Clean Air Program Reports

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Executive Summary

Our environment, and now our food supply, is becoming increasingly contaminated with mercury, an extremely dangerous toxic chemical. When mercury is ingested in its organic form, methylmercury, it can lead to neurological damage, especially in children. Health impacts of exposure to mercury include attention and language deficits, impaired memory, inability to process and recall information, and impaired visual and motor function. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in its January 2003 study that 8 percent of American women of childbearing age have elevated levels of mercury in their bodies from eating contaminated fish. This means that approximately 322,000 newborns are at risk of neurological problems due to exposure in utero.

Mercury Contamination is a Widespread and Growing Concern
Currently, 43 states have advisories in effect for mercury-contaminated fish, warning the general population or sensitive subpopulations to reduce or avoid consumption, compared to only 27 states in 1993 and 39 states in 1997. This is nearly a 60% increase in 10 years. An analysis of EPA data from December 31, 2001 to December 31, 2002 found that:

• State agencies have 2,148 active mercury advisories in effect for at least 12,111,733 acres of lakes (including statewide advisories), or almost 30% of all lake acres; 453,101 miles of river (including statewide advisories), or almost 13% of all river miles; 15,639 miles of coastal areas (not including statewide advisories); 2,333 miles of our Great Lake coasts and tributaries; and 166,534 acres of bayou.

• 19 states (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin) have issued statewide advisories for all of their inland freshwater lakes and/or rivers for at least one species of fish. Illinois, Florida, and Rhode Island have added, and North Carolina has rescinded, statewide advisories for inland waterways in the last year.

• 11 states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas) have issued statewide advisories for their entire coastal areas for at least one species of fish, with Rhode Island being the most recent state to issue such advisories.

• States have issued mercury advisories covering a greater area than ever before. Since 2001, the number of river miles under advisory for mercury has increased by 9% (up from 414,973 miles in 2001), and the number of lake acres under advisory for mercury has increased by 19% (up from 10,179,247 acres in 2001).

Recreational Fishing at Risk
Fish consumption advisories for mercury cover a larger geographic area than ever before, putting recreational fishing in jeopardy. Fish consumption advisories cause many anglers to reduce the number of days they fish, choose other locations to fish, and take fewer overall fishing trips. Thus, not only does mercury threaten the health of those who eat the fish caught, but a damaged recreational fishing industry could take its toll on national and state economies.

Even a small dent in the recreational industry could mean large economic losses. According to the American Sportfishing Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Service, in 2001, recreational fishing:

• Generated more than $35.6 billion in expenditures;

• Generated more than $116 billion in total economic output;

• Supported more than one million jobs;

• Created more than $30.1 billion in household income (wages and salaries);

• Added more than $1.9 billion in sales tax revenues;

• Added more than $470 million in state income tax revenues; and

• Generated more than $4.88 billion in federal income tax revenues.

Five of the top ten states with the most lake acres under mercury advisory, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, and Texas, are also in the top ten for the amount of money spent towards recreational fishing. In addition, two of the ten states with the largest number of river miles under advisory, Florida and Ohio, are also in the top ten for spending on fishing. In fact, nine of the 19 states with statewide mercury advisories covering all of their inland lakes or rivers, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, also fall in the top twenty states for expenditures on recreational fishing. Of all the money spent on fishing, more than $27.8 billion was spent in states that have active fish consumption advisories for mercury.

Addressing the Problem at the Source
To protect public health, preserve a critical part of our diet and ensure the survival of an important American pastime, we need to dramatically reduce the mercury released into our environment.

Much of the mercury that ends up on our dinner tables comes from smokestacks of power plants, waste incinerators, and other industrial sources. Power plants are responsible for nearly one-third of man-made mercury emissions, comprising the largest industrial source of mercury entering our air. To date, EPA has regulated mercury emissions from other sources such as incinerators, but has failed to do so for power plants.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is under court order to propose emission standards for power plants for hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, by the end of this year. These standards would go into effect by January 2008. The standards, known as “maximum achievable control technology” (MACT) standards, must reflect the emission rates currently being achieved by the lowest-emitting sources. Proven technology demonstrates that power plants can reduce mercury emissions by 90% using technologies that exist today, bringing national mercury emissions down from nearly 50 tons per year to only five tons per year.

Unfortunately, EPA has postponed conducting an analysis of possible emissions reduction scenarios under its upcoming MACT rule and is instead focusing on its analysis of a proposed weakening of the Clean Air Act to allow higher emissions of mercury from power plants. The Bush administration’s so-called “Clear Skies Initiative” would repeal the Clean Air Act section that applies to mercury from power plants, replacing this provision with a national emissions limit that would delay ultimate reductions until 2018. Even then, it would allow power plants to emit three times more mercury than would be allowed under a strict interpretation of current law.

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% from existing levels; and

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