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Air Board Votes for Minimum Mercury Standards

On October 3, the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board voted to adopt the lowest standard for mercury emissions. 

As utilities were hoping, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management had proposed that the state adopt the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's minimum requirement of a 66-percent reduction by at least 2025.  That would reduce the amount of mercury emitted into the air by an estimated 46,800 pounds over 15 years, but the American Medical Association and environmental groups said that goal was too lax.

The Hoosier Environmental Council had suggested a 90-percent reduction by 2010.

As a compromise, the environmental organization Improving Kids' Environment suggested a 75-percent reduction by 2015.  "The compromise results in 10,000 fewer pounds of mercury being released into Indiana's environment during the period 2010 to 2025 than the federal rule, at very little cost to payers," said Susan MiHalo, president of Save the Dunes.

The compromise had some support among four Air Pollution Control Board members at a May meeting.  However, four are state officials and were expected to support the minimum.

Janet McCabe, executive director of Improving Kids' Environment, said a reduction would have had a local impact because a recent EPA study found that about half of the mercury in Indiana came from state power plants.  A reduction could also ahve improved the health of fish and how much local fish people can eat, because Canadian researchers found that mercury rises through the food chain to fish within five to 10 weeks.

Below is additional information from the Hoosier Environmental Council, listing Air Board members and the dangers from mercury emissions.

Here’s why you should care about the mercury rule:

Mercury is affecting Hoosiers’ health

• Mercury is a known human toxin that is particularly damaging to the unborn fetus and young children.  Studies have shown that young children exposed to mercury from eating fish have poorer test scores in attention, memory and language.

• The most common way Hoosiers are exposed to mercury is by eating contaminated fish. Mercury accumulates in fish and the problem worsens as you go up the food chain. It all begins with mercury from air emissions deposited into lakes and streams.

• Hoosiers like to fish and to eat what they catch.  In 1996, the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that 854,000 Hoosiers fished.  A 1999 Purdue survey of Indiana anglers found that 50.7% ate 1-3 meals per month of locally caught fish, and 14.2% ate at least one meal per week.

• The American Medical Association, the American Society of Pediatrics, and the American Public Health Association have all stated that the federal rule does not do enough to protect Americans from mercury.  

Indiana power plants are putting mercury into Indiana ’s environment and reducing emissions will make a difference

• Emissions from coal-fired power plants are by far the biggest source of mercury emissions in Indiana —5000 pounds per year.  Indiana has the fourth highest mercury emissions in the country (total U.S. emissions are approximately 96,000 pounds per year).

• Because mercury does not biodegrade, every pound of mercury emitted will stay in the environment forever

• Utilities claim reducing emissions at Indiana plants will make no difference in the amount of mercury in Indiana ’s environment.  Not true.  Recent U.S. EPA studies demonstrate that a significant amount of mercury from Indiana ’s power plants deposits within 50 miles of the plant.   According to one study, at the point of highest mercury deposition in Indiana , 56.7% came from sources within Indiana and, of that, 93.1% came from the nearby power plant.

• Studies show that reductions in mercury air emissions lead to reductions in the amount of mercury that gets into the food within a few years.

  Control technology is available and at a reasonable cost

• Technology is commercially available now to reduce mercury emissions at Indiana power plants—some utilities are already planning to install it.

• The cost is reasonable.  The Indiana State Utility Forecasting Group at Purdue predicts that electricity rates would be only 2-3% higher (or $1.50 on the average monthly household electricity bill).  With that increase, Indiana electricity rates would still be well below the national average.  The IKE compromise would cost substantially less than this.

• 21 states have adopted or are working on rules that will require more mercury reduction than the federal rule, including coal-producing states such as Illinois and Pennsylvania .

• Adopting a 90% mercury rule would prevent approximately 20,000 pounds of mercury from entering the environment compared to the federal rule.  Adopting a compromise, such as that proposed by IKE, would prevent approximately 10,000 pounds.

Here’s a comparison of the three proposals the Board has considered: 

Indiana Air Pollution Control Board Members