The public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency's
proposals to reduce mercury pollution was to have ended today. In a surprise announcement late yesterday, the E-P-A decided to extend the comment period for another two months. Apparently, the public has more to say than the agency anticipated. New Hampshire Public Radio's Doug MacPherson reports.
Mercury is a neurotoxin. Even small concentrations can be highly dangerous. Eight percent of women in this country have more mercury in their blood than the EPA considers safe for a fetus.
The biggest source of mercury in the United States is coal fired electric utility plants. These emit 48 tons of mercury a year. To date, there are no restrictions on how much mercury these plants can emit.
Instituting restrictions has been the subject of legal battles for more than a decade. The Bush Administration is calling for a cap and trade program. Critics say it would allow some emitters to continue to do nothing for years. The EPA has invited comments on this, and another proposal that would enact tighter restrictions sooner.
Two-dozen scientists from the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation in Hanover have responded. Among them is Charles Driscoll, Professor at Syracuse University and senior scientist at Hubbard Brook. Driscoll says in the Northeast, mercury pollution is pervasive. [TAPE OF INTERVIEW]
