Updates on the Bush Administration's environmental record, delivered straight to your inbox.
Privacy policy

December 18, 2006
EPA Exempts Pesticides from Clean Water Act

November 17, 2006
EPA’s New Air Quality Standards Endanger Public Health

November 02, 2006
Bush Names Exxon Chief to Chart America’s Energy Future

See Articles By Category

Enter keyword(s) to search through back issues:

Mother Jones Feature
In the most recent issue of Mother Jones the growing consequences of pollution and environmental toxins for the region are highlighted in Dozens of Words for Snow, None for Pollution by Marla Cone. The article is free of charge to readers of BushGreenwatch.org.
 
Exxpose Exxon
A coalition of environmental and public interest groups spotlighting ExxonMobil’s efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, prevent action on global warming, and encourage America’s oil dependence.
 
Gristmill
Grist Magazine's new blog is the place for continuous commentary from a stable of smarty-pants writers the likes of which the environmental world has never seen.
 
REP America
View the website for the "environmental conscience of the GOP." This site includes the Campaign for Change: Action Plan for a Green GOP Century.
 
Environmental Health News
Sign up to receive daily news summaries of environmental health coverage from around the world, in your inbox by 9 am ET.


>E-mail this story
>Print this page
>Send BushGreenwatch to a friend

September 16, 2005 | Back Issues « previous | next »
Six Senate Democrats Vote to Retain Bush Mercury Rule

The nation's environmental health protections suffered a severe
setback this week when six Democratic Senators joined 45
Republicans to defeat an effort to overturn the Bush
Administration's new rule regulating mercury emissions.

Health experts assert that the new EPA rule, which institutes a
"cap-and-trade" system for mercury emissions, will cause
dangerous hot spots of mercury pollution in regions where a
power plant can buy pollution "credits" rather than reduce its
emissions.

Democrats joining in the 51-47 vote against repealing rule
included Senators Max Baucus (MT); Robert Byrd (WV); Kent Conrad
(ND); Byron Dorgan (ND): Ben Nelson (NE); Mark Pryor (AR).

Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) called the new rule illegal. "After
careful review, I have concluded that... this was an intentional
and illegal attempt to circumvent the law and that it was
designed to benefit big energy companies at the expense of the
public health," said Jeffords. [1]

The Bush Administration rule was supported by large U.S. coal
users, including American Electric Power Co. and the Southern
Company. [2]

Power plants are the largest man-made source of mercury
emissions in the U.S. In sum, power plants are responsible for
41% of annual mercury emissions. [3]

The federal government, along with 44 states, has already issued
warnings about consuming fish contaminated with mercury. Women
of childbearing age, infants and young children are most at risk
from exposure to the neurotoxin. Elevated levels of mercury can
harm brain and nervous system development in children and
developing fetuses. [4]

The resolution to rescind the mercury rule was co-sponsored by
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) and Maine Republican
Senator Susan Collins.

The Senate vote may not mark the end of the issue. Several
lawsuits challenging various aspects of the Administration's
mercury policy are pending in the federal courts.

###

SOURCES:
[1] "Jeffords: Mercury Rule Illegal," WCAX-TV, Sept. 13, 2005.
[2] "U.S. Senate Upholds EPA's Power-Plant Mercury Rule,"
Bloomberg, Sept. 13, 2005.
[3] US PIRG website.
[4] EPA website.





E-mail this story | Print this page | Send BushGreenwatch to a friend