Contact: Carla Vigue, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Governor Jim Doyle today was joined by a coalition of industry and environmental leaders to advance a rule requiring coal-fired power plants to reduce mercury emissions by 90%. Once enacted, the rule will cut mercury output by 4,400 pounds a year.
“Every year thousands of pounds of mercury are released into our air, our soil and our bodies of water. Today, I am renewing my call to advance these efforts,” Governor Doyle said. “I have made a commitment as this state’s governor to make sure Wisconsin has clean air and water. Mercury is a real threat not only to our rivers and lakes but also to the health of our citizens.”
The rule proposed by the Department of Natural Resources is innovative, flexible and will speed improvements to Wisconsin’s air quality. It requires power plants of 150 megawatts or greater to reduce mercury emissions by 90% by 2015. Or, utilities can pursue a multi-pollutant approach that puts new caps on other pollutants. Under this approach, utilities would be required by 2015 to achieve a 70% reduction in mercury, an 80% reduction in sulfur dioxide, and a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxides from current levels. Utilities would then be required to achieve an 80% mercury reduction by 2018, and a 90% mercury reduction by 2021.
The reduction will save more than $200 million in health care related costs and ensure that Wisconsin remains at the forefront of controlling this environmental hazard.
Wisconsin studies estimate that about 6 percent of women of childbearing age have elevated levels of mercury and that approximately 437,000 men and women in the state are exposed to higher than safe levels of mercury. Women of child-bearing age, infants and children are the populations at greatest risk from elevated mercury exposure.
Health risks include developmental effects such as lower performance on language, attention and memory tests and adverse effects in vision and motor functions. Recent research has also identified mercury effects on the immune system and a potential role of mercury exposure in elevating the risks of heart attacks in adults.
Reducing mercury emissions also protects the state’s tourism and recreation-based economy. Fishing is a $2.3 billion industry in Wisconsin, accounting for 26,000 jobs.
The proposed rule has broad support including public health professionals, legislators from both sides of the aisle, fishing organizations, Native American Tribes and environmental groups.
The DNR will host a public hearing concerning the rule on Monday, April 7, 2008. It will accept written comments until April 14, 2008.
