By a vote of 40 to 10, the Senate this week passed Senate Bill 1201 (MJ.White-R-Venango, Musto-D-Luzerne) that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants by 86 percent by 2018.

“Today’s vote demonstrates the Senate’s commitment to protecting the public’s health -- especially among our most vulnerable citizens and the unborn -- in a balanced manner that protects jobs, minimizes the impact on electric bills, and preserves our generating capacity,” said Sen. White.

The Senate plan is an alternative to a mercury reduction plan proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection that opponents said could result in the premature retirement of 20 percent of Pennsylvania’s coal-fired generating capacity, the elimination of family-sustaining jobs and increases in the cost of electricity for no added benefit to protecting public health or the environment. (See Regulations for more on the mercury rule.)

The legislation is supported by a labor/business coalition that includes: the United Mine Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, Pennsylvania Coal Association, Electric Power Generation Association, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council and Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania.

“This bill will require power plant owners to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in advanced clean air controls to reduce mercury emissions, covering 90 percent of the power plants in Pennsylvania, according to DEP,” said Edward D. Yankovich, International Vice President, United Mine Workers of America. “Installing these controls means these plants could continue to burn Pennsylvania coal and help protect mine worker jobs.”

“Studies show there is virtually no difference between adopting this legislation and zeroing out all mercury emissions from all power plants in the U.S.,” said Donald Siegel, International Vice President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “80 percent of the mercury consumed by Americans comes from ocean and saltwater fish that would not be affected by reducing U.S. utility mercury emissions.”

In fact, power plants in Pennsylvania already have reduced mercury emissions by 33 percent from 1999 to 2004, according to the federal Toxics Release Inventory, and yet this significant reduction did not even register on the state’s Mercury Monitoring Network, according to DEP.

These results demonstrates clearly that mercury is coming from a variety of sources, not just local power plants, and the Senate/House plan is the only proposal that facilitates Pennsylvania’s participation in a national program to reduce mercury emissions.

“The risk of power plants switching to coal mined in other states is very real, because Pennsylvania coal has twice the mercury content of coal from other states,” according to George L. Ellis, President of the Pennsylvania Coal Association. “If this legislation is not adopted, power generators will have no choice but to consider switching to out-of-state coal with a much lower mercury content and our jobs will go with it.”

Link: www.PaEnergyNews.com

Session Schedule

The Senate and House return to session on June 26 until whenever…

On the Hill

· On the Senate, House Agenda

· Senate/House Bills Moving/Introduced

· Senate Acts to Restore Some Environmental Funding Cuts, But Long Way to Go

· House Committee Meets on Mine Families First, Oil & Gas Leases

· Senate Committee Sets Hearing on Tritium at Landfills, Considers Tank Bill

· New Member of Senate Environmental Resources Committee Named

· Joint Committee Survey Charts Attitudes About Litter, Roadside Beautification

Other News

· Groups Rally to Support Santorum Bill to Restore Mine Reclamation Funding

· DEP Says ‘Stay Out/Stay Alive’ From Abandoned Mines, Quarries

· Engineering Technical Assistance Program Celebrates Five Year Anniversary

· Erie Agrees to Install Hydrogen Bioreactor at Wastewater Treatment Plant

· Expedition Susquehanna Hits the Water!

· Watershed Art Contest Winners Announced By Pennsylvania American

· 2006 Schuylkill River Outreach Team Begins Camp Program

· New EPA WaterSense Program Saves Dollars and Makes Sense

· Coatesville’s Charlie Root Receives EPA National Award

· Compost/Recycling Yard Waste-- Reduce Waste, Save Money

· Hard to Recycle Collection Event in Pittsburgh July 15

· Sen. Williams Applauds DuPont Grant to Cobbs Creek Environmental Center

· Keith Williams, Hercules Cement, Receives R. Emmet Doherty Clean Air Award

· Valesky’s Market Earns Energy Star Award

· PUC Adopts Net Metering Rule for Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

· PUC Hears Options to Mitigate Electric Prices Increases When Caps Come Off

· PUC Releases Report on Market Conditions for Pike County Light & Power

· DCNR Survey Shows Deer Numbers Vary Widely in 460,000+ Acres of Woodlands

See & Hear

· Watershed Specialists Are Making A Difference

Feature

· Audenreid Treatment Project Dedicated, Will Clean Up 34 Miles of Catawissa Creek

Go To: PA Environment Digest Calendar Page

6/23/2006