06-23-2005, 10:05 PM
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is about to release recommendations on how to reduce mercury levels in the state's waters, following the Monday, June 20 unveiling of a task force's study findings.
Mercury can cause many health problems in unborn children, including developmental delays, learning disabilities and damage to the central nervous system.
The largest source of mercury in the country comes from coal-fired energy plants. Despite being the single largest source for mercury in the nation, federal regulations on power plants to reduce mercury emissions has been completely absent until this year. In Michigan, the DEQ has set up a workgroup to establish state regulations on mercury emissions.
The workgroup, which is called the Michigan Mercury Electric Utility Workgroup, is made up of members from the DEQ, state universities, utility companies, environmental groups and community and regional organizations.
"They had their final meeting on May 19, and the report from the group is being finalized right now," said DEQ spokesman Bob McCann. "The whole thing is about 280 pages, but the main interest is probably the recommendations (on curbing mercury contamination).
"The group, being diverse as it was ... I don't believe they were able to reach one consensus on exactly where we should go from here."
According to the workgroup's final report, mercury reductions in Michigan should be done in two phases. The first phase would involve implementing the federal Clean Air Mercury Rules promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It would also establish a baseline for actual mercury emissions, and encourage additional reductions by enhancing testing and installation of mercury control technologies. The first round of mercury emission reductions will be in place by 2010, under federal guidelines.
The EPA in March issued its first ever rule to cap and reduce mercury emissions from power plants. The rule, according to the EPA, will reduce power plant emissions from 48 tons a year to 15 tons, a reduction of nearly 70 percent.
"I think they are far too weak," said David Gard of the Michigan Environmental Council. Gard is also a member of the DEQ's mercury workgroup.
"One of the problems we have with the federal rule is that it actually declassifies mercury as being a hazardous pollutant, which we think is completely wrong and completely in violation of the Clean Air Act."
Because of the disagreement between environmentalists and utility groups in the DEQ workgroup, the report's second phase has two alternative recommendations.
The first alternative is to establish results-driven reduction goals which will be established by the first phase and met by 2018. The second alternative is to implement a results-driven reduction requirement which would achieve a 90-percent reduction in emissions by 2013.
The report will now go to DEQ Director Steven Chester, who will then make his recommendations to the governor, who will establish Michigan's policy on mercury reductions.
Kevin Elliott
[signature]
Mercury can cause many health problems in unborn children, including developmental delays, learning disabilities and damage to the central nervous system.
The largest source of mercury in the country comes from coal-fired energy plants. Despite being the single largest source for mercury in the nation, federal regulations on power plants to reduce mercury emissions has been completely absent until this year. In Michigan, the DEQ has set up a workgroup to establish state regulations on mercury emissions.
The workgroup, which is called the Michigan Mercury Electric Utility Workgroup, is made up of members from the DEQ, state universities, utility companies, environmental groups and community and regional organizations.
"They had their final meeting on May 19, and the report from the group is being finalized right now," said DEQ spokesman Bob McCann. "The whole thing is about 280 pages, but the main interest is probably the recommendations (on curbing mercury contamination).
"The group, being diverse as it was ... I don't believe they were able to reach one consensus on exactly where we should go from here."
According to the workgroup's final report, mercury reductions in Michigan should be done in two phases. The first phase would involve implementing the federal Clean Air Mercury Rules promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It would also establish a baseline for actual mercury emissions, and encourage additional reductions by enhancing testing and installation of mercury control technologies. The first round of mercury emission reductions will be in place by 2010, under federal guidelines.
The EPA in March issued its first ever rule to cap and reduce mercury emissions from power plants. The rule, according to the EPA, will reduce power plant emissions from 48 tons a year to 15 tons, a reduction of nearly 70 percent.
"I think they are far too weak," said David Gard of the Michigan Environmental Council. Gard is also a member of the DEQ's mercury workgroup.
"One of the problems we have with the federal rule is that it actually declassifies mercury as being a hazardous pollutant, which we think is completely wrong and completely in violation of the Clean Air Act."
Because of the disagreement between environmentalists and utility groups in the DEQ workgroup, the report's second phase has two alternative recommendations.
The first alternative is to establish results-driven reduction goals which will be established by the first phase and met by 2018. The second alternative is to implement a results-driven reduction requirement which would achieve a 90-percent reduction in emissions by 2013.
The report will now go to DEQ Director Steven Chester, who will then make his recommendations to the governor, who will establish Michigan's policy on mercury reductions.
Kevin Elliott
[signature]