February 3, 2005
Contact: Toni Flora
(717) 230-8806
NWF: Lisa Swann,
(703) 438-6083
PennFuture: Jeanne Clark,
(412) 258-6683

Report Card Shows Pennsylvania
Doing Poor Job of Reducing Mercury Pollution
People & Wildlife Remain at Risk

HARRISBURG, PA (February 3) The state of Pennsylvania receives barely passing grades for its efforts in reducing mercury pollution and exposure, according to a report released today by conservation organizations.

Mercury in the Mid-Atlantic: Are States Meeting the Challenge? was released by the National Wildlife Federation, Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs (PFSC), Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), and Clean Air Council (CAC). The groups give the state a grade of "D-" for its control of mercury air emissions and a "D" for controlling mercury releases from consumer products. The report graded the state in seven categories, with an overall score of "D" for Pennsylvania - the lowest in the region.

"Pennsylvania is not doing enough to protect its citizens and wildlife from mercury," says Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "This lack of action to control mercury pollution means leaving future generations of people and wildlife vulnerable to mercury's toxic effects for decades to come. This is both irresponsible and unnecessary, given that technology exists to address the problem today."

Since 2001, Pennsylvania has had a statewide fish consumption advisory for mercury, covering 53,000 miles of rivers and over 160,000 acres of lakes. Under the advisory, people are warned to limit their consumption of fish they catch to one meal per week or less, depending on the species of fish. Over 1.2 million anglers fish Pennsylvania's lakes, streams and rivers each year, spending more than $1.6 billion annually on everything from fishing licenses to bait and tackle to boats and hotels, not to mention all the other indirect expenditures that make angling a boon for the state.

"Pennsylvania anglers are upset so much of the state's water is under a warning that mercury levels may make locally caught trout, walleye and northern pike unsafe to eat," says Melody Zullinger, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.

The largest source of mercury pollution in Pennsylvania is coal-fired power plants, which emit nearly 8,000 pounds of mercury into the environment every year. Pennsylvania utilities rank third in the nation for the amount of mercury emitted into the air. In 2001, the Keystone plant in Shelocta (Armstrong County) had the highest releases of mercury and mercury compounds to the air of any electric utility plant in the country.

Many of Pennsylvania's officials, including Governor Rendell, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty, Attorney General Tom Corbett, and three of Pennsylvania's 19 U.S. Representatives, signed a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calling for strict federal regulations for mercury emissions from power plants. The state is considering a petition from a broad range of citizen groups to set emission reduction standards for the state's power plants.

In August, 2004, PennFuture, joined by health care professionals, other environmental organizations and labor, sporting and women's rights groups filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) asking the state to immediately begin regulating toxic mercury emissions from the state's power plants. A response to that request is expected in this spring.

"Mercury in our water and our food is a serious public health care issue that must be dealt with immediately," says John Hanger, President and CEO of PennFuture. "One in six women of childbearing age has so much mercury in her body that her nursing infant or fetus is in danger of brain damage. Since the federal government refuses to act, Pennsylvania must take action."

While Pennsylvania has not taken action to address power plant emissions of mercury, the state has taken a first step in the right direction to address the disposal of one mercury item - auto switches. In November, Pennsylvania launched an innovative program designed to facilitate the removal of mercury-containing switches from cars, working with scrap dealers, the automotive recycling industry and Clean Air Council. The goal is to remove 600 pounds of mercury over the next two years. "DEP's voluntary program is an extremely important first step in protecting Pennsylvania's children from the dangers of toxic mercury. Legislation requiring auto manufacturers to help pay for mercury switch removals is the obvious next step," says Toni Flora, Project Manager for Clean Air Council. "The auto industry ignored the problem of mercury in convenience-light switches for many years, even though there were safer alternatives. The state legislature should force manufacturers to pick up the costs of cleaning up the mess they created."

Pennsylvania's efforts to date in reducing mercury pollution and exposure were analyzed along with those of Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Maryland. Throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, states have taken a piecemeal approach to this issue - only addressing limited aspects of the problem, the report finds.

New Jersey, for example, is the only state to control air emissions of mercury from coal-fired power plants - the largest source of mercury air pollution in the country. New York has taken the most aggressive action in the region to control mercury releases from consumer products, as well as from dental offices. The groups call on Pennsylvania and all states in the Mid-Atlantic to take action to comprehensively address mercury pollution and exposure.

"Pennsylvania needs to be the best, not the worst, in reducing toxic mercury from our air and water, from our fish and the bodies of our citizens," said Hanger. "We need to protect the health of all our citizens."

"Pennsylvania cannot wait for leadership from the federal government on this issue," says Flora. "The state should follow the lead of some of our neighbors and make mercury pollution reduction a real priority."

For the full analysis of Mid-Atlantic states' progress in addressing mercury pollution and exposure, including all grades for all states, see Mercury in the Mid-Atlantic: Are States Meeting the Challenge? online at www.nwf.org/news.

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National Wildlife Federation is America's conservation organization protecting wildlife for our children's future.

Clean Air Council is a statewide environmental organization working to improve air quality and promote clean energy resources.

PennFuture is working to create a just future where nature, communities and the economy thrive.

Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs is the Pennsylvania affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.