Illinois Poised to Enact Tough Mercury Emissions Standard
The Illinois Pollution Control Board has adopted a mercury pollution reduction plan that requires Illinois coal-fired power plants to install modern pollution control equipment designed to reduce mercury pollution by 90 percent or more by June 30, 2009.
Proposed by Governor Rod Blagojevich in January, the newly adopted state standards reduce toxic mercury emissions faster than federal restrictions adopted last year and will achieve the largest overall amount of mercury reduction of any state in the country. Other states, such as Pennsylvania, also are working toward state mercury standards.
The Pollution Control Board’s action is a big win for public health in Illinois, according to the governor, but the next step is legislation from the administrative rules committee to make the ruling official.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed the proposal with the Pollution Control Board in March. After two public hearings, the Board received a record number of more than 7,000 public comments, the vast majority of which were in support of the strong mercury reduction plan.
The Blagojevich administration has written agreements with two of the three major coal-fired power companies in Illinois, reducing not only mercury, but other toxic emissions as well.
Through agreements with Ameren, Illinois’ second largest utility, and Dynegy, Illinois’ third largest electric utility, 96 percent of their capacity will utilize pollution control equipment by 2009, and will achieve the mercury standards called for by the governor. The remaining four percent of plants will install controls able to meet the standards by 2012.
If ingested, mercury can cause physical and developmental disabilities in fetuses and children.
