By Bonnie L. Cook
Pennsylvania
should enact a state plan forcing coal-fired power plants to cut
mercury emissions 90 percent by 2015, rather than adopt less stringent
rules favored by the Bush administration, witnesses told a public
hearing yesterday.
All
but one of 30 speakers who addressed the state's Environmental Quality
Board sitting in Norristown sharply criticized a federal plan that
would extend the time frame for the cleaner-air standard.
Under
the federal plan, Pennsylvania would reduce its mercury emissions 86
percent, but it would take until 2026 to do so, the Environmental
Protection Agency has projected.
In
addition, the federal plan would allow utilities to avoid installing
mercury-filtering equipment in "dirty" power plants by purchasing
pollution credits from cleaner plants in other states, something the
state plan prohibits. "Why should Pennsylvanians spend their money to
clean up power plants in other states?" testified Christine Knapp,
representing Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, a nonprofit group
based in Philadelphia.
Knapp
said it was "silly" not to push for the state's stiffer rules since
they would cost consumers a paltry $1.08 a month on their electric
bills.
Another speaker, Lisa Zhu of Philadelphia, equated the added cost to the price of a regular, black coffee at Starbucks.
When
coal is burned, emissions containing mercury become airborne. Mercury
falls to the ground in rain, and collects in the fatty tissue of fish.
Pregnant
women who have eaten large quantities of fish over the years may have
high levels of mercury in their blood, putting fetuses at risk for
learning disabilities and other developmental problems, testified
Nathan Wilcox, of PennEnvironment, a nonprofit based in Philadelphia.
"EPA
scientists estimate that one in six women of child-bearing age has
enough mercury in her body to put her child at risk, should she become
pregnant," Wilcox testified.
On
April 11, 2001, Pennsylvania issued a statewide advisory warning
fishermen and women to limit intake of their catch to one meal per week
to avoid health risks. The advisory is still in effect.
Earlier
this year, Senate Bill 1201 and House Bill 2610 were introduced in
Harrisburg. Both aimed at blocking the state's mercury-reduction plan
in favor of the weaker federal regulations.
On
June 20, the Senate passed its version of the bill by a vote of 40-10.
State Sen. Constance H. Williams (D., Montgomery County), who voted
against the bill, said she was "disappointed" at the outcome. The House
may consider its version of the bill this fall.
