Poisoning the Great Lakes: 25 Coal-fired Power Plants Responsible For Half the Region's Mercury Pollution

OH, PA and IN Are Home to Region's Worst Mercury Polluters, Followed by MI, IL, WI, MN and NY; Vote in Congress to Test Support of Region's U.S. Senators for EPA Curb on Neurotoxin.

CHICAGO, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just ahead of a major U.S. Senate vote on the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to clean up mercury and other toxic air pollutants, a Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) report shows that the 25 worst coal-fired power plants account for more than half of the dangerous mercury pollution emitted by the total of 144 electricity generation facilities in the Great Lakes region. The report also finds that almost 90 percent of the toxic emissions could be eliminated with off-the-shelf technologies.

According to "Poisoning the Great Lakes: Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants In the Great Lakes Region," Ohio emits the largest amount of mercury from coal-fired power plants (21 percent of the total in the Great Lakes region), followed closely by Pennsylvania (20 percent) and Indiana (16 percent). The remaining five states in the region rank as follows: Michigan (14 percent); Illinois (11 percent); Wisconsin (9.5 percent); Minnesota (6.5 percent); and New York (2 percent). Plants from outside the region also contribute to mercury pollution in the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes region's five worst coal-fired power plants for mercury pollution are: Shawville (Clearfield County, PA); Monroe (Monroe County, MI); Homer City (Indiana County, PA); Cardinal (Jefferson County, OH); and Sherburne County (Sherburne County, MN). (See the complete list below of the worst 25.) A dozen power plants in Ohio and Indiana -- owned in whole or part by American Electric Power -- accounted for 19 percent of all mercury emitted in 2010 from the total of 144 coal-fired power plants in the region.

U.S. Senator James Inhofe, R-OK, recently filed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution (S.J. Res. 37) to void health standards reducing mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants and to permanently block EPA from re-issuing similar safeguards.

Thomas Cmar, attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council office in Chicago, said: "Mercury is a dangerous brain poison that doesn't belong in our Great Lakes. It puts the health of kids and pregnant women at risk and adds an unwelcome danger to eating what our fishermen catch. That's why it is so important that we support the EPA's standards to reduce mercury pollution by holding polluters accountable. Even more critical is that every single U.S. Senator from the region stand up for the Lakes by rejecting reckless attempts to derail the long overdue Clean Air Act updates that can help tame this problem."

Cindy Copeland, report author and formerly with the EPA Air Program, said: "Mercury is poisoning the Great Lakes and the three states - Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania -- that impose no rules are by far the worst offenders. Airborne mercury from coal-fired power plants in the Great Lakes Region harms our health, and the benefits of reducing mercury emissions are well worth the cost. With a reduction of health costs to the economy at up to $90 billion, it is hard to say no to this."

In the Great Lakes region, there are more than 144 coal-fired power plants which pumped over 13,000 pounds of mercury into the air in 2010. Mercury pollution from these plants' region accounts for close to 25 percent of the nation's total. The Great Lakes region is comprised of the five Great Lakes (Erie, Ontario, Huron, Michigan, and Superior) and the eight surrounding states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin).

Eating poisoned fish is the primary cause of mercury poisoning of humans. Mercury is a neurotoxin that harms the brain, heart, central nervous system, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. Young children and developing fetuses are most at risk, and can suffer developmental problems from mercury poisoning.

THE WORST-25 GREAT LAKES REGION COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

1. Shawville (Clearfield Cty, PA)
2. Monroe (Monroe Cty, MI)
3. Homer City (Indiana Cty, PA)
4. Cardinal (Jefferson Cty, OH)
5. Sherburne County (Sherburne Cty, MN)
6. Muskingum River (Washington Cty, OH)
7. Hatfield's Ferry (Fayette Cty, PA)
8. Walter C Beckjord (Clermont Cty, OH)
9. Wabash River (Vigo Cty, IN)
10. Newton (Jasper Cty, IL)
11. Pleasant Prairie (Kenosha Cty, WI)
12. Belle River (St. Clair Cty, MI)
13. Clifty Creek (Jefferson Cty, IN)
14. Columbia (Columbia Cty, WI)
15. St Clair (St Clair Cty, MI)
16. Rockport (Spencer Cty, IN)
17. Gavin (Gallia Cty, OH)
18. Bruce Mansfield (Beaver Cty, PA)
19. South Oak Creek (Milwaukee Cty, WI)
20. Kyger Creek (Gallia Cty, OH)
21. State Line (Lake Cty, IN)
22. J M Stuart (Brown Cty, OH)
23. Tanners Creek (Dearborn Cty, IN)
24. Boswell (Itasca Cty, MN)
25. Joppa Steam (Massac Cty, IL)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued nationwide rules to require coal-fired power plants to limit airborne mercury emissions and other toxic air pollutants by 2015. The technologies to meet the EPA's mercury limits are widely available and effective.

Based on projected reductions in fine particulate emissions due to the combined benefits of various air toxic pollution controls, the EPA has projected that the benefits of its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) far outweigh the costs of pollution controls. The health benefits of the MATS are projected to be worth $37 to $90 billion in 2016 alone. The EPA has projected that the majority of the benefits would be reaped in the eastern United States, including the Great Lakes region.

Mercury emitted into the air from coal-fired power plants is by far the leading man-made source of mercury reaching the Great Lakes and the lakes, rivers, and streams of the Great Lakes region. This report lists the top 25 mercury emitting plants in the region. Mercury pollution from plants outside the region also contributes to the overall quantity of mercury found in the Great Lakes. When coal is burned to produce electricity, mercury is emitted into the air. The EPA estimates that coal-fired power plants are the largest man-made source of mercury pollution, accounting for 50 percent of mercury air emissions in the United States.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Livingston, Montana, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.

SOURCE Natural Resources Defense Council, New York
Web Site: http://www.nrdc.org

National Poll Shows Strong Disapproval for President Obama's Smog Rule Delay, Unfavorable Ratings for Congress' Assault on Clean Air Act

9 Battleground States Also Surveyed: Suburban Women in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Latino Women in California, Florida and New Mexico Disagree With Obama Decision; Health Also Trumps Polluters in Colorado, Nevada, and Virginia.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Obama's decision to block new public health standards for ozone and smog pollution may have pleased big business, but it sorely disappointed key demographic groups, including Latinos and women nationally and in nine key 2012 battleground states, according to 10 new polls conducted for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the League of Women Voters of the US (LWV), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Among the national poll's major findings:

• Nationwide, 70 percent of Americans disapproved of Obama's decision to block the ozone pollution standard while only 30 percent approved.  Roughly eight out of 10 women (79 percent) overall and 71 percent of Latino women disapproved of Obama's decision on ozone.
• Nearly four out of five Americans (78 percent) want the EPA to hold corporate polluters accountable for what they release into the community.  Better than four out five women (83 percent) and 80 percent of Latino women share this view.

Americans don't buy the line from some in Congress that EPA safeguards are bad for jobs and the economy and they support stricter safeguards against the toxic chemicals released by power plants. Women and Latino women particularly want stronger protections from toxic air and carbon pollution.

• Roughly seven out of 10 Americans (69 percent) agree with health experts who support reducing toxic air pollution from industrial sources and oppose those in Congress who say they must overrule the EPA to protect jobs; three out of four women overall and 73 percent of Latino women agree with health experts.
• Seven out of 10 support the EPA requiring stricter limits on the amount of toxic chemicals that industrial facilities can release and 69 percent are in favor of the EPA limiting the amount of carbon pollution that power plants and industrial facilities can release. Among women overall, 77 percent support stronger toxics limits and 78 percent support limiting carbon pollution; 76 percent and 77 percent of Latino women support those limits, respectively.

The polls, conducted between October 6-9, 2011  by Public Policy Polling (PPP), surveyed 1,249 registered voters nationwide (as well as a national oversample of 200 Latino women); and surveyed voters in nine 2012 battleground states: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia with oversamples of suburban women and Latino women in several states.  To access all PPP survey results, go to http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/paltman/polls_obamas_ozone_retreat_dis.html.

"Delaying clean air standards endangers Latino communities across the country.  This poll shows how disappointed the Latino community is with President Obama and Congress when it comes to cleaning up our air," said Brent A. Wilkes, national executive director, League of United Latin American Citizens. "Latinos are more likely to live in counties with air pollution levels that are unhealthy due to fine particulates and ozone -- two dangerous and prevalent pollutants that cause or worsen respiratory problems.  Latino children are 60 percent more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic Whites."

Support for the EPA and stricter pollution limits is particularly strong among Latino women in key states. Asked whether they support the EPA's work to hold polluters accountable, 80 percent of Latino women in California, 79 percent in Florida and 86 percent in New Mexico said yes.

"Americans clearly are very displeased that politicians are interfering with EPA scientists.  It's wrong to play politics with the health of our children and seniors," said Elisabeth MacNamara, president of the League of Women Voters of the US.   "From the president's decision to delay smog pollution standards to the Congress's attempts to block EPA action on everything from mercury to soot to carbon, the voting public is fed up with politicians second guessing the science.  It's fundamentally unfair for polluters to force us to live with unhealthy air, which causes asthma attacks, heart attacks and even premature death."

Support for stronger pollution limits and opposition to blocking the EPA is markedly strong among suburban women in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

• 79 percent of suburban women in Michigan, 76 percent in Ohio and 87 percent in Pennsylvania disagreed with Obama's decision to block stronger smog standards.
• 78 percent of suburban women in Michigan, 78 percent in Ohio and 82 percent in Pennsylvania support reducing toxic air pollution from industrial sources and oppose those in Congress who say they must overrule the EPA to protect jobs.Independent respondents also expressed strong support for the EPA's mission and efforts to reduce pollution, and disagree with those who would block the EPA.  More than three out of four (77 percent) support the EPA's efforts to hold polluters accountable and 68 percent say the President should not have blocked stronger smog standards and that Congress should not block stronger limits on toxic air pollution.

"What is clear from this polling is what we've known all along:  Americans want cleaner, healthier air and want corporate polluters held accountable for their actions.  President Obama's decision to delay the ozone air pollution standard puts him out of step with most Americans, and notably with independents, women and Latinos," said Wesley Warren, director of programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Tom Jensen, director, Public Policy Polling, said: "The shorthand version of these findings is clear:  Attacks on clean air and the federal agency charged with protecting the environment and the health of Americans is an unpopular position with most Americans, including those in nine key 2012 battleground states.    These poll findings provide more than ample evidence that assaults on the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency are likely to be perceived as decidedly extreme and well outside of the mainstream of the public's thinking."

About the national poll:  The margin of error for the national survey is +/-2.8 percent. Margins of error for oversamples and states vary. Public Policy Polling surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.  PPP is a national survey research firm located in Raleigh, North Carolina.  It was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the two most accurate polling companies in the country for its swing state polling in 2008. More recently it was recognized by the Washington Post and Politico for its pinpoint polling of the surprising results in the Delaware Republican Senate primary and the Massachusetts Senate special election.

SOURCE  League of United Latin American Citizens, League of Women Voters, and Natural Resources Defense Council
League of United Latin American Citizens, League of Women Voters, and Natural Resources Defense Council
CONTACT: Leslie Anderson, +1-703-276-3256, landerson@hastingsgroup.com

 

Poll to Show Strong Disapproval of Obama, Congress on Smog Rule Delay and Assault on EPA

LULAC, League of Women Voters, NRDC Survey Finds Hispanic and Women Voters in Nine Battleground States - CA, CO, FL, MI, NV, NM, OH, PA and VA - Trust Public Health Experts Over Congress on Pollution Matters

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A major opinion poll to be released at 1 p.m. EDT Thursday (October 13, 2011) will show that recent actions by President Obama and Congress on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules and Clean Air Act protections are meeting with widespread disapproval, including key battleground state constituents groups (Hispanics and women).

The poll, which was conducted between October 6-10, 2011 by Public Policy Polling for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the League of Women Voters in the US (LWV), and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), surveyed 1,249 voters nationwide and also within a subset of nine key 2012 battleground states: California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

News event speakers are:

• Brent A. Wilkes, national executive director, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC);
• Elisabeth MacNamara, president, League of Women Voters;
• Wesley Warren, director of programs, Natural Resources Defense Council;  and
• Tom Jensen, director, Public Policy Polling.

TO PARTICIPATE: You can join this live, phone-based news conference (with full, two-way Q&A) at 1 p.m. EDT on October 13, 2011 by dialing 1 (800) 860-2442. Ask for the "Voters and the EPA" telenews event.

CAN'T PARTICIPATE?:  A streaming audio replay of the news event will be available on the Web at http://www.nrdc.org as of 5 p.m. EDT on October 13, 2011.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or landerson@hastingsgroup.com.

LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic Organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 900 LULAC councils nationwide. The organization involves and serves all Hispanic nationality groups. For more information, see: http://www.lulac.org.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League's enduring vitality and resonance comes from its unique decentralized structure. The League is a grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels. For more information, see: http://www.lwv.org.

NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.3 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals. For more information, see: http://www.nrdc.org.

SOURCE  League of United Latin American Citizens, League of Women Voters, and Natural Resources Defense Council
League of United Latin American Citizens, League of Women Voters, and Natural Resources Defense Council
Web Site: http://www.nrdc.org