Green Groups Join 12 States In Suing For Tougher Mercury Rules

[hatrack]

A coalition of environmental groups announced plans Tuesday to join Midwest and Northeast states in suing the Bush administration over a proposed rule to reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

The advocacy groups, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Sierra Club, called the mercury proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency too weak and too easy on coal-burning power plants, which they say are the biggest sources of toxic mercury that threatens human health, fish and wildlife.

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The flurry of activity Tuesday is the latest in a running debate over how best to curb mercury emissions, especially those from power plants, which have been linked to a sharp rise in fish-consumption advisories in Virginia and elsewhere in the nation. Environmentalists say the Bush administration has dragged its feet and finally proposed something too weak; the White House and the EPA have defended their strategy as protective of both the environment and the economy.

Mercury, a neurotoxin, is thought to fall from smokestacks into waterways when coal is burned. In the water, it accumulates in fish tissues. When swallowed by humans, the mercury can lead to health problems and learning disabilities, especially in young children and fetuses. The environmental groups said they will file four lawsuits at the same time today challenging the Bush proposal in the federal court of appeals in Washington, D.C. Lawyers said they expect their cases to last at least a year. The proposal at issue is one that exempts power plants from having to install the maximum achievable technology for curbing mercury. Ann Weeks, litigation director for the Clean Air Task Force , said the rule “leaves public health at risk and violates the law.”

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http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=86589&ran=120546

[phantom power]

1. Build a big, "voluntarily regulated" coal plant directly upwind of DC.

Maybe that would change their position on "clean" coal.