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Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Announces State-Specific Mercury Reduction Plan That Strengthens Economy, Protects Public Health

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 18:00 CST

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced a state-specific mercury reduction proposal that protects and grows the market share for Pennsylvania bituminous coal while ensuring vastly greater protections to improve the environment and keep residents healthy and safe.

"Pennsylvania continues to be an energy innovator," Governor Rendell said. "We are leading the way to give our businesses the security and stability they need to continue to grow and make investments in the commonwealth.

"Not only does the federal rule endanger residents by allowing continued exposure to dangerous levels of mercury in the environment, but it also sets up unfair market barriers that would result in a very real and significant economic dislocation for the Pennsylvania coal industry," Governor Rendell said. "We need to change course to keep our residents safe and our economy strong."

The Department of Environmental Protection unveiled the proposal today in a meeting with members of a workgroup created specifically to help identify key issues that a state-specific rule must address. DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty will testify at 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 23 before the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee on mercury reduction efforts.

The proposed rule achieves at least 90 percent mercury reduction by 2015 -- a reduction that is nearly 40 percent greater and achieved in less time than under the federal rule -- and preserves market share for bituminous coal by presuming compliance for electric generating units that burn 100 percent bituminous with advanced air control technologies.

The plan also enables utilities to meet the state-specific standards without forcing them to take any additional actions beyond what they already have to do to meet other new federal air quality requirements. Mercury- specific controls are not required, and emissions trading is prohibited to protect against toxic "hot spots" of mercury contamination.

"Pennsylvania's state-specific rule removes unfair economic barriers to preserve the marketplace for Pennsylvania's coal industry," McGinty said. "It puts in place standards that are more protective of public health and the environment than the federal rule. And, it enables utilities to comply with the rule without demanding any additional technology beyond what already is needed to meet other federal air quality requirements."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's mercury reduction rule for new and existing coal-fired power plants became final in May 2005 and took effect July 18. Pennsylvania and several other states have filed lawsuits challenging the rule as insufficiently protective of public health. The cases also oppose EPA's subcategorization of coal types that encourages fuel switching.

The federal rule requires little or no reductions from units using sub- bituminous coal mined in the West and places the most stringent requirements on coal mined here in Pennsylvania -- a feature that actually is contrary to achieving maximum mercury reduction. Bituminous coal generally contains more mercury than sub-bituminous coal. But it also contains more chlorine, and chlorine enhances the removal efficiency of mercury control technology. So, controlled bituminous coal is "cleaner" with respect to mercury than uncontrolled sub-bituminous coal.

Owners and operators of utilities in Pennsylvania and across the nation are beginning to examine ways to comply with EPA's two-phased Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) to reduce nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions. To comply with CAIR, these facilities will have to install selective catalytic reduction systems, electrostatic precipitators and wet scrubbers on their coal-fired units. While these technologies are developed to reduce other emissions, they realize significant collateral reductions in mercury.

Pennsylvania's state-specific rule presumes compliance for any existing electric generating unit combusting 100 percent bituminous coal and using the air pollution control technologies mandated by CAIR. This enables utilities to realize the co-benefits of mercury reduction through the installation of CAIR-required control technology, and they will be able to do so without having to install new, specialized equipment to reduce mercury.

EPA's rule calls for coal-fired utilities to reduce mercury emissions by 70 percent by 2018. Pennsylvania's rule will result in a 90 percent reduction by 2015.

All of this is accomplished without embracing the federal government's misuse of a cap-and-trade program to achieve mercury reductions. The federal Clean Air Act of 1990 expressly prohibits trading for toxics like mercury. Unlike other air contaminants that disperse broadly, mercury concentrates locally, creating toxic "hot spots" of contamination.

Just last week, EPA-funded research showed that nearly 70 percent of the mercury collected at an Ohio River Valley monitoring site originated from nearby coal-burning industrial plants. Other recent studies had similar findings. In addition, accumulation of mercury in aquatic ecosystems has resulted in 45 states, including Pennsylvania, issuing fish consumption advisories. Our commonwealth has advisories for 80 waterways.

"Although Pennsylvania is a strong proponent of trading and other market mechanisms in the appropriate context, allowing such a program for this highly toxic pollutant compromises the integrity of trading and jeopardizes its legitimate use as an effective tool to achieve cost-effective reductions when used in appropriate situations," McGinty said.

Pennsylvania has 36 coal-fired power plants with 78 electric generating units that represent 20,000 megawatts of capacity. These units accounted for approximately 77 percent of the more than 5 tons of mercury emitted into the air from all contamination sources in the commonwealth, ranking us second only to Texas in terms of total mercury emissions and third behind Texas and Ohio, respectively, for mercury emissions from electric generating units.

Mercury is a persistent, bio-accumulative neurotoxin that can remain active in the environment for more than 10,000 years. It endangers pregnant women, children, subsistence fishermen and recreational anglers who are most at risk for health effects that include brain and nervous system damage in children and heart and immune system damage for adults.

On Aug. 16, the state's Environmental Quality Board approved the Department of Environmental Protection's recommendation to initiate a process to develop state-specific regulations to control mercury emissions in Pennsylvania.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wisconsin have state-specific plans in place. Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia all have regulatory actions or legislation pending. This brings to 15 the number of states that have or are about to adopt state-specific mercury reduction plans.

The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/.

CONTACT: Kate Philips, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor, +1-717-783-1116, or Kurt Knaus, DEP, +1-717-787-1323.

Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

CONTACT: Kate Philips, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,+1-717-783-1116, or Kurt Knaus, DEP, +1-717-787-1323

Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/http://www.governor.state.pa.us/

Source: PRNewswire

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