[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 111 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1713-E1714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE OMNIBUS MERCURY EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS H. ALLEN

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 2, 1999

  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce the Omnibus Mercury 
Emissions Reduction Act of 1999, a bill to reduce mercury emissions by 
95 percent nationwide. I am pleased to be joined by 27 of my colleagues 
who have agreed to be original cosponsors of this important 
legislation.
  Although mercury is a naturally occurring element, it has built up to 
dangerous levels in the environment. Mercury pollution impairs the 
reproductive and nervous systems of fish and wildlife, and can be 
extremely harmful when ingested by humans. It is especially dangerous 
to pregnant women, children and developing fetuses. Ingesting mercury 
can severely damage the central nervous system, causing numbness in 
extremities, impaired vision, kidney disease, and, in some cases, even 
death.
  According to EPA's ``Mercury Study Report to Congress,'' exposure to 
mercury poses a significant threat to human health, and concentrations 
of mercury in the environment are increasing. The report concludes that 
mercury pollution in the U.S. comes primarily from a

[[Page E1714]]

few categories of combustion units and incinerators. Together, these 
sources emit more than 155 tons of mercury into our environment each 
year. These emissions can be suspended in the air for up to a year, and 
travel hundreds of miles before settling in bodies of water and soil.
  Nearly every State confronts the health risks posed by mercury 
pollution, and the problem is growing. Just six years ago, 27 States 
had issued mercury advisories warning the public about consuming fish 
contaminated with mercury. Today, the number of States issuing 
advisories has risen to 40, and the number of water bodies covered by 
the warnings has nearly doubled. In some States, including my home 
State of Maine, every single river, lake, and stream is under a mercury 
advisory.
  This growing problem has already prompted action at the State and 
regional level. Last year the New England Governors and Eastern 
Canadian Premiers enacted a plan to reduce emissions, educate the 
public and label products that contain mercury. Maine and Vermont have 
passed legislation to cut mercury pollution, and Massachusetts and New 
Jersey have enacted strict mercury emissions standards on waste 
incinerators.
  Although there is a clear consensus that mercury pollution poses a 
serious threat, State and regional initiatives alone are not sufficient 
to deal with this problem. As Congress recognized when it passed the 
Clean Air Act nearly 30 years ago, Federal legislation is the only 
effective way to deal with airborne pollutants that know no State 
boundaries.
  That is why I am introducing legislation to reduce the amount of 
mercury emitted from the largest polluters. This bill sets mercury 
emissions standards for coal-fired utilities, waste combustors, 
commercial and industrial boilers, chlor-alkali plants and Portland 
cement plants. According to EPA's report to Congress, these sources are 
responsible for more than 87 percent of all mercury emissions in the 
U.S.
  My bill also phases out the use of mercury in products and ensures 
that municipalities work with waste incinerators to keep products that 
contain mercury out of the waste stream. It would also require a 
recycling program for products that contain mercury as an essential 
component, and increases research into the effects of mercury 
pollution.
  With mercury levels in the environment growing every year, it is long 
past time to enact a comprehensive strategy for controlling mercury 
pollution. We have the technology for companies to meet these 
standards, and this bill will allow them to choose the best approach 
for their facility. We have reduced or eliminated other toxins, without 
the catastrophic effects that some industries predicted. Now we should 
eliminate dangerous levels of mercury. I urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation and stop mercury from polluting our waters, infecting 
our fish and wildlife, and threatening the health of our children.

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