Reducing mercury emissions
10 Nov 2003
Toxic mercury emissions from power plants could be reduced by over 90% - from 48 tons annually down to only 7 tons annually - through the use of commercially available mercury reduction technologies according to a new report from the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM).
The report from the non-profit association of air quality agencies of the Northeast states, entitled 'Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants: The Case for Regulatory Action,' coincides with the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) requirement to establish a standard for mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by mid-December.
The US Clean Air Act requires that the EPA establish a Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) 'floor' for existing sources of mercury. The MACT floor cannot be less stringent than the average emission limitation achieved by the best performing 12% of power plants for which the EPA has data. And the new report says that these top 12% are already achieving a 91% reduction in mercury from combusted coal.
Mercury is widely recognised as a potent neurotoxin. Mercury emissions from coal-fired utility plants - the largest source of mercury - are not currently regulated in the US.
In 1994, environmental groups sued the EPA for failure to issue the mercury emissions reductions standards in compliance with the Clean Air Act. After nearly a decade's delay, the EPA is now required by a court-approved settlement agreement to issue proposed regulations limiting the mercury emissions of power plants on a national basis in the US by December 15, 2003 and to issue final regulations by December 15, 2004.
NESCAUM's report is available on its web site.
