Clean Air News

Report Highlights Health Dangers Posed By Bush Administration Plan To Gut Mercury Protections

As the new home of RIPIRG's environmental work, Environment Rhode Island can be contacted regarding this news release.

June 5, Providence- Mercury contamination is at crisis levels at many of RI's favorite fishing spots, according to a new report released on June 05, 2003 by RIPIRG, detailing the most recent data on mercury fish consumption advisories issued in 2002. The report comes as the Bush administration is urging Congress to pass the so-called "Clear Skies Initiative," which would triple the amount of mercury pollution allowed from power plants.

According to Fishing for Trouble, a report released by RIPIRG, 17,328 acres of Rhode Island's lakes, 1,106 miles of Rhode Island's rivers were under mercury consumption advisories in 2002. These advisories warn Rhode Island residents, especially pregnant women and children who are especially vulnerable to mercury's serious health effects against eating fish caught in these bodies of water.

"Posted mercury warnings for our rivers and lakes are more widespread than ever before," said Angela Ledford, Clear the Air Director. "Now the Bush administration wants to triple the amount of mercury pollution allowed from power plants. That's fishing for trouble."

Mercury is a toxic metal that, when ingested, can lead to neurological damage, especially for children. Health problems include attention and language deficits, impaired memory, inability to process and recall information, and impaired visual and motor function. People are primarily exposed to the chronic effects of mercury by consuming mercury-contaminated food, such as fish. Eight percent of American women of childbearing age have elevated levels of mercury in their bodies, putting approximately 322,000 newborns at risk of neurological problems due to exposure in utero.

The Bush administration's air pollution plan would allow three times more mercury pollution from power plants than the existing Clean Air Act, allow industry ten additional years to implement mercury controls, and would allow some sources of mercury to pollute without any limits whatsoever. The report identifies aging, largely unregulated coal-fired power plants as the largest industrial source of mercury pollution.

"We have known for years that mercury poses a serious threat to public health and recreational fishing, but this report shows just how widespread the problem really is," said Eric Bourassa, a policy analyst with RIPIRG. "Congress should do everything they can to stop the Bush administration's air pollution plan."

Key findings of the report include:

• Nationally, there were 2,148 active mercury advisories in effect for at least 12 million acres of lakes (almost 30 percent of all lake acres) and 453,101 miles of rivers (almost 13 percent of all river miles). Fish consumption advisories on rivers and lakes warnings cover a greater area than ever before.

• Since 2001, the number of river miles under advisory for mercury has increased by 9 percent, and the number of lake acres under advisory for mercury has increased by 19 percent.

• Mercury contaminated fish are a threat to recreational fishing. In 2001, Rhode Island recreational anglers spent $105,649,000 on fishing.

• Nine of the 19 states with mercury warnings covering all of their inland lakes or rivers-Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin-are also among the top twenty states for expenditures on recreational fishing.

• More than $27.8 billion of the $36.5 billion spent on fishing in 2001 was spent in states that have active fish consumption warnings for mercury.

In addition to urging Congress to reject the Bush administration's air pollution plan, RIPIRG called on decision-makers to protect public health and recreational fishing by enacting measures that remove mercury from the fish supply. After years of delay, the Environmental Protection Agency could act as early as this year to deliver major reductions in mercury pollution from power plants through implementation of the Clean Air Act.

We urge the following policies to address the health hazards posed by mercury in our environment:

1) U.S. EPA should faithfully implement the Clean Air Act to reduce mercury emissions from power plants by at least 90 percent from existing levels; and

2) The Bush administration should abandon its so-called "Clear Skies" air pollution plan.

Fishing for Trouble was released during National Fishing and Boating Week, currently being celebrated around the country. States around the country are offering free fishing this week-a kick-off to a summer season that is seriously threatened by mercury contamination.