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For Immediate Release |
Hold the Tuna Charlie: Pres. Bush's Mercury Moves Gift Industry |
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WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Dec. 15 -/E-Wire/--
While last week warning women and children to limit eating canned tuna because of mercury, a Bush EPA proposal to allow power plants to emit higher mercury levels for far longer than previous plans looks like payback for campaign contributions, say advocates.
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"This looks like an early Christmas for industry," said Michael Bender of the Mercury Policy Project. "President Bush's EPA is today proposing to weaken limits for mercury, a potent poison, from coal burning. It presents the appearance, if not the reality, of allowing kids and the unborn to be poisoned in exchange for campaign contributions."
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According to one study, regulations limiting mercury emissions could cost coal-burning electricity generators up to $7 billion a year. But that price tag could drop dramatically—perhaps to zero—under the Bush proposal.
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Among the biggest beneficiaries would be the nation's largest polluter, the Southern Company, whose executives and lobbyists have raised upwards of $500,000 for Bush's 2004 campaign.
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Others who have raised campaign funds and whose companies could benefit include:
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--A FirstEnergy executive, who has contributed more than $100,000. FirstEnergy was the second largest emitter of mercury in Ohio at 2,724 pounds in 1998.
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--Executives of Burlington Northern (who mine and ship coal) have donated $100,000;
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--An executive of Union Pacific, also a coal miner and shipper, has raised $200,000.
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In 2000, Union Pacific revenue from transporting "energy" products—coal—was $2.15 billion. In the six months ending on June 30, 2003, Burlington Northern was on track to make $1.98 billion from shipping coal.
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Texas companies will also benefit from the new rules. Texas plants releases more mercury into the air than any other state. According to three public interest groups in Texas, Texas power plants emitted 8,992 pounds of mercury into the air in 2001.
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"The Administration is proposing to use a provision of the Clean Air Act never [used] before... Using the [traditional] provisions of the Clean Air Act would achieve at least a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2008. The Administration's proposals suggest only a 30% reduction, to the benefit of Coal-fired power plants and utilities," stated a 12/4/03 statement from former EPA Administrator Carol Browner.
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Under the new proposal, power plants can buy and sell poison rights to each other, thus enabling companies to continue almost indefinitely polluting regional "hotspots."
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Prior to today's announcement, EPA had identified mercury as the "toxic of greatest concern among all the air toxics emitted from power plants."
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White House records show that while utility representatives were invited to discuss the mercury emission proposal with the White House several times, no consumer or public health groups were included.
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On Dec. 5, the White House summoned EPA and FDA officials to discuss the awkward timing of the tuna-mercury advisory and the power plant-mercury announcement. White House officials wanted the two agencies to brief them "to ensure federal communication about mercury risks can be defended," according to the trade publication Inside EPA.
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Last week the Food and Drug Administration for the first time warned women and kids to limit consumption of canned tuna because of mercury, which can cause learning disabilities and other neurodevelopmental problems.
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Most recently, the White House canceled a meeting of its Mercury Task Force scheduled for later this week, a government source said, due to the growing controversy.
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Links: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29807-2003Dec2.html http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=E08&Cycle=2004&recipdetail=A&Mem=N&sortorder=U; http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/oira/2060/meetings.html; http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/ContributorsAndPaybacks/pioneer_search.cfm; http://www.southernresearch.org/sri/pubs/enviro_energy/mercury_emissions.pdf; http://www.ewg.org/reports/mercuryfalling/Ohio.pdf; http://www.tpj.org/pioneers/anthony_alexander.html; http://www.up.com/investors/annuals/00annual/00to99.shtml; http://www.bnsf.com/investors/assets/pdf/3Q02Financials.pdf; http://www.mercurypolicy.org
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