New federal rule targets harmful mercury emissions

[May 01, 2010]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration says 5,000 deaths could be prevented each year under new rules announced Friday to limit the amount of mercury and other harmful pollutants released by industrial boilers and solid waste incinerators.

The planned rules would reduce mercury emissions more than 50 percent by requiring steep and costly cuts from companies operating some 200,000 industrial boilers, heaters and incinerators.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed the rules Friday and must seek public comment before they are made final.

Industrial boilers and heaters are the second largest source of mercury emissions in the United States, after coal-fired power plants. The boilers burn coal and other fuels to generate heat or electricity and are used by petroleum refiners, chemical and manufacturing plants, paper mills, municipal utilities and even shopping malls and universities.

The incinerators burn waste to dispose of it, and some also turn it into energy.

The EPA said the new federal limits would save lives and prevent up to 36,000 asthma attacks each year by reducing air pollution.

Once airborne, mercury eventually settles in water, where it builds up in ocean and freshwater fish and can be highly toxic to people who eat them. Mercury can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in children and fetuses.

The estimated cost of installing and operating the required pollution controls total about $3.6 billion per year, the EPA said.

Some lawmakers representing industrial states have protested placing the added burden on businesses when many are struggling because of the recession.

Sen. Robert Casey, D-Penn., wrote in a March 17 letter to the EPA that forcing companies to spend so much "will only result in plant closings and further loss of jobs."

A spokesman for Casey said Friday the senator was reviewing the new rule and had no immediate comment.

The EPA estimated the rules would lead to savings of $18 billion to $44 billion annually, measured in work days not missed, hospital visits avoided and illnesses prevented.

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson called the proposed rule "a cost-effective, common-sense way to protect our health and the health of our children, and get America moving into the clean economy of the future."

Frank O'Donnell, president of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch, said the rules are "a huge step toward protecting children from toxic mercury and other hazards from smokestack pollution."

The limits would take effect after a 45-day public comment period. A hearing is likely in June.

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On the Net:

EPA mercury rule: http://www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/

[Associated Press; By MATTHEW DALY]

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