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Citizens say mercury polluters’ time is up

In one of the nation's most mercury-polluted states, a group of citizens are encouraging federal regulators in their effort to tightly restrict mercury emissions from local power plants.

At a "teach-in" event in Charleston hosted by the Sierra Club, concerned West Virginia residents met to discuss the Environmental Protection Agency's latest efforts to rein in mercury emissions from power plants. The deadline for the toxic air pollution reduction rule is coming Dec. 16.

"I'm sympathetic when we learn a new scientific fact that we need to give industry time for a transition and to be in compliance with more stringent standards," said Renate Pore, policy director of West Virginians for Affordable Healthcare.  "I think we've already … we've known these facts for a long time and we don't need to delay anymore. If the EPA has the standards ready, West Virginia politicians should not fight them. It's about the health of our population."

Last year, a report titled "Dirty Energy's Assault on our Health: Mercury" ] from Environment America, a federation of state-based environmental advocacy organizations, identified West Virginia as the state with the highest levels of mercury pollution.

Mercury pollution is strongly linked to birth defects and other health issues. Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants account for much of the mercury pollution found in the environment.

"The constitution of children in their developmental stages is very delicate and can easily be harmed," Pore said. "Having toxic materials in our environment can do a lot to harm them.

"…You and I may be able to tolerate mercury in the environment, but a pregnant woman and a baby and a young child will have a totally different reaction. That's who we're really trying to protect here."

Exposure to mercury has been linked to mental retardation, birth defects, cardiovascular issues, blindness, seizures, cerebral palsy, autism and even death.

The decision is likely to have effects beyond just forcing plants to retrofit environmental protections on old plants.

"This rule will force the people who operate coal-fired power plants to make decisions as to whether to shut those plants down or not shut those plants down," said Bill Price, environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club. "We think particularly the old antiquated 40 to 50 year old plants should be shut down."

Efforts to delay, limit or dispose of the bills have been made in Congress. Most of those efforts have been justified by the costs of compliance and what that may mean for jobs in West Virginia and the rest of the nation.

Price said that regardless of cost or jobs that may be eliminated, moved or otherwise affected, health should come first.

"What's important here to remember is that this is about the health of people in West Virginia and the health of the people in the entire country," Price said. "There is no argument to be made – health trumps everything."

Proposed legislation by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. would delay implementation of the rule, without reducing the stringency of the legislation. Manchin has argued that the legislation protects the environment without devastating effects to electric grid reliability, jobs or electricity prices.

Price said there's no time to delay implementation of the rules.

"It's not a reasonable proposal, because to delay – for every day that we delay these kinds of kinds of strong regulations, people die," Price said. "The time for delay is gone. For mercury, the time is now. This is a health crisis and we need to move quick to protect the people."

Price said his hope is the EPA will go even beyond their current efforts. He points to surface mining and coal ash impoundments as additional sources of mercury pollution.

"It's a naturally occurring substance in coal," Price said. "If you scrub it out of the emissions at the power plants that means you put in the coal ash impoundment. You can not get rid of the mercury … There is no mercury magic show."

Price said surface mining, also known as strip mining or mountaintop removal mining, needs to stop now. He said this rule by the EPA will be the first step in what he hopes to be a transition away from coal-fired electrical generation, or getting "beyond coal."

"It is up to the policymakers in West Virginia to diversify our economy so it's not so related to coal, burning, mining, processing or any other way," Price said. "That's the solution. We still have time to do that, but we better get on that now."

Or, as Price told attendants of the teach-in, "if we don't have a transition, we will have a revolution."

Contrary to most West Virginia's congressional delegation, Price said he and other environmental advocates are excited about what has been a recently more active EPA.

"We're excited that the Environmental Protection Agency is doing its job it was supposed to be doing all along," Price said. "Under previous administrations it was kept from doing and is not is able to do it."

Price emphasized to those in attendance that one of the most important things they can do is stand behind the EPA in protecting West Virginia's health and resources.

"The citizens of West Virginia deserve and need those regulations and an EPA that will do their job to protect the health of West Virginians."

He later added, "I think we've waited long enough."