News Coverage
Impose stricter mercury limits
Published April 17, 2004
It's a good sign that Michael Leavitt, head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has asked for additional analysis of the Bush administration's plan to limit mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants. His decision means he understands how unpopular the plan is. If he truly gives it a fair review, he will understand how wrong it is, too.
The Bush proposal fails to impose the restrictions on mercury pollution that are necessary to protect the public. Leavitt should follow the advice of 45 senators, including Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, who have called for the proposal to be scrapped and replaced with more effective regulations.
Wisconsin has a big stake in the outcome because of the impact of mercury pollution on public health and economic health here. All of the more than 15,000 lakes in the state are covered by an advisory warning about the level of mercury in fish. The advisory is based on evidence that eating too much mercury-laden fish risks damage to kidneys and the nervous system.
Because the mercury advisory makes Wisconsin less desirable as a destination for fishing vacations, it threatens harm to the tourism industry as well.
Strong regulation to cut mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants is in Wisconsin's interest. However, that's not what the Bush administration proposed.
The Bush plan calls for a 30-percent reduction in mercury emissions from power plants by 2010 and a 70 percent reduction by 2018. That's not good.