Inhofe eases 'Clear Skies' mercury cap in new proposal

[baby_bear]

http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/Backissues/111103/111103gw.htm#1

<snip>
President Bush's "Clear Skies Initiative" has been reintroduced in Congress but with key changes to mercury emissions requirements that are sure to please electric power utilities while angering environmentalists.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) yesterday unveiled a new version of the "Clear Skies" legislation calling for a less stringent cap on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The bill would limit mercury emissions to 34 tons annually, as opposed to the 26-ton annual cap in the White House's original proposal.

For months, Inhofe and other Republicans have expressed concern that power plants could not meet the 26-ton mercury cap by 2010, as proposed in the original bill, S. 485. The White House gave Inhofe political cover to raise the mercury cap after the Council of Economic Advisers told lawmakers at a hearing earlier this year that new U.S. EPA data suggested the 26-ton cap may be too ambitious.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, say the higher cap would result in nearly seven times more mercury entering the environment than would be permitted under a Clean Air Act standard they envision will be proposed in mid-December by the U.S. EPA (Greenwire, Nov. 4).

Widespread agreement exists among regulators and scientists that mercury poses a serious health risk, especially to young children and women of child-bearing age.

</snip>

Inhofe is such a scourge on the environment.

s_m

[bobbieinok]

1. "Pray for us in OK!"

...

[WinstonChurchill]

2. New England Should Be Allowed to Show the Way

New England should show the world what a progressive energy policy would look like. No power from outside New England should be allowed to come into the state, so those coal-fired power plants in NY and NJ and the Midwest won't make any money from New England, and will pollute less because no sales will be made to New England. New England should install solar and windmills -- and definitely shut down the nukes -- and everything will be clean and perfect with all of those greedy power companies.

After 5-10 years the rest of the country will then know what they are missing.

[Kolesar]

3. that theme is covered in the Sierra Club website for Vermont

Months ago, I was reading the Chapter Chair's annual summary and he lamented that the state was still dependent upon imported energy. Great minds think alike!

www.sierraclub.org Follow the links for "your neighborhood"