact strong, responsible mercury

pollution control standards to protect the health of future

Illinoisans by reducing mercury pollution coming from coal plants.

-- Governor Blagojevich has proposed requiring coal plants to install

modern technology to reduce mercury pollution by 90 percent by June

30, 2009. This innovative technology is available, affordable and

already being used on coal plants in other states.

-- The Governor's plan will fill the gap left by the Bush

Administration,

which requires too little mercury pollution reduction, too late.

-- Unless corrected by individual state action, the Bush

Administration's

rule will perpetuate mercury hot spots like those in Illinois by

allowing coal plants to continue using older technology and also

purchase the right to continue polluting at high levels rather than

installing equipment to clean up their plants and protect our health

and environment.

Reducing mercury pollution from coal plants will pay health and economic

dividends for years to come.

-- Adopting stricter mercury pollution standards for coal plants will

lower the mercury exposure of more than 100,000 women of

childbearing

age in Illinois whose blood mercury levels may exceed the federal

recommended limit.

-- By investing now to reduce mercury pollution from coal plants, we

will

protect the health and well being of future Illinoisans and reduce

the

costs of mercury exposure that otherwise would burden the state's

economy for years to come.

The following groups have formed a coalition in support of Governor

Blagojevich's plan to reduce mercury pollution from Illinois coal plants by

90 percent by 2009.

-- Access Living

-- American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois Chapter

-- Citizen Action Illinois

-- Environmental Law & Policy Center

-- Health and Medicine Policy Research Group

-- Illinois Academy of Family Physicians

-- Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition

-- Illinois Public Interest Research Group

-- Illinois Sierra Club

-- March of Dimes Illinois Chapter

-- Ounce of Prevention Fund, Kids Public Education and Policy Project

-- Physicians for Social Responsibility, Chicago Chapter

-- Prairie Rivers Network

-- Sinai Children's Hospital

-- Voices for Illinois Children

-- Women's Business Development Center

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Source: Environmental Law & Policy Center