Clean Water News

PHILADELPHIA—As state officials debate a proposal to cut mercury emissions from Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power plants, a new PennEnvironment report shows that Pennsylvania ranked 3rd in the nation for power plant mercury pollution in 2003 and was home to the first- and fourth-ranked counties nationally for power plant mercury pollution.

The report—“Made in the U.S.A.”—identifies which states and localities nationwide have the most mercury emissions from power plants and which power plants emit the most mercury. In 2003, power plants in the U.S. emitted more than 90,000 pounds of mercury into the air.

“If state officials needed more proof that we must reduce mercury pollution in Pennsylvania, here it is,” said Nathan Willcox, energy and clean air advocate with PennEnvironment. “Pennsylvania, our counties, and our power plants have made the top ten lists that no one wants to be on. For the sake of our environment and our public health, state officials should require 90 percent mercury reductions from all of Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power plants.”

PennEnvironment was joined in releasing the report statewide by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, the Pennsylvania Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Clean Air Council, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture).

“Given the clear public health threat posed by mercury pollution in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association urges our state officials to craft a tough rule that cuts mercury pollution from the state’s coal-fired power plants,” said Michele Campbell, executive administrator with the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association.

“One of the purposes of the Pennsylvania PTA is to promote the welfare of children,” said Suzy Gerst, state legislative and advocacy chairperson with the Pennsylvania PTA. “We support efforts and legislation to reduce environmental health hazards such as asbestos, radon, poor indoor/outdoor air quality and poor water quality.”

“Just this week, thousands of Sierra Club members have called into US Senators Specter and Santorum’s offices, urging them to vote in favor of a resolution sponsored by Senators Leahy, Collins and Snowe that would block the Bush Administration’s dangerously weak mercury rule, which is adequate to protect women and children’s health,” said Elise Annunziata, Sierra Club senior regional representative in Pennsylvania. “The good news is that we have commercially available technology to reduce mercury pollution from power plants perhaps by 90% or more. We urge Senators Santorum and Specter to be leaders by putting our communities first—ahead of corporate polluters—and vote in support of this resolution that would safeguard the health of our families and children.”

“Pennsylvanians can’t afford to wait for mercury reductions from coal-fired power plants. Babies are at risk of brain damage, and every river, stream, and lake in the state is so contaminated with mercury that anglers are warned to avoid eating all the fish they catch,” said Heather Sage, director of outreach for PennFuture, a statewide public interest organization. “PennFuture, together with more than 60 organizations, petitioned the state to take action and reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania by 90 percent. This will benefit all Pennsylvanians, protecting our health and cleaning up local mercury hotspots. We can't wait any longer—our state government must act now.”

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the brain, heart, and immune system. Developing fetuses and children are especially at risk, as even low-level exposure to mercury can cause learning disabilities, developmental delays, lowered IQ, and problems with attention and memory. Studies also indicate that mercury exposure is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks in adults.

Power plants are the largest industrial source of U.S. mercury emissions. EPA data show that about one-third of the mercury deposited in the U.S. comes from U.S. power plants alone, and deposition can be much higher near individual plants, since local sources can account for 50-80 percent of mercury deposition at such “hot spots.” In Pennsylvania, mercury-related fish consumption advisories cover every lake and river in the Commonwealth, warning Pennsylvanians to avoid or limit their consumption of certain types of fish.

PennEnvironment’s “Made in the U.S.A.” uses 2003 data from EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, the most recent available data, to rank power plant mercury emissions by state, county, zip code, facility, and company. Key findings include:
• Pennsylvania power plants emitted over 6,700 pounds of mercury in 2003, ranking Pennsylvania 3rd in the country for the highest power plant mercury emissions.
• Armstrong County in Western Pennsylvania ranked first out of all counties nationwide for the highest power plant mercury emissions. Indiana County was ranked fourth nationwide, and four more Pennsylvania counties made the top 100 list nationally.
• Reliant Energy’s Keystone power plant ranked 3rd nationally among all power plants for the highest mercury emissions. Its 1,200 pounds of mercury emitted made it responsible for nearly 20 percent of the state’s power plant total.

The report also found that the three worst companies in the country for power plant mercury emissions were American Electric Power, Southern Company, and Reliant Energy. Reliant Energy owns the Keystone power plant, as well as eight other power plants in Pennsylvania, all of which combined to account for nearly half the state’s power plant mercury emissions in 2003.

In March 2005, the EPA issued regulations that allow power plants to avoid the Clean Air Act’s maximum achievable control technology (MACT) requirement. One of these rules, the “delisting rule,” removed power plants from the list of sources subject to MACT standards. This paved the way for a second, industry-favored “cap-and-trade rule” that allows power plants to buy and trade the right to pollute and delays even modest mercury reductions until at least 2018.

At least 16 states—including Pennsylvania—have challenged one or both of the rules in court or have petitioned EPA for reconsideration of the delisting rule. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have also introduced a bipartisan joint resolution against the delisting rule pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, a law that enables Congress to disapprove of federal agency rules. Disapproval of a rule voids the rule, meaning it has no effect if the President signs such a resolution. A vote is expected in the coming days.

“We urge Senators Specter and Santorum to take action to protect Pennsylvania’s public health by supporting the Leahy-Collins resolution,” said Toni Flora-Mihalic, program director with Clean Air Council, a statewide environmental group.

Largely in response to the Bush administration’s weak mercury rule, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is currently considering a proposal to reduce mercury pollution from Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power plants. While DEP and the Rendell administration have been applauded by environmental and public health groups for moving forward on this issue, they have failed to commit to pushing for 90 percent reductions from Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power plants. The EPA has stated that 90 percent reductions are achievable using existing technologies, and PennEnvironment has collected over 10,000 signatures from Pennsylvanians in support of required 90 percent reductions.

“Pennsylvanians clearly recognize the threat posed by mercury pollution, and they want the state taking the strongest possible action to reduce this threat,” said Willcox. “The technology is available to reduce power plant mercury emissions by 90 percent, and it’s affordable, too—about $1 per Pennsylvania household per month, less than the cost of a cup of coffee.”

DEP is in the process of convening a stakeholder process to draft a mercury rule proposal. Once completed, the proposed rule will then go through a formal rule making process.