http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=0edb5912-1 695-4221-af28-fdd33e780d91 Coal-fired power plants skirt rules Kennedy: Mercury is a cross-border threat. Bush administration proposal for clear skies pegs 70% reduction in emission - by 2018 CATHERINE SOLYOM The Gazette, Friday, September 17, 2004 U.S. coal-fired power plants are poisoning Canadian fish with mercury, a coalition of U.S. and Canadian environmentalists said yesterday as they filed a formal complaint with the NAFTA Commission for Environmental Co-operation in Montreal. The number of warnings against consuming fish because of high mercury levels has risen dramatically over the last decade and it's time the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforced its regulations to stop the pollution of lakes and rivers, they said. "U.S. coal plants are using our waters as toxic waste dumps," said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance. "The Bush administration's refusal to enforce the Clean Water Act gives these companies an unfair advantage. We are asking (the CEC) to take action to stop a corporate handout and protect the health of children in the U.S. and Canada." In its submission to the CEC, the coalition alleges the EPA allows coal-fired plants to provide cheaper energy to U.S. companies, at the expense of the environment, giving them an unfair advantage over cleaner, Canadian energy producers and users. Coal-fired plants provide 50 per cent of electricity in the U.S. The coalition cites statistics on mercury emissions and their impact on both sides of the border: U.S. coal-fired power plants, concentrated in the Midwestern states, are the largest source of mercury, emitting 43.5 metric tonnes, compared with Canadian plants in Ontario, Alberta and the Maritimes that emit 2.5 tonnes. U.S. sources account for 38 per cent of mercury deposits in the Canadian portion of the Great Lakes - the rest comes from Canadian and "global" sources, like power plants in Asia. A study by the EPA presented in January estimated one in six women of childbearing age has mercury levels in her blood high enough to put her baby at risk of developmental problems. Indeed, Health Canada has warned children and pregnant women not to eat certain kinds of fish more than once a month, because of the mercury content. "A lot of Canadians live closer to U.S. coal-fired plants than Americans (do), and we're downwind," said Sierra Legal Defence Fund lawyer Albert Koehl from Toronto. The CEC's Geoffrey Garver said it first has to determine whether to request a response from the EPA. The head of the EPA is one of three members on the CEC council, along with the environment ministers from Canada and Mexico. "(The submission) has to be aimed at promoting enforcement rather than harassing industry," Garver said, "and it has to indicate the EPA's response, if any." The Bush administration has proposed a "clear skies" plan to reduce mercury emissions by 70 per cent, but not until 2018 at the earliest. Critics say the plan could allow plants to trade emission rights, resulting in "hot spots" with high mercury levels. Meanwhile, as natural gas prices rise, the U.S. is considering building more coal-fired plants to meet increasing demand. csolyom@thegazette.canwest.com --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.760 / Virus Database: 509 - Release Date: 9/10/2004
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