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"Mercury emissions hurt the environment and can cause serious
physical harm to children," Blagojevich said. "The new federal
mercury regulations don't go far enough in protecting the public
from what we know are very dangerous emissions. That's why we are
proposing much stronger regulations here in Illinois to make sure
people can safely enjoy our air and water and the fish from our
rivers and lakes." Mercury can cause serious health problems to
the human nervous system. Pregnant women, women of childbearing age
and children younger than 15 years of age are especially at risk.
Developing fetuses can be exposed to mercury when a mother eats
tainted fish and can suffer mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
lower IQs, slow motor functions, deafness, blindness and other
health problems. Recent studies indicate that as many as 10 percent
of babies born each year in the United States are exposed to
excessive mercury levels in the womb.
In the U.S., an estimated 43 percent of mercury emissions come
from power plants, making them the largest man-made source of
mercury emissions. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
estimates that the state's coal-fired power plants emit 3.5 tons of
mercury into the air every year. Mercury becomes toxic when it
enters lakes and streams from the atmosphere through rain and snow.
People can become exposed to dangerous levels of mercury by eating
fish from contaminated lakes and waterways.
The Illinois Fish Containment Monitoring Program issued "fish
advisories" warning Illinois residents to limit the amount of fish
they eat from Lake Michigan and all of Illinois' inland lakes and
waterways.
Mercury contamination is a nationwide problem. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule on
March 10, 2005, which required coal-fired power plants to reduce
mercury emissions 47 percent by 2010 and 79 percent by 2018. The
proposed Illinois rules are significantly stronger, requiring a 90
percent emissions reduction by June 30, 2009, and prohibiting power
plants from purchasing allowances or trading emissions credits with
other companies or states -- practices that can lead to toxic "hot
spots" in areas where individual plants are able to get around
emissions standards.
"The federal rules just don't go far enough," said Doug Scott,
director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. "Illinois'
approach is more stringent and effective in that it will require
greater reductions, quicker reductions and guarantee that the
emissions are drastically reduced in Illinois."
"Under the Environmental Article of the Illinois Constitution,
all of us have the duty to provide for a healthful environment for
this and future generations," said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. "Today's
proposed rule to cut mercury emissions from power plants will
dramatically improve Illinois' environment for this and future
generations."
Recognizing the varying age and condition of existing coal-fired
power plants that produce energy in Illinois, the proposal would
require that power plant operators must reduce emissions by an
average of 90 percent across their entire fleet of plants by June
30, 2009. Each individual plant must achieve at least a 75 percent
reduction by 2009 and 90 percent reduction by Dec. 31, 2012.
Illinois' fleet of coal-burning power plants is the largest in the
nation to be subject to such dramatic emission limits.
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 "Governor Blagojevich's mercury reduction plan is a home run,"
said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and
Policy Center. "It will protect our children's health and
environment by reducing 90 percent of the mercury pollution from
Illinois coal plants. We commend the governor on his leadership and
look forward to working with his agencies to implement these strong
standards for installing modern pollution control technology on
Illinois coal plants."
"If enacted, this proposal will not only protect the health of
Illinois children, it will also set an example for America to follow
in addressing a major public health problem," said Jack Darin,
director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. "Mothers and women
hoping to have children shouldn't have to worry that by eating fish
and feeding it to their kids that they could be doing permanent
damage to a child's brain. We hope Illinois power plants will heed
Governor Blagojevich's call to clean up their act and protect our
children's health. The technology to protect our kids is available,
affordable, and it's time we put it on these smokestacks."
"The good news is, the state is doing what federal regulators
refused to do," said Jean Flemma, executive director of Prairie
Rivers Network. "Instead of having some of the largest mercury
emissions in the country, Illinois will now be at the forefront of
reducing mercury pollution, protecting our children's health and
serving as a model for other states. We support the governor's
proposal and thank him and the Illinois EPA for their leadership.
This is a huge victory for public health in Illinois, and the
governor should be commended for taking the lead in protecting our
citizens, our communities and our environment."
"By requiring Illinois power plants to cut 90 percent or more of
their mercury pollution by 2009, this administration is making it
clear that putting our children at risk for brain damage is not an
acceptable cost of doing business in this state," said Rebecca
Stanfield, executive director of the Illinois Public Interest
Research Group.
"Mercury is a poison that hits the most sensitive among us --
children, women and subsistence anglers -- from fish consumption in
Lake Michigan and other state waters," said Cameron Davis, executive
director of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. "We commend Governor
Blagojevich for his stand in recognizing that Lake Michigan and the
public health are too important to leave unprotected by weak federal
measures."
The new emission standards are expected to provide economic
benefits across the state. Construction jobs will be created as
companies invest in pollution control equipment and installation for
their coal-fired power plants. And as mercury levels drop, the
state's fishing industry may also see a boost because the fish will
be safer to eat.
Illinois joins half a dozen other states that have, or are in the
process of developing, emissions standards stricter than the federal
guidelines: Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North
Carolina and Wisconsin.
See also:
[News release from the governor's
office]
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