WPC   񸬬?k.sK}z$C-IR'%vتd5v0:S3z٘b%Wh̑!!!/ i'+x1DGdqb(~Oc# #urIve?Q*W?id&ƠRײQ&AR7VJwZzwa!XMJ44Kl\#/R:mH$"8yw uu;4mWJD ]+hӼFl雌_y{fM`K% *屓7 x+'pp8WSjz&e-]|@sh;$B0ݵ62 r@Z(! .6 pZ$wUK: NQ(m\N*g<`: RҤCӢ @&+[ #!UN %' 0(-NU^ Wwc4g{ m}#|xHP LaserJet IIISi,,,,,,0(9 Z6Times New Roman RegularX($Oq(cX(:i+00U !  _h̀1̀1̀2̀3̀4̀5̀6PUBLICMEETING̀7̀8UTILITYAIR_TOXICS_ԀREGULATORYDETERMINATIOǸ9̀10Tuesday,June13,2000̀11LakeMichiganRoom,12thFloor̀12U.S.EPARegionIV̀1377WestJacksonBoulevard̀14Chicago,Illinois̀15̀16̀17̀18̀19̀20̀21̀22Reportedby:̀23PamelaL._Cosentino_̀24CertifiedShorthandReporter  /.2 ̀2̀1ATTENDEES:̀̀2NAMEAFFILIATIOǸ̀3JohnBlairValleyWatch,Inc.̀___Jim_Ԁ_Kilgroe_ԀU.S.EPÀ4Linda_Metcalf_ԀU.S.EPÀCathyCoatsU.S.EPÀ5Hank_Naour_ԀIllinoisEPÀMikeBolognaBureauofNationalAffairs̀6John_Shanahan_ԀNationalMiningAssociatioǹClaudiaO'Brien_Latham_Ԁ&Watkins̀7AndrewWardBloombergNews̀MelissaK._Scanlan_ԀMidwestEnvironmentalGroup̀8ChrisVan_Atten_ԀCleanEnergyGroup̀Stephanie_Slatkin_ԀWinston&_Strawn_̀9JohnPock_WBEZ_ԀRadiòMarcia_Willhite_ԀLincoln-LancasterHealth̀10ScottMillerMidwestGeneratioǹJeffBardMidwestGeneratioǹ11David_Schulz_ԀU.S.EPA-RegionV̀Amy_Minteer_ԀLakeMichiganFederatioǹ12Marc_Looze_ԀWI'sEnvironmentalDecadèKeith_Reopelle_ԀWI'sEnvironmentalDecadè13Cindy_Faur_Ԁ_Sonnenschein_,Nath̀CharlotteJ.ReadSavetheDunesCouncil̀14DanaMinervaU.S.EPÀJohnThompsonILEnvironmentalCouncil̀15Ralph_Roberson_Ԁ_RMB_ԀConsulting̀David_Michaud_ԀWIElectricPowerCompanỳ16DennisLeonardDetroitEdisoǹIra_Silverberg_ԀTVÀ17Lee_Zeugin_Ԁ_UARG_̀Lou_Pocalujka_ԀConsumersEnergỳ18Michael_Rossler_Ԁ_EEI_̀Dan_Riedinger_Ԁ_EEI_̀19LeonardLevin_EPRI_̀PaulChu_EPRI_̀20JohnRoss_NiSource_̀BrianStage_NiSource_̀21Mike_Menne_Ԁ_Ameren_̀Tim_Hagley_ԀMinnesotaPower̀22JoshuaFrankBaker_Botts_,_L.L.P._̀Bill_Stegert_ԀIL_PIRG_̀23JillStevens_Alliant_ԀEnergỳ_N.N._Ԁ_Dharmarajan_ԀCentral&SouthWest̀24Eric_Uram_ԀSierraClub̀AnneKnightIL_PIRG_  0/3 ̀3̀1ATTENDEES:(_CONT'D_)̀̀2NAMEAFFILIATIOǸ̀3_Nese_Ԁ_Nasif_ԀIL_PIRG_̀SarahWelchIzaakWaltonLeaguè4Amy_Hennen_ԀIzaakWaltonLeaguèConradSchneiderCleanAirTaskForcè5Felice_Stadler_ԀCleanAirNetwork̀Eugene_Trisko_Ԁ_UMWA_̀6Michael_Fiorentino_ԀCleanAirCouncil̀Debra_Mellish_Ԁ_CONNECTIV_̀7Darrel_Harmom_ԀPenobscotNatioǹKaren_Hadden_ԀSEEDCoalitioǹ8BillMaxwellEPA/_OAQPS_̀9̀10̀11̀12̀13̀14̀15̀16̀17̀18̀19̀20̀21̀22̀23̀24  0/3 ̀4̀1_MR_._ULLRICH_:Goodmorning,everyone.Mỳ2nameisDave_Ullrich_.I'mthedeputyregional̀3administratorforU.S.EPAhereintheGreatLakes̀4Region,RegionV.̀5WelcometowetandwildChicagothis̀6morning.Ifthelakelevelsarealittlebitlow,̀7what'sbeenhappeningoverthelastcoupleofweeks,̀8Ithinkitstartsdrivingthemupalittlebit,but̀9that'snotwhatwe'reheretotalkabouttoday.̀10Igreatlyappreciateallofyouwhohavè11arrived.Myguessisthattheweatherhasslowedà12fewfolksandthatthecrowdwillgrowalittlebit̀13duringthecourseoftheday.̀14Butwe'reheretodaytotalkand,morè15importantly,listenconcerninganissuethatisverỳ16centralinimportancetoenvironmentalqualityherè17intheMidwestaswellastherestofthecountry.̀18Thecentralissuethatisbeingaddressedis̀19whetherornottoregulatehazardousairpollutants̀20and,particularly,mercury,undertheCleanAirAct̀21withaspecificfocusonelectricutilities.̀22Ithinkwithanymajordecisionlikethis,̀23itiscriticallyimportanttohearasmuchas̀24possiblefromallofthosewhomightbeaffectedby  0/3 ̀5̀1thisdecision.Obviously,theutilitieshaveagreat̀2stakeinthis,aswellasfederal,state,local,and̀3tribalgovernmentsareveryconcernedaboutthis̀4issue.Theenvironmentalcommunityaswellhasgreat̀5concernsaswellasthegeneralpublicthatderives̀6thebenefitfromtheresourcesthataremadè7available,and,particularly,Ithinkwe'reconcerned̀8aboutwhetherornotpeoplecaneatthefishthat̀9theymaybesoskillfulandluckytocatch,probablỳ10betterthanI.̀11Butthisisanissue,Ithink,thathasbeeǹ12veryuppermostonourmindshereinRegionVofthè13EPA,notonlybecauseoftheGreatLakesandthè14impactsontheGreatLakes,butmanyofourinland̀15lakesareaffectedbydepositionofmercuryandother̀16_toxics_Ԁaswell.Sothisisanissueofcentral̀17importance,again,hereintheMidwestaswellasthè18restofthecountry.̀19Iencourageallofyoutobeoutspoken,̀20provideasmuchinformationandinputasyoucaǹ21duringthecourseofthedaysothatultimatelyEPÀ22canbeinthebestpositiontomakethebestdecisioǹ23abouthowweoughttobeapproachingthereductionof̀24thiscriticalpollutantandotherpollutants  0/3 ̀6̀1associatedwithitandhowwemightbestdothatiǹ2thefuture.̀3So,again,Ihopeyouhaveaveryproductivè4dayandthatyouspeakoutandspeakyourmindand̀5provideasmuchgoodinformationaspossible.̀6Atthispoint,itismypleasuretoturnthè7podiumorthemicrophoneovertoRobBrenner,whois̀8theDeputyAssistantAdministratorfortheOfficeof̀9AirandRadiationinWashington,D.C.̀10Rob?̀11_MR_.BRENNER:Thankyouverymuch,Dave.̀12Goodmorning.AndIwanttothankallof̀13youandmythankstoDaveforcomingoutthis̀14morning.Asyouheard,IamRobBrenner,andI'mthè15DeputyAssistantAdministratorfortheOfficeofAir̀16andRadiation.̀17AndI'mheretodaywithsomeofmỳ18colleaguestohearyourviewsaboutaveryimportant̀19decisionthatwe'regoingtobemakinglaterthis̀20year.Thatdecision,whichtheCleanAirAct̀21requirestheEPAadministratortomake,iswhether̀22it'snecessaryandappropriatetoregulatehazardous̀23airpollutants,andespeciallymercury,that's̀24emittedfrompowerplants.  0/3 ̀7̀1We'rerequiredtomakethedecisionbỳ2December15thofthisyear,andiftheadministrator̀3decidestoregulatehazardousairpollutantsfrom̀4powerplants,we'llhaveseveraladditionallegal̀5deadlines.̀6December2003wouldbethedeadlinefor̀7proposingaruling,andDecember2004wouldbethè8deadlinetoissueafinalrule.Sothatmeansthat̀9bythebeginningof2008,whichwillbethè10compliancedate,allexistingcoal-firedpowerplants̀11wouldneedtobeincompliancewitharegulationthat̀12wouldlimitemissionsforallthoseplantsthatarè13largerthan25megawattsinsize.̀14Sothat'stheframeworkthattheCleanAir̀15Acthaslaidoutforthisprocess.Andit'sà16particularprocess,it'saspecialprocessthatwas̀17createdforelectricpowergeneratingplants,and̀18it'sdifferentfromtherequirementsfromother̀19sourcecategoriesregulatedbythestatute.̀20Thewayitworksforpowerplantsis,first̀21ofall,we'rerequiredtostudyhazardousair̀22pollutants,orHAPSaswecallthem,frompower̀23plantsandthentomakeafinding.̀24Andtheninthewinter,aspartofthat  0/3 ̀8̀1process,inthewinterof1997and'98,wepublished̀2tworeportstoCongress.ThefirstwastheUtilitỳ3HazardousAirPollutantsstudy,andthatidentified̀4mercuryfromcoal-firedutilityboilersasthè5hazardousairpollutantofgreatestconcerntohumaǹ6healthofallHAPemissionsfrompowerplantsandthè7MercuryStudywhichidentifiedcoal-firedpower̀8plantsasthelargestsourceofanthropogenicmercurỳ9emissionsintheU.S.,accountingforfullyone-third̀10ofallemissionsinthecountry.̀11Somercury,asyouarenodoubtaware,has̀12longbeenrecognizedasapowerful_neurotoxin_.̀13Exposuretomercuryhasbeenassociatedwithserious̀14neurologicalanddevelopmentaleffectsinhumans.At̀15highdoses,theeffectsincludetremors,inabilitytò16walk,convulsions,anddeath.Atthelevelsmorè17commonlyseenintheU.S.,theeffectsincludemorè18subtlelossesofsensoryorcognitiveability.Thè19developingfetusisthemostsensitivetotheeffects̀20from_methylmercury_,andsowomanofchildbearingagè21areregardedasthepopulationofgreatestconcern.̀22Mercuryfrompowerplants,smokestacks,and̀23othersourcesaretransportedthroughtheairand̀24depositedtowaterandland.Dependingontheform  0/3 ̀9̀1inwhichit'semittedandtheatmosphericconditions,̀2itcanbedepositedlocallyoritcantravelgreat̀3distances.Inthewater,it'stransformedintò4_methylmercury_,ahighlytoxicformofmercurythat̀5_bioaccumulates_Ԁinfishandotherwaterspecieswherè6concentrationscanbemanytimeshigherthaninthè7water.̀8Humanexposuretomercuryoccursprimarilỳ9byeatingcontaminatedfish.Mercuryisthè10pollutantmostfrequentlythebasisforfish̀11advisories,advicetothepublictolimitor̀12eliminatefishconsumption.41stateshavefish̀13advisoriesbasedonmercurycontamination.̀14Whilepeoplewhoconsumeaverageamountsof̀15avarietyofcommerciallyavailablefisharenot̀16likelytoconsumeharmfulamountsofmercury,thosè17whoregularlyandfrequentlyconsumelargeamountsof̀18fish,especiallymarinespeciesthathavemuchhigher̀19levelsof_methylmercury_Ԁthantherestofseafoodor̀20freshwaterfishthathavebeenaffectedbymercurỳ21pollution,aremorehighlyexposed.̀22We'reworkingonanumberoffundstoreducè23mercuryinourenvironment.Thewaterprogramgives̀24technicalassistancetotribesandstatesin  0/3 ̀10̀1developingfishadvisories.Intheairprogram,̀2we'reregulatingothermajorsourcesofmercurỳ3emissionthroughtheair,includingstringent̀4regulationsforcertaintypesofwaste_combustors_Ԁ̀5thatcontributesignificantlytomercurypollution.̀6Theseactions,oncefullyimplemented,will̀7reducemercuryemissionscausedbyhumanactivitybỳ8over50percentto1990levels.Severalother̀9regulationsareunderdevelopmenttocontrol̀10emissionsofmercurythroughtheairfromothertypes̀11ofsources.̀12We'realsoworkingthroughinternational̀13organizationsandagreementstocontrolthè14internationalsourcesofmercuryandpollutionwhich̀15accountforasignificantpercentage,about̀1640percent,ofthemercurybeingdepositedinU.S.̀17waters.̀18Soinpreparationforthedecisionsabout̀19whethertoregulateutilitymercuryemissions,wè20haveseveraleffortsunderway.Wehavefundedthè21NationalAcademyofSciencestodoanassessmentof̀22recentmercuryhealthresearchandtorecommendtous̀23intheEPAwhetherweneedtoadjustwhatwecallour̀24_RfD_,whichisameasureoftoxicityfrommercury.  0/3 ̀11̀1Theeffortwillresolvethecontroversỳ2aboutwhetherEPA'sassessmentofthelevelof̀3mercurycauseshealtheffectsiscorrect.Thè4controversyresultedfromfindingsthatappeartobè5inconflictinrecentstudiesofmercuryexposuresiǹ6theSeychellesIslands,the_Faroes_,NewZealand,and̀7elsewhere.WeexpecttheNationalAcademytoissuè8theirreportinaboutamonth.̀9Congresshasalsoaskedustoreviewthè10NationalAcademy'sstudybeforetheadministrator̀11decideswhethertoactuallyregulatethepowerplant̀12issue.Severalassessmentsthatwillgiveusà13currentpictureoftheavailabilityandcost̀14effectivenessofexistingemergingmercurycontrol̀15technologiesandtheextenttowhichexisting̀16controlsforsulfurdioxide,nitrogenoxide,or̀17particulatematterscancapturemercury.̀18Sothoseassessmentsthatwillgiveusthat̀19currentpicturearethefactthatatthetimeofthè20MercuryStudyandtheUtilityStudythatcameoutà21coupleyearsago,mercurycontrolcostswerè22estimatedtobequitehigh.Sowhatwe'redoingis̀23we'recollaboratingwiththeDepartmentofEnergynoẁ24toreviewrecentmercurycontroltechnologypilot  0/3 ̀12̀1testresults.AndthenanEPAstudyayearagò2estimatedthatmercuryfromcoal-firedpowerplants̀3couldbecontrolledtoabout70to75percent̀4emissionreductionforanannualnationalcostof̀5aboutoneandahalfbillionto$1.9billion,̀6dependingonwhatotherpollutantplantsarerequired̀7tocontrol.̀8Theanalysisshowednoeffectonexisting̀9coal-firedcapacity,theamountofcoal-fired̀10capacitythatwouldbegeneratingandaboutà111percenteffectontheamountofelectricitycoming̀12fromthoseplants,closetoa1-percentreductioniǹ13theamountofelectricitythatwouldbeproducedbỳ14thoseplantsasaresultofthecontrol.Theneẁ15studyisgoingtoupdatesomeofthatwork,andit̀16shouldbeavailablelaterthissummer.̀17Also,Ishouldmentionthatwehavebeeǹ18analyzingthe1999dataaboutmercuryemissionsfrom̀19coal-firedelectricgeneratingplants.Thisisgoing̀20toprovideusthemostaccurateandcompletè21informationavailableabouttheamountandnatureand̀22thespeciesofmercurythatareemittedfromthis̀23sector.Thatwillalsobemadeavailabletothè24publiclaterthissummer.  0/3 ̀13̀1Thisfindingordeterminationastowhether̀2it'snecessaryandappropriatetoregulateHAPS,̀3hazardousairpollutantemissions,fromelectric̀4powergeneratingplantsisnotaregulationthat̀5requiresnoticeofthepilot,butthedecisiondoes̀6affectallofyou,thepublic,andweverymuchwant̀7tohearyourviewsregardingthedecision,although,̀8asIsaid,it'snotlegallyrequired.Butwewanted̀9tobehere,andwewantedtocomehereandlistentò10yourcommentsonthisandyourthoughtsaboutthis̀11upcomingdecision.̀12Wehaveatranscriptthat'sbeingmadeof̀13yourremarks,andwehavestafflisteninginonthè14phonelinesaswellfromWashingtonand̀15NorthCarolina.Atleastacoupleofuswillbeup̀16hereduringthecourseofthedaylisteningtothè17formalpresentationsthatarebeingmade,and,asÌ18mentioned,atranscriptwillbemadeaswell.̀19Thoseofuswhoarenotuphereatthetablè20willalsobeavailableintheroomandoutsideinthè21hallway.Ifyouwanttoinformallyaskusquestions̀22abouttheprocess,we'dbehappytotalktoyoù23informally,ifyou'dlike.̀24Soletmeintroducethepeoplewhoarehere.  0/3 ̀14̀1Firstletmeintroducesomebodywhowillbeherè2soon,DanaMinervawhoismycolleagueintheOfficè3ofWater.She'sthedeputyassistantadministrator̀4fortheWaterOffice,andshewillbearrivingsooǹ5andshewillalsobeupatthetableforpartofthè6day.̀7BobWaylandisthedirectorofthè8CombustionGroup,theOfficeofAirQualityStandards̀9andPlanning,whichisourofficedowniǹ10NorthCarolinathatisdoingalotoftheanalytic̀11workthatwillcontributetothisdecision.̀12EllenBrownisapolicyanalystonmystaff̀13atEPAheadquartersinWashington,andCarlNashis̀14thechiefoftheRegulationDevelopmentSection,thè15AirProgramsBranch,hereatEPARegionVinChicago.̀16I'dalsoliketointroduceBillMaxwell̀17who'shere,andBillisfromtheOfficeofAir̀18QualityPlanningandStandards,andhe'sthelead̀19engineerontheUtilityAir_Toxics_Ԁdetermination.̀20SoletmeturnthisovertoBob,who'sjust̀21goingtotalkforaminuteaboutlogistics,andtheǹ22wecangoaheadandgetstarted.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:Thankyou,Rob.̀24FirstI'dliketothankCarlandhisstaff  0/3 ̀15̀1formakingthisspaceavailableforustodayand̀2gettingtheroomsetupforus.Ididnoticeonthè3wayin,therearepaytelephonesandrestroomsjust̀4outsidethisdoor,soyoushouldbeabletofind̀5them.Ifnot,I'msureifyouasksomebody,theỳ6willhelpyougettothose.̀7Theagendafortoday'smeetingisveryfull,̀8sowe'regoingtotrytosticktoaveryrigid̀9scheduleaswemovethroughtheafternoon.However,̀10becauseoftheweatherdelays,therearesomepeoplè11whoareontheagendaearlywhohaven'tbeenabletò12getinyetthismorning,andwewillbefittingthem̀13inaswegothroughtheafternoon.̀14We'regoingtosticktothefive-minutè15presentationschedule.Billwillbesittingdowǹ16hereatthefront,andhehasathree-minutesign,à17two-minutesign,aone-minutesign,anda30-second̀18sign.Wewillaskyoutostopwhenyourfiveminutes̀19isupbecausewewanttomakesurethatwehearfrom̀20everyonethatishere.Wewillbehereaslongtodaỳ21asittakestohearyourcomments.Wewillnotcut̀22offthediscussionuntileveryonehashadachancetò23comment.̀24Theotherthing,ifyouhavebroughta  0/3 ̀16̀1typewrittenorelectronicversionofyourcomments̀2thatyou'remakingtoday,ifyouwouldpleaseseè3thatoneofthesetwoladiesoverhereinthefront̀4oftheroom,ifyouwillhandthemtothemeither̀5beforeyoucomeuporasyougodown,itwillhelpus̀6inmakingsurethatwehaveeverythingrecorded.̀7Thewaywe'regoingtoworkthis̀8logisticallyis,thesefirsttworowshere,ifyoù9lookatyouragenda,themeetingissplitintò10one-hourblocksofpresentations.Wewouldlikeonè11hour'sworthofpeoplesittinguphereinthesefront̀12tworows.Soifyou'reinthefirstblockwhenwè13break,youneedtocomeupheretothefront,and̀14thatwillfacilitateusworkingyouinandoutand̀15gettingeveryone'scommentsin.̀16Afterthatfirstgroupof11orsoaredone,̀17we'llswitchout,andthenextgroupwillcomeup̀18here,andthenwe'llhaveabreakforlunch.If̀19someoneforsomereasonhasnotarrivedyet,wewill̀20justskipthatpersonatthistimeandcomebacktò21themifandwhentheydoarrive.̀22Doesanybodyhaveanyquestionsaboutthè23logisticsbeforewegetstarted?̀24Therewillalsobeasign-upsheetfloating  0/3 ̀17̀1aroundtheroom.Ifyou'llsigninandgiveusyour̀2e-mailoryourfaxnumber,wewillletyouknowas̀3soonasthetranscriptisavailableanduponthè4web.We'llsendittoyousoyoucangogetit.But̀5thatwilljustbeasheetfloatingaround.Justmakè6sureyousignitbeforeyouleave.̀7Ifwehavenootherquestions,we'llbegiǹ8withthefirstsetofspeaks,SidNelsonfromSorbent̀9Technologieswillbethefirstspeaker.̀10Idon'tthinkSidhasmadeityet,soIseè11Ralph,sowe'llmovetoRalph_Roberson_Ԁof_RMB_Ԁ̀12ConsultingandResearch.̀13_MR_.BRENNER:IhaveDave_Michaud_.Doyoù14wanttodoaswitch?̀15_MR_._MICHAUD_:MynameisDavid_Michaud_.Ì16workforWisconsinElectricPowerCompanyiǹ17Milwaukee,Wisconsin.However,todayIwillbè18speakingonbehalfoftheUtilityAirRegulatorỳ19Group._UARG_Ԁhasprovidedcomments,writtencomments̀20toEPA.I'lljustforwardthosetothegatekeeper̀21overhere.̀22Aswasstatedearlier,thelegislativè23intentsoftheCleanAirActAmendmentsof1990cut̀24outaspecialconsiderationfortheutilitiesas  0/3 ̀18̀1statedhere.Ithadseveralitemsthatneededtobè2addressedbeforeafinaldecisiononwhetheritwas̀3necessarytoregulatepowerplantsformercuryand̀4otherHAPSweretobemade.Thisslideoutlinessomè5ofthoseconsiderations.̀6Intermsofcomingupwithdeterminationsof̀7hazardstopublichealth,thereareanumberof̀8factorsthatneedtobeconsidered,inouropinion,̀9andI'llbrieflygooversomeofthese.Aswas̀10statedearlier,theEPAreportoftheUtilitỳ11HazardousAirPollutantsReporttoCongressthat̀12occurredinearly1998didanumberofthings.Onè13ofthethingsthatitdidquitewellwasidentifyà14numberofkeyuncertaintiesthatEPAatthatpointiǹ15historyfelttheyneededtoregulateortomakeà16regulatorydecision.̀17Thesetwoslideslistanumberofthesè18uncertainties,someofwhichyou'realreadyfamiliar̀19with,lookingatmercurycontentsinthecoals;thè20kindofmercuryactuallyemittedbycoal-firedpower̀21plants;backgroundlevelsofmercuryastheymaỳ22impactmodelingthatoccursforthisexercise;what̀23istherelationshipbetweentheseemissionsand̀24levelsinthefishsoastopermitestimationof  0/3 ̀19̀1environmentalbenefits;andwhataretheactual̀2burdensintheU.S.populationwithrespecttò3mercuryexposure;consumptionpatternsforhumans;̀4whataretheadverselevelsofconsumptionthat̀5resultinadversehealthaffectsforhumans;and,̀6finally,themostimportantquestion,whatmightbè7achievableintermsofbenefitsforhumanhealth̀8resultingfromcontrolsonutilityboilers.̀9I'mactuallysummarizingthingsherefor̀10you.Theexecutivesummaryforthereportactuallỳ11devotesaboutsevenpagesofdescriptionforresearch̀12needstobackupthisdecision.̀13Thenextcoupleofslideswilllistwhat̀14actuallyhasoccurredsince1998.Weallknowthat̀15theutilities,byvirtueoftheInformatioǹ16CollectionRequest,hasbeengatheringinformationoǹ17mercuryandcoal.You'veheardearlierthatEPAhas̀18beenactivelyexaminingcontroloptionsforutilitỳ19boilers.However,whiletherearealargenumberof̀20uncertainties,quitefrankly,alotoftheonesthat̀21werelistedearlierhavenotbeenaddressed.̀22Bycontrast,others,including_EPRI_ԀDOE,̀23havebeenworkingonanumberoftheseuncertainties.̀24They'relistedrighthere.Someofthemost  0/3 ̀20̀1importantonesaretheactuallinkagebetweeǹ2emissionsourcesandmercurylevelsinfish.̀3Thefinal--Iguessthefinalpositionthat̀4wewouldliketoremindfolksofhereisthatwhilè5alothasbeenaccomplishedsinceFebruaryof'98,̀6someofthemostimportantquestionsare,infact,̀7worksinprogress.Inouropinion,thebest̀8estimatesformeaningfulresultsarewithinayeartò9threeyearsoff,andthatifwe'rereallyinterested̀10informdecision-making,theEPAmustdeferits̀11Decemberdecisionuntilthesekeydataneedsarè12fulfilled.Andthankyouforthetime.̀13_MR_.BRENNER:Thankyou.̀14_MR_._ROBERSON_:Goodmorning.Mynameis̀15Ralph_Roberson_.I'maregisteredprofessional̀16engineerandserveaspresidentof_RMB_ԀConsultingand̀17Research,whichislocatedinRaleigh,̀18NorthCarolina.I,too,appearheretodayonbehalf̀19oftheUtilityAirRegulatoryGroup.̀20InMayof1998,EPAheldapublicmeetingiǹ21Washingtonregardingitsproposedmercuryinformatioǹ22collectionrequest,ICR.Anumberofindividuals,̀23undoubtedlysomeofwhomareheretoday,spokeiǹ24favoroftheICR.Some,infact,recommendedEPA  0/3 ̀21̀1expandtheICRrequirements,forexample,collecting̀2coalsamplesformorethanoneyearandsamplingmorè3thanthe80orsooddplants.̀4Hereweare,abouttwoyearslater,thè5utilityindustryhavingspentsomewherebetween$10̀6and$20millioncomplyingwiththatICR,EPAhaving̀7spentsignificantresourcestoscan,organize,and̀8postthedata.̀9Butallofasudden,wemaynothavetimetò10completelyunderstandthosedatabeforeEPAhastò11makearegulatorydecision.Whilestillfixable,̀12thisdecision-makingscheduleotherwiseappearstobè13somewhatasadcommentaryonthestateofscience.̀14Now,I'mgoingtoresistthetemptationtò15makeahumorouscomment,likeaccusingEPAofrushing̀16tojudgment.IrealizethattheSection112(n)(1)(A)̀17studywasrequiredwithinthreeyearsofthe1998̀18amendments,andIexpectCongressmayhavethought̀19thattheagencycouldmakeitsdeterminationinless̀20timethanhaspassed.̀21However,I'mnotawareofanythinginthè22legislativehistorythatindicatesthatCongress̀23reallyunderstoodjusthowcomplicatedthe"mercurỳ24intheenvironment"issuetrulyis.WhileCongress  0/3 ̀22̀1hasthepower,theduty,andtheauthoritytò2regulate,Congressgenerallyneithercontrolsnor̀3regulatestheadvancementofscientific̀4understanding.Suchisevidentwithmercury.̀5Givensufficienttimetoconductthè6analysis,thereismuchtobegleanedfromtheICR̀7data.Evenalimitedexaminationofthedatayields̀8acoupleofimportantobservations.Firstand̀9perhapsmoreimportantly,wedonotobserveaǹ10increaseinthetotalamountofmercuryentering̀11coal-firedplants,eveninlightofincreasedcoal̀12usage.Second,acursoryexaminationofthestack̀13testdataindicatesthatremovalsofalreadỳ14installedcontroltechnologiesaregenerallyhigher̀15thanwhatwasreflectedinthehistoricaldata.̀16Takentogether,thesetwoobservationsmeaǹ17that,unlikeinsomepreviousEPAreports,projected̀18utilityemissionsarenotincreasingwithtime.̀19ThelastpointIwishtomakeabouttheICR̀20datadealswithitsusefulnessforfuturereporting.̀21AsaresultofEPA'spersistent_biocumulative_Ԁrule,̀22_PBT_,effectively,everycoal-firedplantwillbè23requiredtoestimateandreportmercuryemissions.̀24So,shouldEPAelecttotaketimetobetter  0/3 ̀23̀1understandwhattheICRdataaretellingus,power̀2plantswillbereportingmercuryemissionsannually,̀3andtheICRdatawillhelpmakethoseemissioǹ4estimatesasaccurateaspossible.̀5Understandingmercuryemissionsisthetip̀6ofthescientificiceberg.AprestigiousNASpanel̀7issoontoreleaseareportdetailingrecommendations̀8regardingsafelevelsofexposuretomercury.AmÌ9suggestingthatweneedmoretimetodetermineif̀10mercuryistoxic?Ofcoursenot.Weknowandhavè11knownthat_methylmercury_Ԁisapotent_neurotoxin_.Thè12realquestionis,whatisasafelevelofexposuretò13_methylmercury_?̀14WhileIdon'tpretendtobeatoxicologist,̀15myreadingofthepeer-reviewedpaperspublishedfrom̀16Seychellesstudysuggeststhataconsiderablyhigher̀17_RfD_Ԁcouldbejustifiedthantheonecurrentlyusedbỳ18EPA.Thisisimportantbecause,conceivably,thè19numberoffishadvisoriescouldorshouldbereduced.̀20Continuedrelianceonanoverlyprotectivè21_RfD_Ԁmaybeusefulforthosewhowishtocitethè22numberoffishadvisoriesintheirspeeches,butaǹ23overlyprotective_RfD_Ԁcancauseunnecessaryanxietỳ24andmaydrivepeopleawayfromanotherwisehealthy  0/3 ̀24̀1sourceofnutrition.Idoubtthereisanyoneherè2whodoesn'tbelievethatgrilledfishmightbebetter̀3foryouthanfat-ladenfastfood.̀4Lastly,there'samajorquestionaboutthè5efficacyofreducingmercuryemissions.WhatdoÌ6mean?Imeanthatwedonotknowthatmercurỳ7emissionswilltranslateintoanymeasurabledecreasè8inmercuryinfish.So,givenourcurrentknowledge,̀9wecouldeasilyembarkonacostlyexperimental̀10controlprogramandnotgetthetangiblebenefits̀11thatweallwant.̀12Soinclosing,Iwouldjustrepeatthethemè13thatI'msurewillberecurringtoday,let'stakethè14timeandlettheresourcematerialandmakè15appropriateandthebestpossiblescientific̀16decision.Thankyou.̀17_MR_.WAYLAND:Thenextspeakerthismorning̀18willbeTim_Hagley_ԀfromMinnesotaPower.̀19_MR_._HAGLEY_:MynameisTim_Hagley_.I'mà20seniorenvironmentalcompliancespecialistfor̀21MinnesotaPower.I'malsochairoftheMinnesotà22ChamberofCommercemercurytaskforce.Iamherè23todayrepresentingtheMinnesotaChamberofCommerce.̀24TheChamberisthelargeststatewidebusiness  0/3 ̀25̀1lobbyingorganizationrepresenting3200small,medium̀2andlargesizebusinesses.Themissionofthè3ChamberistorepresenttheinterestsofMinnesotà4companiesongovernmentalpolicyissuesthatimpact̀5theirbottomline.̀6ManyChambermembersrelyheavilyoǹ7electricityfortheirprocesses,andalsomust̀8competeinaglobalmarketplace.Thesebusinesses̀9willbedirectlyimpactedbyincreasedelectricrates̀10duetocostsassociatedwithutilityHAPemissions̀11reductions.̀12TheChamberbelievesthatanydecisiontò13regulateelectricutilitiesforhazardousair̀14pollutantsmustbemadeonlyatthattimethattherè15issufficientinformationtodoso.However,̀16realizingthatitwillbesometimebeforethat̀17informationisavailableandthatmercuryisof̀18concern,theChamberrecommendsthatEPAestablishà19voluntaryprogramtoencouragemercuryreductionsas̀20aninterimmeasure.̀21The1998UtilityStudybyEPAidentified̀22severalareaswhereadditionalresearchwas̀23necessary.Someveryfundamentalquestionsneedtò24beansweredoratleastbetterunderstoodbeforea  0/3 ̀26̀1soundregulatorydecisioncanbemade.Alotof̀2effortiscurrentlyunderwaybytheutilityindustrỳ3andotherstotrytoanswerthesequestions.̀4Adecisiononwhethertoregulateshouldbè5madeonlywhensufficientinformationisavailable.̀6TheChamberbelievesthattheEPAwillnothavè7sufficientinformationbytheendofthisyearupoǹ8whichtomakearegulatorydecision,therefore,onlỳ9apostponementofthatdecisionisappropriateat̀10thattime.̀11TheChamberbelievesinsteadthatà12voluntaryprogramtoaddressutilitymercurỳ13emissionswouldbeappropriateatthistime.Thè14successoftheFederalClimateChallengeProgram,à15voluntaryprogramforreducinggreenhousegases,̀16demonstratesthatanationalvoluntaryprogramtò17reduceemissionscanbeeffective.̀18Minnesotahasalreadydevelopedavoluntarỳ19programformercury.InMinnesota,estimatedmercurỳ20emissionshavedecreasedsince1990by50percentduè21toeffortsoftheMinnesotaPollutionControlAgency,̀22industry,andothers.̀23Evenso,abroad-basedeffortwasbeguǹ24aboutthreeyearsagobythe_MPCA_Ԁtotrytofurther  0/3 ̀27̀1reducemercuryemissions.ThegoaloftheMinnesotà2MercuryReductionInitiativewastoachieveà3significantreductioninmercurycontamination,using̀4themostcost-effectivemeansavailable,and̀5involvingallstakeholdersintheprocess.̀6TheMinnesotaPollutionControlAgencỳ7pulledtogetheranAdvisoryCounciltoassistthemiǹ8developingaprogramtoachievethegoalsofthè9Initiative.ThisAdvisoryCouncil,madeupof̀10industry,environmentalgroups,regulators,and̀11others,spentovertwoyearsgatheringinformation,̀12evaluatingoptionsandstrategiesandsetting̀13reductiongoals.̀14TheChambertookaveryactiveroleinthè15process,asdidallofthelargerutilitiesinthè16state.Theoutcomeofthatprocessisaconsensus̀17documentoutliningtheAdvisoryCouncil'sresultsand̀18recommendations,datedMarch1999.̀19Afterovertwoyearsofextensiveeffortbỳ20allofthestakeholders,theresultant̀21recommendationsforreducingmercuryinMinnesotaarè22largelyvoluntaryinnature.Thisisdueatleastiǹ23parttothesameissuesthatEPAfacesinmakingà24regulatorydetermination.  0/3 ̀28̀1Thecornerstoneoftherecommendationsistò2encouragemercurysourcestoenterintovoluntarỳ3agreementswiththe_MPCA_Ԁtoreduceorworktowards̀4reducingmercuryreleases.Largersourceshavè5committedtoparticipateinthevoluntaryagreement̀6process,andtheirvoluntaryagreementsareinplacè7orarenearingcompletion.Evenwithoutallofthè8voluntaryagreementsfinalized,sourceshavealreadỳ9beguneffortstofurtheraddressmercuryreleases̀10throughsucheffortsascontroltechnologyresearch,̀11fuelchoices,productandwastemanagement,and̀12customeroutreachprograms.̀13Toconclude,theMinnesotaChamberof̀14CommercebelievesthattheEPAshouldpostponeà15regulatorydeterminationonutilityHAPemissions̀16untilsuchtimeassufficientinformationexiststò17makeasounddecision.Intheinterim,theChamber̀18supportsavoluntaryapproachtoaddressutilitỳ19mercuryemissions.Atthesametime,theChamber̀20supportseffortsbyEPA,theutilityindustry,and̀21otherstocontinuetofindtheanswersnecessaryfor̀22asoundregulatorydetermination.IfEPAdeemsthat̀23aregulatoryprogramisnecessarytoaddressHAP̀24emissionsaftersufficientinformationhasbeen  0/3 ̀29̀1gatheredandevaluated,theChamberbelievesthatanỳ2regulationshouldallowforflexibleapproaches,and̀3givecreditforreductionsthathavealreadybeeǹ4achieved.̀5Thankyoufortheopportunitytoprovidè6comments.̀7_MR_.WAYLAND:ThenextspeakerisPattiLeaf̀8representingNorthernStatePower.̀9Thenmovingalong,wenexthavetheElectric̀10PowerResearchInstitute,_EPRI_,whichhas,Ibelieve,̀11threepeoplescheduledtospeak,andtheydecidedtò12combinethatintoonepresentation,andLeonardLeviǹ13willbegivingthat.̀14_MR_.LEVIN:_EPRI_Ԁisanonprofitresearch̀15organization.Itdoesresearchonissuesinenergỳ16andtheenvironmentforanumberofpartners,̀17includingbothelectricutilitycompanies,broader̀18energycompanies,andpublicagencies,suchasthè19CaliforniaEnergyCommission.̀20TheworkonthemercurythatI'mgoingtobè21reportingontoday,I'llbecoveringworkthat's̀22managedbyanumberofpeopleat_EPRI_,including̀23PaulChu,who'sheretoday,andGeorge_Offen_,whoarè24theoneswhohadsigneduptospeak.  0/3 ̀30̀1Toprovidesomebackgroundontheworkoǹ2mercurythat'sbeengoingonlongbeforethestartof̀3thisslide,whichistenyearsago,researchby_EPRI_,̀4EPA,DepartmentofEnergy,andotherswasgoingon,̀5particularlymercuryintofuelsandinthecyclingiǹ6theenvironment.̀7In1990,beforetheCleanAirActAmendments̀8werepassed,aboutsixmonthsbeforethat,_EPRI_Ԁfield̀9crewswereoutinthefielddoingthefirstqualitỳ10assuredmeasurementsofoperatingpowerplantmercurỳ11emissions.Thosedataandthemethodswereshared̀12withEPAandDOEovertheyearsandledtoextensivè13measurementprogramsbybothagencies.̀14Theworkthat'sgoneonoverthepastteǹ15yearsandoutintothefutureasshownhere,thisis̀16myschematicofwherewestandonmercuryresearch,̀17andIthinkit'simportanttonotethatatthetimè18ofthereportstoCongress,whichwereinthis̀19period,wearestillinthemiddleofagreatnumber̀20ofstudiesthatarestillgoingonthroughoutthè21countryandinternationallyaswell.Andthisonlỳ22showssomeofthatworkthat'sgoingonnow.̀23Themainpointtorememberisthatmuchof̀24thisworkisjustgettingunderway.AlargeDOE  0/3 ̀31̀1programtoevaluatecontrolmeasuresatfull-scalè2powerplantsisonlynowreachingthebiddingstagè3forsettinguppartnerarrangementsandwillbegoing̀4onforanothercoupleofyearsorso.̀5Myconceptionofwhereweareinthemercurỳ6researchisthatwestillhaveagreatdealtodooǹ7someverybasicquestionstogetattheissueof̀8sourcereceptorrelationships.Howmuchdofish̀9levelsofmercurychangeinresponsetochangesiǹ10depositionandultimatelytoemissionstothè11atmosphere.̀12Thatworkisjustbeginning.Wehavesomè13fieldexperimentsthataregoingoninpartnership̀14withEPA,CanadianGovernment,andothersiǹ15SouthWesternOntario.Itjuststartedlastyearand̀16willbegoingonforanothercoupleofyears.And̀17they'regettingatthisbyaddingmercurytoaǹ18experimentallakesystem.Thereareother̀19experimentsgoingonaswellwithaircraftandothers̀20tolookattheseissues.̀21ThekeypointtorememberasIgothrough̀22theseresearchprogramsisthatEPAitselfstatediǹ23thetimeoftheUtilityReporttoCongressinearlỳ24'98thattherewasalinkagebetweenthese  0/3 ̀32̀1uncertaintiesandtheabilitytomakeinformed̀2decisions,andweagreeverystronglywiththat.̀3Dave_Michaud_Ԁshowedyousomeofthekeỳ4questionsonutilitymercury.Ihavegivenmỳ5shorteningofthose,andI'vegroupedthemtomakè6themperhapsabitmorecomprehensibleunderwhatÌ7callissues.Thefirstisemissionsandsourcè8inventory,transportandcycling,communityexposure,̀9movingontohealtheffects,controls,andsomeissues̀10thatdealwithintegrationandsynthesisofthè11problem.Andit'sinthatlastwheretheissuesof̀12sourcereceptorrelationshipsreallycometogether.̀13SoI'lltalkaboutthesebriefly,each.̀14Emissionsandsourceinventory,themercurỳ15InformationCollectionRequestthatwasunderwayiǹ161999gaveusroughly40,000coalanalyses,certainlỳ17sufficientstatisticallytolookatthedataand̀18tryingtodrawsomegeneralconclusionsaboutthè19utilityindustryemissionsofmercuryfromcoal̀20plants.̀21Themercurylevelsappeartobe,whensummed̀22acrosstheindustry,appeartobeslightlyloweror̀23perhapsthesamelevelintermsofemissionsthanthè24previousanalysesthatweredonein'94,Ibelieve,  0/3 ̀33̀1byEPAandfor1990data.Thesearethedatumyears̀2thatwereanalyzedsomewhataftertheyearsthattheỳ3reflect.Anditappearsthatwe'renot--wemaybè4talkingaboutatrend,butwehavetwoorthreè5pointsintime.Wedon'tknowexactlywhathappened̀6inbetween,butitappearsfromthesedatain1999̀7thatwerecollected,thatthosenumberswereperhaps̀8lowerthanthe1990data.Theanalysesarestill̀9underway,subjecttosignificantrevisionsby_EPRI_,̀10EPA,andwhoeverelsewantstowhackawayatthè11data.̀12Partthree,asit'scalled,wasthestack̀13testingofpowerplantstolookatmercuryemissions̀14andhowthosewere_speciated_,inotherwords,thè15ionicstateofthemercuryasitleftthestack.̀16Thisiscriticalbecausethetransportofmercuryiǹ17particularisstronglydependentontheionicstatè18thatitisintheatmosphereatthetimeofits̀19transportthroughtheatmosphere.Ifit'sissued̀20fromstacksasionicmercury,mercurytwo,itis̀21highlywater-solubleandislikelytobedeposited̀22muchclosertothesourceand,therefore,higher̀23concentrationsthanifitiselementalmercury,̀24mercuryzero.Mercuryzerohasanatmospheric  0/3 ̀34̀1lifetimeofaboutoneandahalftotwoyearsbeforè2itgetsionizedanddepositstotheground,although̀3there'ssomedrydepositionthatoccursaswell.̀4Theseanalysesarestillongoing.Wehavè5someslighttrendsthatareclearfromthesedatà6thattiethemercuryionicstatetooperationsof̀7eachpowerplantaswellasthetypeofcoalbeing̀8burnedthere,andI'lltalkaboutthatbriefly.̀9Itiscriticalthatthesedatabefullỳ10incorporatedintoanydeterminationbyEPAofwhether̀11toregulateandwhatformanyregulationwouldtakè12ifitweredecidedtodoso.̀13Thecoalconsumptionclearlyincreased̀14between1990and1999atthosetwopointsintime.̀15Andatthesametime,therewasasubstantial̀16increaseintheuseofPowderRiverBasincoal,̀17westerncoals,becauseofsulfurcomplianceduetò18theCleanAirActrequirements.̀19Mercuryandcoalanalysesthatweredone,̀20thatis,parttwoanalyses,seemtoshow,again,that̀21theremayhavebeenaslightdropbetween1990and̀22'99inthetotalamountofmercurybeingemittedbỳ23powerplants.Inotherwords,businessasusualwith̀24theaddedrequirementoftheCleanAirAct  0/3 ̀35̀1stringenciesforsulfurmayhaveproducedaflat̀2trendorperhapsadownwardtrend.Wedon'tknowfor̀3sure.Thoseanalyseswillbecompletedlaterthis̀4year.̀5Mercuryremovalsarehighlydependentonthè6differentkindsofcontrolsthatareinaplant.Thè7firsttwolistedherearecontrolsforparticulatè8matter,thethirdisforsulfur.The_speciation_Ԁand̀9theemissiondataaresufficienttodevelop̀10predictiverelationships,buttheremaybesomè11constraintsinthoserelationshipsbetweenthè12parametersthatweremeasuredacrossthe80orsò13powerplantsthatactuallyhadmeasurementstakenof̀14thestackandthelargerfamilyof600orsopower̀15plantsthatareactuallyburningcoal.Sothatsmall̀16subsetmaynothavebeenrepresentativeforall̀17parameterssuchaschlorine,andwe'recurrentlỳ18lookingathowrepresentativethosewere.̀19Thisisimportantbecause_EPRI_,asImaỳ20havementioned,butaswehavedone,_EPRI_Ԁhasissued,̀21primarilyonabi-annualbasis,synthesisreportsoǹ22mercury,integrativestudiesofmercuryinthè23environmentthatkindofcatchupontheresearchas̀24itstands.Andtheworkwe'redoingthisyear,to  0/3 ̀36̀1comeoutinareportinthefall,isgoingtolookat̀2thesedataandputthoseintofateandtransport̀3modelstotrytogetafeelforanationalrisk̀4assessmentformercuryfromutilitypowerplant̀5emissions.̀6Thecorrelationsthatwe'vedevelopedtò7dateseemtoindicatethatthereissomerelationship̀8betweenamercuryremovalfactorshownhereandthè9chloridecontentofcoalshownonthebottomofthè10logarithmicscale.Theremovalratiointhiscaseis̀11theamountofmercurycomingoutoftheplantdivided̀12bytheamountgoingin,andsoittakesintoaccount̀13allthedifferentcontroldevices.Inthiscase,it̀14isanelectrostaticprecipitatorthatisthecontrol̀15parameterused.Sothereappearstobesomè16relationshiptherethatwe'vebeenabletoderivetò17date.̀18Thisisverypreliminary,withsomescatter̀19aroundit.Wehopetoextendthistothefullrangè20ofchloridecontentinthenextfewmonths.Wehavè21hopesoffinishingthisworkbyAugustandreporting̀22ittoEPAandeventuallytothepublic.̀23Imoveontotheissueofotheremissions̀24thatwehavetoaccountfor.Thereisanother  0/3 ̀37̀1componenttoemissions,thebackgroundemissions,̀2whicharecomposedofbothnaturalemissionsfrom̀3crustalmaterialandwhatwemightcalllegacỳ4emissions,whicharedisturbedareasfromoldmining̀5sitesandsoonthathaveexposedmercurytothè6atmosphereandareemittingquitealargeratioof̀7themercuryintotheatmosphere.Primarily,it's̀8elementalmercury.̀9Thosemeasurementsagainhavebeenunderwaỳ10forseveralyears.Scalingthoseuptoanational̀11totalisquitedifficultbecausewedon'thaveenough̀12databasicallyatthispoint.Asafirst-cutscaling̀13justbylandarea,youcanarriveatonenumberthat̀14thistotalbackgroundemissionisroughlyequaltò15allindustrialemissionsintheUnitedStates,̀16includingutilities.̀17Wedon'tknowyetifwecanfindthis̀18backgroundsignalinthedepositiondatathatwe'rè19gettingonmercury.Wehavefieldstudiesunderwaỳ20thisyearjointlywithEPAandotherstolookat̀21thesebackgroundsitesinNevadaandTennesseeand̀22alsotodoanaircraftstudytoseeifforestfires̀23maybeonemechanismformovingthisbackground̀24mercuryintotheatmosphere.Thatworkisbeingdone  0/3 ̀38̀1jointlywiththeCanadiangovernment.̀2Transportandcyclingissue.Theimportant̀3pointtorememberisthattheamountofmercurỳ4windingupinfish,evenintwolakesthatarenext̀5tooneanother,canbeverydifferent.Iǹ6experimentsdoneinLittleRockLakeinWisconsiniǹ7thelate'70sandearly'80s,onelakewhichhadaǹ8_artifical_Ԁbarrierthatwasputacrossthetwoarms,̀9betweenthetwoarmsofthelake,foundverỳ10different_methylation_Ԁratesinthesamelakè11basically,whichobviouslyhadthesameatmospheric̀12depositiontoit.Itwasfarfromgroundsourcesand̀13farfromlocalsources.Thisisbackground̀14deposition.Wedon'tknowyetif_methylation_Ԁrateis̀15linearwithdeposition.Wehavelotsofassumptions,̀16modelsthatusetheseassumptions,butnodataat̀17thispoint.̀18Thisyearwehaveunderwayfield̀19experiments,andotheragenciesaswellaredoing̀20fieldexperimentsinmanyareas,butthreeshowǹ21here,LakeSuperior,Lake658,whichisthè22experimentallakeinOntario,andworkinFloridà23whichiswindingupthisyearaswell.Allthiswork̀24shouldbecompletedroughly2003.  0/3 ̀39̀1Communityexposure.TheNationalAcademỳ2reportwillbeoutinmid-July,asweunderstandit.̀3Thetwokeystudies,andofcoursethereareothers,̀4_Faroes_ԀIslandstudydidtestsoftheirkids'cohort̀5atoneage,ageseven,andfoundeffectsatlevels̀6similartotheEPAreference,thoselevels,perhaps̀7levelsbelowthat.̀8TheSeychellesgrouphasdonetestingat̀9multipleagesontheirkids.They'reuptonowthè10fifthsetofteststhat'sgoingonandplantotest̀11uptoage11,andthey'refindingnoeffectat̀12exposurelevelsroughlyequivalenttoU.S.exposurè13levels.Thereareanumberofquestionsremainingoǹ14theseteststhatI'lltalkaboutinacoupleof̀15minutes.Werethetestscomparablethatwereusedtò16findtheseeffectsornoeffects?̀17Inthecaseofthe_Faroes_,allofthè18mercuryexposureisfromconsumingpilotwhalemeat̀19andblubber.Thisisthereportofthè20investigators.Theydoeatfish.Fishisthè21background,basicallythebaselinefood,butthè22mercurylevelsinthewhalearemuchhigherand̀23basicallyaretherouteofexposuretothemothers.̀24Inthecaseofthesepilotwhales,thereis  0/3 ̀40̀1_PCBs_,whicharepotent_neurotoxins_Ԁaswellgoing̀2alonginthesamefleshthat'seaten,andiǹ3addition,thoseconsumptionlevelscanbedescribed̀4asbingeeating.They'relargemealsheld̀5infrequentlyratherthanregularmeals.Inthecasè6oftheSeychelles,theexposurewasregularfish̀7mealsdonebasicallyeveryday.̀8There'sasurveynowunderwayatthè9nationallevelthatEPAisaparticipantin,Foodand̀10Drug,CentersforDiseaseControl,called_NHANES_ԀIV.̀11Thosedataarebeingusedtosurveypeoplè12nationally,U.S.residents,andlookatlevelsof̀13mercury,arsenic,andotherpotential_toxicants_Ԁiǹ14theirbloodandintheirhair.Thefirstdataarè15expectedin2002,buttheworkwillbeunderwaỳ16until,again,2003.̀17Thisstudyisagoodchancetolookatwhat̀18arecalledthehigh-endconsumersthathavebeeǹ19referredtoalready.Dowehavepeoplethateat̀20alotoffishthataregettingalotofmercury?̀21Thereistheassumptionthatsomehigh-endconsumers̀22have,infact,beenfound,actualpeople,thateat̀23alotoffish.They'veturnedouttobe,inmanỳ24cases,notintheexposurelevelofgreatest  0/3 ̀41̀1interest.̀2TheNASreportwillbeasnapshot.Ithink̀3it'simportanttorememberthattheworkinthè4Seychelleswillbecontinuing,andtheNASreport̀5willnotbethefinalwordonhealtheffects.Therè6may,infact,turnouttobealowerlevelof̀7ReferenceDosethatissupportablefromthedatathat̀8arecontinuingtoemergefromtheSeychellesstudy.̀9Thestudyhaddifferentdesigns,andoneofthè10piecesofworkthat_EPRI_Ԁisdoingistoseeifthè11twostudiescanbecombined.̀12Finally,ontheissueofcontrols,wehavè13verylimitedcommercialdata,includinglookingat̀14coalcleaningasamechanism.Controlscaǹ15potentiallygiveyouverydifferentlevelsof̀16effectiveness.Thisisoneportrayalofthatshowing̀17howmuchmercurywasremovedalongthebottom,and̀18cost,shownalongtheside,forasinglepowerplant.̀19Thisisa500-megawattplantwithanelectrostatic̀20precipitator,andthecostrangedfrombasicallỳ21$10to$20millionperyear.Inthecaseofthè22electrostaticprecipitatoralone,asthemechanismof̀23control,thereisanalternativecontroldevicè24devisedat_EPRI_Ԁwhichusesthecombinedcontrol  0/3 ̀42̀1mechanismsthatgiveyousomelowercostsforthesè2removals.̀3Theseareverypreliminarydata.Whatwè4neednowarefull-scaletests,which,asIindicated,̀5arejustgettingunderwaynowtocontinueforseveral̀6years.Thankyou.̀7_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveDana_Debel_Ԁfrom̀8theMichiganUnitedConservationClub.̀9MS._DEBEL_:IguessI'mluckyenoughtobè10thefirstenvironmentalisttospeaktoday,so.̀11MynameisDana_Debel_,andI'mspeakingherè12todayonbehalfoftheMichiganUnitedConservatioǹ13Clubs.Weareanorganizationthatwasfoundediǹ141937inMichigan,andwerepresentcurrentlyabout̀15100,000individualmembersandover500affiliated̀16clubswithinthestate,makingusthelargest̀17statewideconservationorganizationintheUnited̀18States.̀19Since1937,_MUCC_Ԁhasbeendevotedtothè20protectionandenhancementofMichigan'snatural̀21resourcesaspromotionofoutdooreducationand̀22recreation.Partofthatreasonisobviouslythè23naturalresourcesthatwehaveinMichigan,oneof̀24thosebeingthe11,037inlandlakes.Andrightnow  0/3 ̀43̀1inMichigan,wehavefishconsumptionadvisoriesfor̀2mercuryineverysingleoneofthose11,037inland̀3lakeswithinthestate.̀4Michiganalsogenerates81percentofits̀5electricityfromcoalrightnow.Wejustfinished̀6electricderegulationwithinthestate.Andaswè7increasetransmission,asmandatedunderelectric̀8deregulation,by2000megawatts,we'reprobablygoing̀9toseeanincreasedcapacityofcoalaswellassomè10gascomingintothestate.Rightnowthatcoal,̀11though,that81percent,isresponsibleforabout̀1240percentofthemercuryemissionsintotheair̀13withinthestate.That'stheleadingsource,and̀14yet,asyouallknow,it'sunregulated.̀15Thereasonthat_MUCC_Ԁisconcernedaboutthis̀16andthesportfishingcommunityisconcernedabout̀17thisisbecausethesportfishingcommunityeverỳ18singleyearbasicallypaysforitselfinMichigan.̀19Weinvestabout$20millionayearinMichiganbased̀20onlicensefeesandtaxesoffofboatingandfishing̀21equipment,everything.̀22Forthemostpart,Ithinkwiththè23exceptionofabout6percentofourrevenueorour̀24expenditureswithinthestate,we,thesportfishing  0/3 ̀44̀1community,paysforthemanagementofthesport̀2fishingresourceitselfthroughthesefeesthattheỳ3imposeuponthemselves.Andwhatdowegetforthat?̀4Wegetthese.Wegetfishconsumptionadvisories.̀5Thesedon'tdoanythingforthesportfishing̀6communityinMichigan.Infact,theycould̀7potentiallybeaproblemforthesportfishing̀8communityinMichigan.Andthat'swhereourconcerǹ9comesin.̀10Rightnow,Michiganwatersattractclosetò11twomillionanglersayear.Thatrepresentsabout̀125percentofthetotalfishingpublicwithinthè13nation.Werankfourthinthenationintermsof̀14fishingpublic.LikeIsaid,wespendabout̀15$20millionayear.̀16Intotal,tourismrepresentsthesecond̀17biggestcontributortorevenuegeneratedwithinthè18statebehindtheautomobileindustry,andthè19MichiganDepartmentofNaturalResourcesestimates̀20thatthesportfishingcommunityspendsabout̀21$1.4billionannuallyinthestateofMichiganand̀22intooureconomy.Sosportfishingisbigbusiness̀23inMichigan.̀24Becauseofallofthesethingsandbecause  0/3 ̀45̀1ofanumberofotherfactors,whichI'msureother̀2peoplewillbetalkingabouttoday,Michiganhas̀3identifiedmercuryasoneoftheprimarypollutants̀4concernsfordecades.Anexampleofthatwasthè51996MercuryPollutionPreventionTaskForcethatwè6hadwithinthestate.Oneofthesubgroupsofthat̀7wastheutilitysector,anditissomethingthatwè8refertoagainandagainandagainwithinthestatè9intermsoftheneedtoregulatemercury.̀10Infact,mostrecently,theDepartmentof̀11EnvironmentalQuality--that'saregulatorybranch̀12withinthestate,asyouallknow--Director,̀13RussellHarding,sentalettertoyousaying,yes,̀14it'stimetoregulatemercuryfromcoal-firedpower̀15plants.Theimpacttothesportfishingcommunityis̀16oneofthereasonswhy.Andwe'reheretodaỳ17basicallytoagreewithDirectorHarding.It'stimè18toregulatemercury.It'stimetogetsomething̀19goingandnotforcethesportfishingcommunitytò20endurethesefishconsumptionadvisoriesthathavenò21benefitforthem.̀22Thankyouverymuch.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveSarahWelchfrom̀24the_Isaak_ԀWaltonLeagueofAmerica.  0/3 ̀46̀1MS.WELCH:Thankyouforgivingusthis̀2opportunitytospeaktoday.IamSarahWelchfrom̀3the_Isaak_ԀWaltonLeagueofAmericafromtheMidwest̀4officeinSt.Paul,Minnesota,andwerepresent̀5nationallyabout50,000anglers,hunters,and̀6conservationistsacrossthecountrywhoarecommitted̀7toresponsibleenvironmentalstewardship.Iserveas̀8thecoordinatoroftheMinnesotaPowerPlant̀9campaign,andtodayI'mgoingtofocusmycomments̀10specificallyontheeffectsofthemercuryiǹ11Minnesota.̀12Emissionsofhazardousairpollutantsfrom̀13powerplantsareaseriousproblemthatneedtobè14addressed.Althoughtherearenumerousair_toxics_Ԁof̀15concern,we'remostconcernedabouttheunregulated̀16mercuryemissionsfromelectricutilitiesbecausè17mostofourmembersareactiveanglersandbasicallỳ18cannoteattheircatch.Iftheydoeattheircatch,̀19ofcourse,asdatareferences,thereareserious̀20potentialhealtheffects.̀21We'realsoconcernedbecauseMinnesotais̀22knownforitslakes,andourtourismindustryis̀23stronglydependentonthequalityofthoselakesfor̀24attractingvisitorswhowillspendmoneyinour  0/3 ̀47̀1state.̀2Minnesotageneratesnearly70percentofits̀3electricityfromcoal-firedpowerplants.Thè4electricutilityindustryasawholeisresponsiblè5forathirdofthemercuryemissionsinthestateand̀6isessentiallythesinglelargest,unregulated̀7industrialsourceofmercuryemissions.̀8Ithasbeenwelldocumentedthatwheǹ9mercuryisemittedintotheair,itendsupinwater̀10bodiesbothclosetoandfarawayfromthepower̀11plants.Weknowthatmercuryistoxiciǹ12infinitesimalamounts.1/70thofateaspoonof̀13mercurydepositedeachyearisenoughtocontaminatè14a25-acrelake.Weknowthatoncedepositedintoà15waterbody,mercuryisconvertedthroughnatural̀16processesto_methylmercury_.Itentersthefoodchaiǹ17whenitisconsumedbyplanktonandsmallfish.It̀18_bioaccumulates_Ԁineverlargerorganismsuntilit̀19reachesthehighestlevelsofthefoodchain.Andas̀20weallknow,thistoplevelconsistsofpredatorỳ21wildlife,eagles,loons,otters,and,ofcourse,̀22humans.̀23Wealsoknowthatmercuryisapotent̀24_neurotoxin_Ԁforbothhumansandwildlife.Evenatlow  0/3 ̀48̀1levels,itinterfereswiththedevelopmentofthè2nervoussystem,especiallyduringprenatalandearlỳ3childhooddevelopment.Weknowthatmercury's̀4effectsonthedevelopmentofthecentralnervous̀5systemareirreversibleandincludedelayedmental̀6development,learningdisabilities,anddelayed̀7developmentordeficienciesinlanguage,motor̀8function,attention,andmemory.̀9Wealsoknowthatseveralhumanpopulations̀10inMinnesotaeatdisproportionatelyhighquantities̀11offishthatcontainpotentiallyhighlevelsof̀12mercury.Sportanglersandtheirfamiliesconsumè13fishonamoreregularbasisthanthosewhodon't̀14fish.Andsubsistenceanglersandtheirfamilies,̀15likesoutheastAsiansandNativeAmericansaremorè16susceptible.̀17Minnesotahasissued844fishconsumptioǹ18advisoriesspecificallyformercury.Thereareover̀193,000rivermilescoveredbyamercuryadvisoryand̀20almost1.4millionlakeacres.Fishconsumptioǹ21advisoriesdon'tdoanythingbutwarnusfromeating̀22contaminatedfishandcertainlydon'taddressthè23problemofwherethemercuryiscomingfrom.They'rè24simplyaband-aidsolution,andIwouldarguethatwe  0/3 ̀49̀1knowenoughaboutthenegativeeffectsofmercurytò2knowthatregulationsthataddressthesourceofthè3emissionsareneeded.̀4Mercuryemissionsarealsoaneconomicissuè5inMinnesota.Accordingtoarecentstudybythè6AmericanSportFishingAssociation,theoverall̀7impactoffreshwatersportfishinginMinnesotaiǹ81996was$3.6billion.Minnesotaanglersdirectlỳ9spent$1.8billionthatyear,andthesearè10significantexpenditureswhichbringrevenuetò11resortsandsmallbusinessesandprovideanestimated̀1247,000jobs.̀13AsTim_Hagley_Ԁmentionedearlier,we'rekind̀14ofinauniquesituationinMinnesota.Lastyear,̀15theMinnesotalegislaturepassedthevoluntarỳ16mercuryreductionlegislationrequiringa60-percent̀17reductioninmercuryemissionsby2000andà1870-percentreductionby2005.The_Isaak_ԀWaltoǹ19League,alongwithindustriesandotherstakeholder̀20groups,continuestobeaparticipantinthis̀21initiative.̀22Atthemoment,thosecompanieswhoemitmorè23than50poundsofmercuryayearareintheprocess̀24ofdraftingtherequiredvoluntaryplans  0/3 ̀50̀1demonstratingtheirproposedreductions.Thejuryis̀2stilloutastothesuccessofthisvoluntarỳ3initiative.̀4Whatyouwillhearfromindustrytodayis̀5that,whilethey'rewillingtoaddresstheirmercurỳ6emissions,Minnesotaelectricutilitiesareonlỳ7responsibleforabout10percentoftheemissions̀8thatactuallyfallintheMinnesotalakes.Thè9remaining90percentofemissionsoriginatesat̀10stacksoutofstateandisdepositeddownwind,intò11ourlakes.Thismayverywellbetrue,butit̀12certainlydoesnotexonerateMinnesotautilitiesfrom̀13havingtocurbemissionsfromtheirplants.Infact,̀14itverypowerfullydemonstratestheneedforà15nationalpolicyaddressinguncheckedmercurỳ16emissionsfromtheelectricutilitysector.̀17Certainlyonestatecannotdoitalone.̀18Inclosing,becausemercuryissuchà19seriouspublichealthandeconomicissue,andbecausè20mercuryemissionsdon'tseemtorespectpoliticaland̀21stateboundaries,theIzaakWaltonLeagueurgesthè22EPAtomakeapositiveregulatorydeterminationiǹ23thismatter.Thankyou.̀24_MR_.WAYLAND:Thankyou,Sarah.  0/3 ̀51̀1NextwehaveJohn_Venners_Ԁfrom_KFx_,̀2Incorporated.̀3Beforewecloseoutthissession,has̀4SidNelsonarrivedyet?PattyLeaffromNortherǹ5StatePower?̀6We'reaboutfiveminutesaheadofschedulè7rightnow,butwe'llgoaheadandmoveintothe10:45̀8to11:45block,andasthesepeoplecomein,̀9hopefullywecangettheminpriortolunch.̀10Therehavebeenseveralthathavecalledand̀11leftmessagesthattheairportiscurrentlyclosed̀12andtheycannotgetin.Sohopefullytheweather̀13willbreakandthey'llgetinlaterthisafternoon.̀14NextwehaveEric_Uram_ԀfromtheSierraClub̀15Midwest.̀16_MR_._URAM_:Goodmorning.Mynameis̀17Eric_Uram_.IamanAssociateRepresentativeforthè18SierraClubattheirMidwestOffice'sGreatLakes̀19Program.TheSierraClubisthenation'slargest̀20grassrootsenvironmentalorganizationrepresenting̀21over600,000membersnationallythatareworkingat̀22alllevelstoprotectournation'senvironmentfor̀23ourfamiliesandforourfuture.̀24I'dliketothankEPAfortheopportunityto  0/3 ̀52̀1presentourviewsonthisimportantupcoming̀2determinationonregulatingthehazardousair̀3pollutantemissionsfromutilities.̀4Lookingveryquicklyattheissue,Iwishtò5saybasically,wehaveenoughknowledgeaboutmercurỳ6emissionsandtheirfate,especiallythosefrom̀7coal-firedutilities,todemonstrateaneedtò8regulatethem.̀9Thereissufficientknowledgethatexists̀10surroundingtheenvironmentalandhumanhealth̀11effectsofmercuryandalsoadequateknowledgethat̀12existssurroundingthesourcesofmercuryinour̀13environment.̀14Wehavehadnumerousinventoriesthathavè15beendone,includingEPA's1997MercuryReportas̀16wellasthe_CEC_'sNorthAmericanRegionalActionPlaǹ17forMercury,demonstratingthatweknowwhereit's̀18comingfromandwhoisemittingit.̀19There'ssufficientknowledgethatis̀20surroundingthe_bioaccumulation_Ԁand_biomagnification_Ԁ̀21of_methylmercury_.Weknowthatinourwatersystems,̀22thatmercurylevelscanincreasefiveorsixorders̀23ofmagnitudeormorefrombackgroundlevelsthatarè24inthoselakesandcells.  0/3 ̀53̀1Wehavesufficientknowledgethatexists̀2surroundingtheseverityoftheproblem.Hereinthè3GreatLakesregionalone,over70,000lakesand̀4streamsegmentshavefishconsumptionadvisoriesoǹ5themformercury,andmanyofthosefishconsumptioǹ6advisoriesarebaseduponanFDAReferenceDose,̀7nothingmorerestrictivethanthat.̀8Sufficientknowledgeexistssurrounding̀9whosemercuryemissionsarecausingproblemsand̀10where.Weseethatsomeofthemostrecentresearch̀11thathasbeendoneshowsthatupto50percentofthè12mercuryreleasedfrompowerplantsisfallingup̀13locally,andtheresearchthatisbeingdoneinthè14Evergladesisadequatelydocumentingthis.̀15Thereissufficientknowledgethatexists̀16surroundingtheefficienciesofcontroltechnologies.̀17The1999studiesthatEPAdidthatlookedatcoal̀18burningandthedifferenttechnologiesthatareused,̀19electrostatic_precipitators_,wetanddryscrubbers,̀20andbackgroundfilters,demonstratedthatwedohavè21theabilitytoknowwhatemissionbreaksandwhatcaǹ22resultinloweremissions.̀23Sufficientuncertaintyexistsregarding̀24whetherinteractionwithotherchemicalscause  0/3 ̀54̀1increasedadversehealtheffects.Aswepointedout̀2earlier,wedon'tknowifPCBisanotherchemicalor̀3exacerbatingmercurytoxicityinhumansoreveniǹ4wildlife.Thereissufficientuncertaintyexisting̀5astowhetherornotageneticpredispositioncaǹ6alteranindividual'ssensitivitytomercurytoxic̀7effects.Aswell,someoftheresearchthathasbeeǹ8doneintheSeychellesIslandsshowsthatwedon't̀9knowifageneticallyhomogenouspopulationis̀10adequatelyrepresentativeofwhat'sgoingonhereiǹ11theUnitedStatesandthepeoplethateatthefish̀12thatarecaughthere.̀13Sufficientuncertaintyexistsregarding̀14whetherothersourcesofexposuretomercuryarè15adequatelyconsideredinourhealthassessments.Wè16don'tknowifdentalamalgamsthatreleasesmall̀17amountsofmercuryoverlongperiodsoftimecould̀18basicallybeaffectinghumansbecausetheirmouths̀19maycontainreducingbacteriathatcan_methylize_Ԁthis̀20elementalmercuryintomethylatedmercury.̀21Sufficientuncertaintyexistsregarding̀22whetherthelevelofmercuryemissionsandexposurè23thatwearenowconsideringaresafe.Thecurrent̀24assessmentistonowprotect100percentofthe  0/3 ̀55̀1population.Childrenaremoreseverelyaffectedand̀2havehigherintakesthanadults.Yet,moststudies̀3lookatthetoxicitythroughsingleroutesof̀4exposureandsinglechemicaltoxins.̀5Withoutanyprevious--withoutconsidering̀6anypreviousbodyburdenandonlyinrelationtoà7healthyadult,whenmakingdecisionsregardingthè8safetyofhumanheath,weneedtoerronthesideof̀9cautionandensureadequatesafetyfactorstoalloẁ10allmembersofthepopulationadequateprotectioǹ11frommercury'stoxiceffects.̀12Sufficientresearchhasbeendoneoǹ13alternativeenergysourcesandincreasingenergỳ14efficiencythat,whenimplemented,reduceourneedtò15burncoalandrelianceon,includingpowerplants.̀16Therefore,weadequatelyunderstandthecauseof̀17controllingornotcontrollingmercuryemissions.̀18Itmustbenotedherethatinterested̀19partiesrepresentingpowercompaniesarevoicing̀20theirconcerns.Asyouheartheirtestimonythatthè21technologicandeconomicaspectsofthisissuè22preventutilitiesfrommakingchangesor̀23_transitioning_Ԁtolesspollutingalternatives,keepiǹ24mindthatthesebusinessdecisionsaremadeto  0/3 ̀56̀1increaseandmaximizeprofitsandnottoplacè2externalcostsintotheirledger.Therefore,their̀3decision-makingprocessesignoreimportanthealth̀4aspectsofthisissueandtendtoshowchange,and̀5we'llcontinuetoargueagainstthis.̀6SierraClubwouldliketoplaceonthè7recordthatintheearly'70s,we,asasociety,madè8theregulatoryinitiativesnecessarywhenleadwas̀9foundtobeahealthconcern,andyeteventoday,wè10arestillmoppingupresidualsourcesofpossiblè11leadexposurefromourenvironment.Becauseofthè12universalregulationoflead,marketcompetitiondid̀13notunfairlyburdentheautomotiveandfuel̀14industries.Whyshouldwehesitatewhendeciding̀15whetherutilitiesshouldberegulatedaswemovetò16eliminatemercuryemissions.̀17Therefore,youmustunderstandthebottom̀18lineofthisdecision,whichiswhetherweprotect̀19theprofitsofanindustrythathasdecadestò20review,reinvest,andresolvethemercurypollutioǹ21problem,anindustrywhichchosetoplaceandproducè22continuinginvestmentrelianceandoldantiquated̀23methodsofproducingelectricity,anindustrywhich̀24chosetoignorethedevelopingworldgrowingin  0/3 ̀57̀1populationanddemandwhichneedstoreducereliancè2oncoalsandenergysource,notonlybecauseofthè3associatedmercuryemissions,butalsobecauseofthè4manyotherformsofpollutionassociatedwiththis̀5useandeffect.̀6Or,dowemoveforwardandregulatethesè7emissionsandinsodoing,protectthehealthandthè8environmentandthefoodandwaterresourcesthat̀9manyhumansaswellasanimalsrelyon,andiǹ10additiontoeliminatingthispollution,helpmakethè11transitiontoaneweconomythatislessrelyingoǹ12fossilfuelsandplacesstockineconomicdevelopment̀13throughthegenerationofjobsandnotpollution.̀14ItisnowvitalthatEPAmoveforward.Thè15SierraCluburgesyoutoproceedandregulatethis̀16source,thusprovidingthegroundworkforthè17eventualvirtualeliminationofanthropogenicsources̀18ofmercuryinourlifetimewhileprovidingfor̀19sustainableeconomicgrowth.̀20SierraClubandIthankyouforthis̀21opportunitytoexpressourviewsonthisimportant̀22decision.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:Thankyou,Eric.̀24NextwehaveChrisVan_Atten_ԀfromtheClean  0/3 ̀58̀1EnergyGroup.̀2_MR_.VAN_ATTEN_:Thanksforhavingme.I'm̀3gladtobehereafteranexcitingflightthis̀4morning.̀5Again,mynameisChrisVan_Atten_,andI'm̀6presentingcommentsonbehalfoftheCleanEnergỳ7Group.MembersoftheCleanEnergyGrouparemajor̀8electricgeneratingcompaniesthatarecommittedtò9theprovisionofcleanenergyandtoresponsiblè10environmentalstewardship,andsupportpoliciesthat̀11aresustainablefrombothaneconomicandaǹ12environmentalperspective.̀13TheCleanEnergyGroupsupportsthè14developmentoffederallyadoptedmercuryemissioǹ15standardsforcoal-firedpowerplantsprovidedthat̀16adequatetimeisallowedforamoreaccuratè17characterizationofmercuryemissionsfromdifferent̀18powerplantsprovidingdifferenttypesofcoaland̀19adequatetimeforthedevelopmentofcosteffectivè20mercurycontroltechnologies.Thegrouphasput̀21forwardanationalintegratedstrategyforregulating̀22mercuryandotherprioritypollutants,whichIwill̀23outlinetoday.̀24Priortodevelopingthisproposal,theClean  0/3 ̀59̀1EnergyGroupsupportedEPA'seffortstomorè2accuratelycharacterizemercuryemissionsfrom̀3coal-firedgeneratingunits.Severalofourmember̀4companieshaveparticipatedinEPA'smercurỳ5InformationCollectionRequest,bothaspartofthè6formalsurveyandonavoluntarybasistosupplement̀7thedatabeingcollected.WeexpectthattheICR̀8datawillplayanimportantroleinformingafuturè9regulatorystrategyintheindustry.̀10TheCleanEnergyGrouphasalsobeeǹ11supportiveofEPA'seffortstolowerthereporting̀12thresholdformercuryunderthe_toxics_Ԁreleasè13inventory,orTRIprogram.SeveralCleanEnergỳ14Groupcompaniesreleasedlastyearmercuryemissions̀15dataonavoluntarybasisinadvanceofEPA'schangè16tothereportingthreshold.̀17AsIsaid,theCleanEnergyGroupcompanies̀18supportthedevelopmentofanationalintegrated̀19regulatoryframeworkfortheelectricgenerating̀20industry,includingnationalemissionlimitsfor_NOx_,̀21SO2,carbondioxide,andmercury.Acopyofthè22IntegratedStrategywillbefiledwithourtestimonỳ23today.̀24TheCleanEnergyGroupisawarethata  0/3 ̀60̀1numberofstatesareevaluatingmercurycontrolsfor̀2coal-firedpowerplantsandisopposedtothè3adoptionofmercurycontrolprogramsonà4state-by-statebasis.TheCleanEnergyGroupfirmlỳ5believesthatthecontrolofmercuryemissionsneeds̀6tooccuratthefederallevelandbebasedonà7thoroughanalysisofalloftherelevantdata.Our̀8currentunderstandingofthispollutantindicates̀9thatcertainspeciescycleonanationalandevenà10globalscale,andthereforerequiresanational̀11emissionreductionstrategy.̀12Specifically,theCleanEnergyGrouphas̀13proposed,aspartofitsIntegratedAirQualitỳ14Strategy,atwo-phaseprogramforreducingmercurỳ15emissionstobeimplementedasanational̀16cap-and-tradeprogram.Reductiontargetsand̀17scheduleareasfollows:A50-percentreductionfrom̀18currentestimatedemissionlevelsbeginningin2008,̀19anda70-to90-percentreductionfromcurrentlevels̀20in2012.Thisscheduleisproposedtoallowfor̀21bettercoordinatedpollutioncontrolinvestmentsand̀22theachievementofmaximumco-benefits,andis̀23thereforecoordinatedwithproposedfurther̀24reductionsin_NOx_ԀandSO2aswellaslimitson  0/3 ̀61̀1emissionsofcarbondioxide.̀2Anational,integratedregulatoryframework̀3whichincorporatesmarket-basedmechanismsand̀4reasonabletimeframesforimplementationwill̀5provideahighlevelofregulatoryandbusiness̀6sectorcertaintythatwillresultinsubstantialcost̀7efficiencies.Byestablishingalong-term̀8coordinatedschedule,companieswillhaveaǹ9incentivetoevaluatetheimpactoftheircompliancè10strategiesforallofthesepollutants̀11simultaneously,forexample,optimizingscrubbersfor̀12mercurycontrolandalsotohelpavoidstraining̀13investments.̀14Thisfaceapproach,whichincludes̀15complianceflexibilityintheformofallowancè16trainingwillfacilitatethedevelopmentandtesting̀17ofinnovativemercurycontroltechnologies.̀18Notwithstandingthetechnicalandscientific̀19uncertaintiesthatpersistwithregardtomercury,̀20theCleanEnergyGroupcompaniessupportthè21developmentoffederallyadoptedmercuryemissioǹ22standardsasoutlinedintheproposal.̀23Thanksforyourtimetoday.̀24_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveAndy_Buchsbaum_Ԁof  0/3 ̀62̀1theGreatLakesNationalWildlifeFederation.̀2_MR_._BUCHSBAUM_:Thankyou.̀3MynameisAndy_Buchsbaum_.I'mwiththè4NationalWildlifeFederation.I'mthewaterfalland̀5theprojectmanager.I'mheretestifyingtodayoǹ6behalfof_NWF_Ԁanditsfourmillionmembersacrossthè7country.Aswesaidinourinitialcomments,weverỳ8stronglysupportapositivedeterminationtocontrol̀9mercuryemissionsfrompowerplants,andsowe'vè10providedsomewrittencommentswhich--writteǹ11testimony,whichI'mnotgoingtoreadallofbecausè12itwouldtakewaytoolong,andI'malsonotgoingtò13gointodetailonsomeoftheaspectsofwhatI'm̀14goingtosaybecauseotherspeakershavealreadysaid̀15itorwillsayit,andit'sinwriting.̀16Iwantedtooutlinethecompellingcasethat̀17webelievethereisrightnowtodaytocontrol̀18mercuryemissionsfrompowerplantsforEPAtomakeà19positivedetermination.First,thesearereallỳ20undisputedfacts.First,manylakesandstreams̀21acrossthecountryandmuchofthewaterinthemand̀22fishinthemarecontaminatedwithmercurytolevels̀23thatareunacceptableforhumanhealthpurposes,for̀24contaminationofwildlifepurposes,andalsoviolate  0/3 ̀63̀1federalstandards.That'snotindispute.̀2Second,mostofthemercuryinlakesand̀3streamscomesfromtheatmosphere.Wereleasedà4reportlastyearcalled"CleantheRain,Cleanthè5Lakes,"thatdocumentsthelevelofmercuryinraiǹ6inChicagoandthroughouttheMidwest.Thoselevels̀7areparalleltolevelsthatarebeingfound̀8everywhere.̀9Weknowthatpowerplantsarethemajor̀10sourceofmercuryemissionsinthiscountry,thè11leadingsource,aboutathirdofthemercurỳ12emissions,whichisapproximately50,51tons,̀13somewhereinthatneighborhood.Wealsoknow--this̀14isnotdisputedeither--well,itmaybedisputed,̀15butit'sintheUtilityStudy--that30percentof̀16themercuryemissionsfrompowerplantsareestimated̀17tofallinthecontinentalUnitedStates.Sodoing̀18themath,that's15tonsarebeingdeposited,15tons̀19ofmercuryfrompowerplantsarebeingdepositediǹ20theU.S.That'sabout29percentofthetotal̀21mercurydepositedfromallU.S.sources.It'sabout̀2217,18percentofthetotalmercurydepositedinthè23UnitedStatesfromallsources,includingglobal.̀24Thereisnoothersourceofmercurydeposition,not  0/3 ̀64̀1justemissions,depositionthatisanywhereclosetò2thatlevel.̀3Now,we'veheardinthepaststillaǹ4argumentthat,unlessEPAcanactuallytrackmercurỳ5fromspecificpowerplantsintospecificfishorat̀6leastfishingeneral,thatEPAdoesnothavethè7authorityorshouldnotregulatemercuryfrompower̀8plants,thatis,unlessEPAcanshowhowmuchmercurỳ9inthefishcomesfrompowerplants.EPAdoesnot̀10bearthatburden.That'sanimpossibleburden.EPÀ11doesn'tbearit.It'sneverhadtobearthatburdeǹ12inpreviousregulatorydecisions.Andinourwritteǹ13testimony,weprovideindetailthroughcasestudies̀14ofregulationoftoxicchemicalsthatEPAhasdoneiǹ15thepast,theGreatLakesinitiativeregulationsfor̀16mercuryandother_toxics_,andalsothe1976--well,̀17mid1970sregulationwhereEPAbannedleadiǹ18gasoline,andtheburdenthatEPAhadtobearwasfar̀19lessandthedatathatEPAhadavailablewasfarless̀20beforeittookthosedecisions.̀21AndI'mnotgoingtogointothosestudies̀22indetail,butletmejusthighlightoneortwò23aspectsofthosecasestudies.The_GOI_Ԁmercurỳ24standard,EPAhadtomakeadeterminationofwhatthe  0/3 ̀65̀1_bioaccumulation_Ԁfactorwouldbeformercurywater̀2qualitystandardsintheGreatLakes,thatis,hoẁ3fast,howmuch,howhighthismercuryconcentratè4fromwaterandfish.Thatnumber,inreality,isnot̀5asinglenumber.There'sawidevarietyof̀6_bioaccumulation_Ԁfactorsdependingonthewaterbody,̀7dependingontheconditionofthesediments,̀8dependingonspeciesoffish,andindividualfish̀9eaten.̀10Also,EPAdidn'thaveanyfieldstudiestò11makethatdetermination.Yet,EPAsetasingle,̀12_nonvariable_Ԁ_bioaccumulation_Ԁfactorformercury.It̀13didsowithoutasinglefieldstudybecausenonewerè14available.Itdidn'twaittoact.Itacted.That̀15regulationwaschallengedinthefederalcourts.Thè16federalcourtsupheldEPA'sregulation.I'mjust̀17goingtoreadonebriefpassagefromtheD.C.Circuit̀181997opinion.Asyouknow,theD.C.Circuithasbeeǹ19nofriendtoU.S.EPAregulations,butinthisone,̀20itwas.ThisoneisbecauseEPAdidthejobithad̀21todo.̀22Webeginbynotingthatthiscasepresented̀23theagencywithaclassicanddifficultchoice.̀24Possessingimperfectscientificinformation,ithad  0/3 ̀66̀1todecidewhethertoproceedonthatbasisortò2investtheresourcestoconducttheperfectstudy.̀3Itchosetodotheformer.Thisisthetypeof̀4decisiontowhichthiscourtwouldgenerallyapplyà5deferentialstandard.EPAdidn'tneedtodothè6perfectstudy.Itdidn'tdotheperfectstudy,and̀7thecourtsupheldthatunderthe_GOI_.̀8Theleadcaseparallelsareevenmorè9striking.EPAknewinthemid'70sthat,numberone,̀10leadinhighconcentrationsaretoxic;numbertwo,̀11leadcanbeabsorbedfromambientair;andnumber̀12three,theleadingsourceofleadinambientairwas̀13tailpipeemissionsbecauseofleadedgasoline.And̀14yet,EPAdidn'tknowawholelot.EPAdidn'tknow,̀15infact,howmuchleadinpeople'sbloodwascoming̀16fromtheatmosphere.Itparticularlydidn'tknowhoẁ17muchleadinpeople'sbloodwascomingfromtailpipè18emissions.̀19Scientistshadanincompleteunderstanding̀20ofthedifferentsourcesofleadandhowtheỳ21contributetothebody--diet,paint,drinking̀22water--andyet,EPAdidnotletitselfbè23paralyzed.EPAagain--theseareexactlythesamè24argumentsthatyoucouldhearfromsomemembersof  0/3 ̀67̀1theUtilityindustry--wedon'tknowenough;wè2don'tknowenough;wedon'tknowenough.EPAdidnot̀3letitselfbeparalyzedbythoseargumentsthen.̀4Again,theD.C.Circuitupheldthat.Wenowhave--̀5anditturnsout,infact,that_that_Ԁwasoneofthè6wisestmovesthatEPAhasmade.It,infact,reduced̀7leadlevelsinpeople'sblood.̀8ThecaseforEPA'sregulationofpowerplant̀9emissionsiscompellingandit'sclear.EPAneedstò10makethatdecisionanditneedstomakeitsoon.̀11Thankyou.̀12_MR_.WAYLAND:Felice_Stadler_.̀13MS._STADLER_:We'reCleanAirNetworkoutof̀14Washington,D.C.̀15_MR_.WAYLAND:Sorry.̀16MS._STADLER_:Thankyouforprovidingusthè17opportunitytospeakheretoday.MynameisFelicè18_Stadler_.I'mthePolicyDirectoroftheCleanAir̀19Network.We'reanationalallianceofenvironmental̀20andpublichealthorganizations,andmyremarkstodaỳ21representtheopinionsof190differentenvironmental̀22organizationsthathaveactuallyendorsedour̀23principles.Andweareheretospeak,urgingEPAtò24makeapositiveregulatorydeterminationthisfall.  0/3 ̀68̀1We'veprovidedmoretechnicalcomments,andI'mnot̀2goingtorepeatthosetechnicalcommentshere,butwè3willbedoingsomethingalittlebitdifferentlỳ4today.̀5Forthepasttwoyears,skepticshavè6misconstrued,somewouldarguesuccessfully,whatwè7knowaboutmercurytocastdoubtontheneedforand̀8feasibilityofnationalmercurycontrolsfor̀9coal-firedpowerplants.Today,Iwouldliketò10highlightsomeoftheserecurringargumentsonwhỳ11controlsatthispointintimearenotwarrantedand̀12provideourresponsetotheseclaims.̀13Claimnumberone:U.S.mercuryemissions̀14onlyaccountforasmallfraction,3percent,ofthè15totalglobalmercuryemissions,andsinceglobal̀16emissionsareasignificantsourceofmercurỳ17contaminationintheU.S.,itdoesnotmakesensetò18imposecostlycontrolsonU.S.sources.̀19Response:AccordingtoU.S.EPA,̀20approximately87tonsofmercuryaredepositedinthè21U.S.annually.About60percentofthemercury,̀2252tons,comesfromU.S.sources,withtherest̀23comingfromtheglobalpool.Inthenortheasterǹ24U.S.,thatnumberisevenhigher,with77percent  0/3 ̀69̀1comingfromU.S.-basedsources.Sincecoal-fired̀2powerplantsarethelargestknownsourceofU.S.̀3man-mademercuryemissions,theyareamajor̀4contributortothe52tonsofmercurybeingdeposited̀5intheU.S.̀6SincetheCleanAirAct_reauthorization_Ԁ̀7debatesofthelate1980s,electricutilitieshavè8arguedthatitwascounterproductiveandunfairtò9requireU.S.companiestocontroltheirmercurỳ10releases.Despitetenyearsofextensiveresearchiǹ11theareaofmercurydepositionpatternsandtrends,̀12theutilityindustrycontinuestoarguethispoint.̀13Interestingly,noothermercury-emittingindustryhas̀14usedthisargumenttoopposeregulation.̀15Claimnumber2:Thereisnoevidencethat̀16mercuryemissionsfromcoal-firedpowerplants̀17contaminatefishbeingconsumedbyU.S.residents.̀18Wealsodonothavecompellingevidencethatmercurỳ19emissionsfromcoal-firedpowerplantsareposingà20risktohumanhealth,anduntilwedo,national̀21controlsarenotjustified.̀22Response:EPA'sUtilityStudyReporttò23Congressevaluatedpowerplantmercuryemissions,̀24theirpotentialimpactonlakes,rivers,andstreams,  0/3 _̀70̀1howmercuryenterstheaquaticfoodchain,andtò2whatextenthumansareexposedthroughfish̀3consumption.Usingmodelingdata,EPAcalculated̀4thatupto15percentofthemercuryemissionsfrom̀5coal-firedpowerplantsdepositedwithin30milesof̀6aplantandupto50percentfallwithin600miles.̀7Despiteusingaconservativeestimate,EPA'sanalysis̀8demonstratedthatmercuryexposureabovetheEPAsafè9levelcanoccurforcertainsegmentsofthè10population.Becausemercuryemissionsfrompower̀11plantsarelinkedtoincreasesin_methylmercury_Ԁ̀12concentrationsinfishtissue,wecansafelyconcludè13thathazardstopublichealtharereasonablỳ14anticipatedfromsuchemissions.̀15Giventhatmercurylevelsintheenvironment̀16haverisenoverthepastseveraldecades,and̀17depositionmodelsshowmoremercurydeposited̀18downwindoftheOhioRiverValley,wecansafelỳ19concludethatmercuryemissionsfromcoalburning̀20havecontributedtoincreaseddeposition.Similar̀21conclusionsweredrawnwithacidrainwherè22ecologicaldamagewasmonitoreddownwindof̀23coal-burningsources.Althoughaparticularpower̀24company'sacidrain-formingemissionscouldnotbe  0/3 ̀71̀1linkedtotheacidificationofaspecificstream,thè2evidencewasoverwhelmingthatcoalburningcreated̀3acidrain.̀4Finally,nothingintheCleanAirAct̀5requiresEPAtodefinitivelyprovealinkbetweeǹ6diagnosedhumanhealthdamageandemissionsbeforè7applyingregulatoryrequirementstomeetthegoalsof̀8theCleanAirAct.Thisisnotonlyscientificallỳ9impossible,butalsoassumesthathumanhealthdamagè10isacceptableuntiltheexactculpritis̀11identified--clearlyatoddswiththepremiseofthè12CleanAirAct.Infact,noothermajorsourceof̀13toxicairemissionsotherthantheelectricutilitỳ14industryhasgivenEPAsuchintensescrutinyoǹ15whetherair_toxics_Ԁcontrolsarejustified.̀16Claimnumber3:Thereissignificant̀17disagreementwithinthescientificcommunityonthè18healthrisksassociatedwithmercurytoxicityand̀19exposure.̀20Response:Thereisnodisagreementwithiǹ21thescientificcommunitythat_methylmercury_Ԁis̀22extremelytoxictothenervoussystem,especiallytò23thedevelopingsystemin_utero_,ininfants,andyoung̀24children.Wherethescientificcommunityhasnot  0/3 ̀72̀1reachedconsensusisintheamountofexposurethat̀2canoccurwithoutdamagingachild'sdevelopment.̀3Asoftoday,40stateshaveissuedfishing̀4advisoriesbecauseofmercurycontamination.11of̀5thosehaveadvisoriesoneveryfreshwaterlake,̀6river,andstreaminthestate.Thirteenstates̀7advisethepublictorestricttheconsumptionof̀8oceanfish.̀9AccordingtoU.S.fishconsumptionsurveys,̀10aboutfourmillion,or7percent,ofallwomenof̀11childbearingageeatenoughmercury-contaminatedfish̀12topotentiallyexceedwhatEPAconsidersasafedosè13ofmercury.Aboutthreemillionchildrenagesthreè14tosixalsoareatrisk.̀15Reducingcurrentmercuryemissionswill̀16reducelevelsinthefoodchainovertime.However,̀17givenitsabilitytopersistintheenvironment,̀18withoutseverelyrestrictingcurrentemissions,it̀19willtakedecadesbeforeimprovementsarerealized.̀20Somescientistspredictthatevenifallsources̀21ceasedemittingmercurytoday,itcouldtakeuptò2250yearsbeforefisharesafetoeat.̀23Claimnumber4:Itisprematuretoimposè24mercurycontrolsoncoal-firedpowerplantsbecause  0/3 ̀73̀1controltechnologyisnotcommerciallyavailable.̀2Response:Basedondatapresentediǹ3peer-reviewedjournals,mercurycontrolsarè4technicallyfeasibleandcanachievesignificant̀5mercuryemissionsreductionswithinEPA'slikelỳ6regulatorytimeframe.̀7Pollutioncontrolequipmentvendorshavè8acknowledgedthatthetechnologytoreducemercurỳ9emissionsfromcoal-firedpowerplantsexists.̀10However,becausethere'scurrentlynomarketforthis̀11technology,it'snotbeingdevelopedfullscale.̀12Withtheprospectofnationalcontrolslooming,therè13hasbeenalotmoreattentionpaidtodevelopingand̀14testingnewmercurycontroltechnology.̀15Claimnumber5,finalclaim:Itisfartoò16expensivetocontrolmercuryemissions,andifwè17imposenationalcontrols,itwillbetheconsumerwhò18paysthroughhigherutilityrates.̀19Response:Theelectricutilityindustry,̀20withits$400billionannualrevenue,hasasolid̀21trackrecordforoverestimatingthecostofpollutioǹ22controls.Duringtheacidraindebate,utilities̀23arguedthatitwouldcost$6billionayeartocomplỳ24withthenewacidrainlegislation;theactualcost  0/3 ̀74̀1iscloserto$800millionannually.̀2Inthelate1990s,theindustryarguedthat̀3nitrogenoxidecontrolswouldrunabout$10,000à4ton;nowthecostofcontroliscloserto$2,000à5ton.̀6InarecentstudycompletedbyEPA,thè7agencyreviseditscostestimatedownwardforpower̀8plantmercurycontrolsfrom$5billionannuallyfor̀9theentireindustryto$1.8billionannually.This̀10wouldamounttolessthanhalfof1percentoftheir̀11annualrevenue.Thispricewilllikelyfurther̀12decreaseasmorecost-effectivecontrolsarè13developedtomeetnewregulatoryrequirements.̀14Finally,thepublicisbearingthecostof̀15nomercurycontrolthroughdiminishedcapabilitiesiǹ16childrenandafoodsupplythat'scontaminated.̀17Conclusion:Onlyutilityboilersenjoyà18temporaryexemptionfromtheair_toxics_Ԁprovisionsof̀19theCleanAirAct.TheEPAhasmorethanenough̀20informationinhandtomoveforwardwithevaluating̀21controlstrategiesforutilityboilersasithasdonè22fornumerousothermercurysourcesandforallother̀23majorsourcesofair_toxics_.̀24NothinginSection112oftheCleanAirAct  0/3 ̀75̀1suggeststhatEPAshouldapplyastandarddifferent̀2forelectricutilitiesfromthatestablishedbỳ3Congressforotherair_toxics_Ԁsources.Somehavè4suggestedthatbeforeEPAcanissuecontrols,itmust̀5provethatthemercuryinfishoriginatedfrom̀6utilityboilers.Notonlywouldthisbeimpossiblè7todocument,buttheutilityindustryispresentingà8hurdleforEPAthatisnotrequiredbytheActfor̀9thisoranyotherair_toxics_Ԁsource.̀10Mercuryisalocal,regional,andglobal̀11problem,soanationalmercuryemissionsstandardfor̀12electricutilitiesneedstobedesignedtoaddress̀13allthreeaspectsoftheproblem.Reductionsonthè14orderof90percentarenotonlyfeasible,but̀15necessarygiventhewidespreadpublichealthand̀16ecologicalimpactsassociatedwithmercuryreleases.̀17Inevaluatingwhatstrategytopursuetò18meetthislevelofreduction,weurgeEPAtolook̀19beyondexistingcontrolscurrentlyinstalledoǹ20coal-firedboilersandevaluatetheuseofcarboǹ21injection,scrubbers,andincreaseduseofgas,̀22_renewables_,andefficiency.EPA'scontrolstrategỳ23mustlooksimultaneouslyatreducingmercuryalong̀24withotherpollutantsofconcern,includingacid  0/3 ̀76̀1gaseswhichtheindustryemitsinverylargevolumes,̀2andcriteriapollutants.Wealsofirmlybelievethat̀3noregulatorystrategyshouldbepursuedthatreduces̀4overallriskattheexpenseofincreasing,or̀5ignoring,individualrisk.̀6Finally,Isubmittoyouanationalmercurỳ7positionstatementsignedby268organizations,̀8businesses,andindividualsrepresenting41states̀9andtheDistrictofColumbiacallingonEPAtoissuè10nationalmercurycontrolsforpowerplants.Thè11publicunderstandstheproblemathand--ourfish̀12areunsafetoeat--andthepublicdemandsnational̀13actiontorestoreacriticalpartoftheirfood̀14supplyandtoprotectcurrentandfuturegenerations.̀15Thankyou.̀16_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehavePatricioSilvà17fromtheNaturalResourceDefenseCouncil.̀18Iwouldliketoremindthoseofyouwhoarè19cominginlate,youdoneedtosticktothefivè20minutesallottedtoyousothateveryoneintheroom̀21willhavetheopportunitytospeaktoday.̀22_MR_.SILVA:Thankyou.̀23MynameisPatricioSilva,andI'dliketò24thanktheagencyfortheopportunitytosubmit  0/3 ̀77̀1commentsontheregulatorydetermination.̀2IamtheMidwestActivitiesCoordinatorfor̀3theNationalResourcesDefenseCouncil._NRDC_Ԁisà4nonprofitcitizenorganizationdedicatedtò5environmentalprotection.Wehavemorethan400,000̀6membersnationwide.Since1970,_NRDC_Ԁhasfollowed̀7closelytheimplementationoftheCleanAirActand̀8hasstoppedthecurrentactions.Underthelaw,that̀9wouldcarryoutCongress'spolicydecisionstò10protectpublichealthandtheenvironmentfromharm̀11causedbyairpollution.̀12_NRDC_Ԁurgestheadministratortoregulatè13mercuryemissionsfromelectricutilitysteam̀14generatingunitsunderCleanAirActSectioǹ15112(n)(1)(A).Mercuryisatoxicheavymetalthat̀16existsintheenvironmentoncereleasedintothè17atmosphere.Ithasalso,untilrecently,escaped̀18regulatoryattentionbecauseofthedifficultyiǹ19detectingandquantifyingmercuryemissionsfromthè20largestsinglecombustionsourcecategoryof̀21emissions,coal-firedelectricsteamgenerating̀22units.̀23Inastudyofhazardousairpollutants̀24emittedbypowerplants,EPAidentifiedmercuryas  0/3 ̀78̀1thepollutantwithgreatestpotentialconcern,̀2growingconcern,andawarenessoftheperilpresented̀3byreleaseofmercuryhavebeen,inlargepart,thè4resultofeffortsby_NRDC_Ԁandotheradvocatestò5publicizetherisksandeducateregulators.̀6Inthe1990CleanAirActamendments,̀7CongressinstructedEPAtoperformastudyofthè8hazardstopublichealthreasonablyanticipatedtò9occurasaresultofemissionsbyelectricutilitỳ10steamgeneratingunits.EPA,initsfinalReporttò11Congress,statedthatmercuryistheHAPemissionof̀12greatestpotentialconcernincoal-firedutilities.̀13Congressintendedthattherisksfromhazardousair̀14pollutantsemissionsfromthisunittobeall̀15characterizedpriortoregulation.Throughthè16completionoftheUtility_Toxics_ԀandUtilityMercurỳ17ReportstoCongress,seriousrisksposedfrommercurỳ18emissionsfromelectricutilitysteamgenerating̀19unitsarenowwellcharacterizedinmeritregulation.̀20WealsowishtotakenotethatSection112̀21shouldnotbemisconstruedtoprovideelectric̀22utilitysteamgeneratingunitswithspecialor̀23preferentialtreatmentdifferentfromotherindustrỳ24sectorsforwhichEPAhasissued_MACT_Ԁregulations.  0/3 ̀79̀1Whileanticipatingthelegalpre-determinationsbỳ2considerationofriskassessmentisinappropriateand̀3unwarrantedunderSection112,EPAhasdeveloped_MACT_Ԁ̀4regulationsreducingmercuryemissionsandother̀5industrysectorswithoutreferenceorconsideratioǹ6ofanyassessment.Effortsbyopponentstoopttò7theregulatorydeterminationtocladtheissuebỳ8injectingriskassessmentorotherordinanceshould̀9besoundlyrejected.̀10Congressprovidedthathazardousair̀11pollutantsfromelectricsteamgeneratingunits̀12shouldbewellcharacterizedbeforeregulation,not̀13excusedorexemptfrom_MACT_Ԁapplicability.Thè14industryhasnotdemonstrateditisentitledtò15specialorextraordinarytreatment,norshouldEPÀ16offerspecialtreatmenttotheelectricutilitỳ17industryonmercuryemissions.̀18Theissueshouldappropriatelyturnoǹ19examiningthegrowingbodyofevidencereflectediǹ20thedocketinthismatter,over164pagestodate,oǹ21acontinuingriskposedbyHAPemissionsfrom̀22electricutilitysteamgeneratingunits.Themercurỳ23_MACT_Ԁdeterminationisalong-awaitedanddelayed̀24regulatoryconcernwhichiscompletedandsupported.  0/3 ̀80̀1Releasesinmercuryandotherheavymetals̀2fromelectricgeneratingfacilitiesposedaserious̀3publicconcernforoveradecadeasreflectedinthè4directivesinthe1990CleanAirActamendmentsfor̀5EPAtostudymercuryemissionsgenerallyand̀6emissionsofhazardousairpollutantsfromthè7electricpowersector.AsEPArecentlyconcluded,̀8thereareapproximately158tonsperyearof̀9anthropogenicmercuryemissionsthroughtheelectric̀10generatingunits,releasingapproximately52tonsper̀11year.̀12Giventheseriousconcernforhumanhealth̀13andtheenvironmentassociatedwiththereleasesof̀14mercury,becauseofpersistenceanda_bioaccumulation_Ԁ̀15of_methylmercury_Ԁintheenvironmentincreaseits̀16toxicadverseimpact,weurgeEPAtomakeapositivè17regulatorydeterminationtocommencerulingoǹ18mercurynotthroughelectricsteamgeneratingunits.̀19Inconclusion,weurgethattheagencỳ20considerreductionsintheorderof90percentwithiǹ21tenyears,preferablywithinanevenshortertimè22span.Andthatconcludesmyremarks.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveKareǹ24_Kendrick_-HandsfromEastMichiganEnvironmental.  0/3 ̀81̀1WewillmovetoJohnBlair,ValleyWatch,̀2Incorporated.̀3_MR_.BLAIR:MynameisJohnBlair,andIam̀4hererepresentingValleyWatch,Inc.,whichis̀5locatedinEvansville,Indiana.Ourpurposeistò6protectthepublichealthandenvironmentofthè7lowerOhioValley.̀8BeforeIgetintomyformalcomments,Ijust̀9wanttomakeacommentabouttheneedformercurỳ10controlsinrelationto,somebodymentionedrenewablè11energyawhileago.Ithinkit'sabout85degrees̀12today,andeverybodyinthisroomissittingherè13withcoatson.̀14Inthe1960s,alargeJapanesecorporatioǹ15becameworldfamousnotbecauseitdevelopedsomeneẁ16niftyelectronicdeviceorinitiatedsomeneẁ17automotivetechnology.No,the_Chisso_ԀCompanybecamè18worldfamousbecauseitleftalegacyofdisease,̀19disability,andbirthdefectsforthepeoplewhoatè20fishfromthebaythat_Chisso_Ԁusedtodump̀21mercury-taintedwastein_Minamata_,Japan.̀22_Minamata_'sdisasterawakenedtheworldtò23thehorrorsofmercurycontaminationanditseffects̀24onhumandevelopment.SomeJapanesecalledthe  0/3 ̀82̀1_Minamata_Ԁcalamityacrisiscomparableonlytothè2effectsofradiationthatweresufferedinNagasakì3andHiroshimaafterAmericachosetousethenuclear̀4bombtowinWorldWarII.̀5Mercuryfromindustrialwaste,whether̀6dumpeddirectlyintosurfacewaterorindirectlyfrom̀7airemissionsfromcoal-firedpowerplants,isonpar̀8withleadasapotent_neuro_Ԁanddevelopmentaltoxin.̀9InIndiana,wealreadyhavecontaminatedour̀10watertothepointthat100percentofourstreams̀11andlakeshave"FishConsumptionAdvisories,"warning̀12childrenandwomenofchildbearingagetoseverelỳ13limittheirconsumptionoffishfromthoseoncemajor̀14foodsources.̀15Oneofthoselakesisonly24yearsold,thè16_Patoka_ԀReservoirinOrangeCounty,whichisstill̀17consideredafisherman'sparadise.Butmercuryfrom̀18thenumerouscoal-firedpowerplantsthatsurround̀19theregionhasrendereditdangerous.Just24years,̀20andalreadysomuchmercuryhasbeendepositediǹ21thiswatersupplyreservoirtomakeitsbountyunfit̀22forlargesegmentsofourpopulation.̀23Failuretoactnowtoturnthismorbid̀24agencyaroundwillresultingreaterperilforits____________  0/3 _̀83̀1victims,whethertheyliveinPaoli,Indianaor̀2Minamata,Japan.Acquiescingwillonlyservethè3causeofgreedandcommercewhilesubjectinggreater̀4numbersofchildrentotheagonyofmental̀5retardationanddevelopmentaldisabilityandeveǹ6death.̀7Iwantedtohandouttoeachofyouoneof̀8mycommentsbecauseIhaveapictureonthere,and̀9thisisapictureofthreesectionsofbrains.Thè10topsectionisofaseven-year-oldboyafterfour̀11yearsofmercurypoisoning;thesecondsectionisaǹ12eight-year-oldgirlaftertwoyearsandninemonths̀13ofmercurypoisoning;andthebottomisà1430-year-old'snormalbrain.̀15Ifyoulookcloselyatthese,thelesions̀16thattookplaceintheseven-year-oldboymusthavè17madealmosttheentiretimethathehadonthisearth̀18alivinghell.Thesamegoesforthesecondpicturè19oftheeight-year-oldgirl.Theselesionsinthè20brainwerehorrible.AndIjustwantyoutothink,̀21wheneveryou'reconsideringthiswholedealabout̀22whethertomakeadeterminationthatmercuryshould̀23beregulatedfromcoal-burningpowerplants,Iwant̀24youtothinkaboutthispictureandhowitrelatesto_  0/3 ̀84̀1thenormalbrain.̀2IhaveadaughterwithDown'sSyndrome,and̀3Iknowtheeffectsofmentalretardation.She'sà4blessing.Shedoesn'thavetocopewithanything̀5likethis.Thisispurehell.Ihopeyoudò6somethingaboutit.̀7_MR_.WAYLAND:Thankyou,John.̀8NextwehaveJohnThompsonfromtheIllinois̀9EnvironmentalCouncil.̀10Thesign-upsheetisgoingaroundtheroom̀11again,soifyousigneditthefirsttime,justpass̀12iton.Ijustwanttomakesurewehavearecordof̀13whoallishere.̀14_MR_.THOMPSON:MynameisJohnThompson,and̀15I'mtheDirectorofCleanAirProgramsforthè16IllinoisEnvironmentalCouncil,acoalitionof70̀17environmentalgroupsbasedhereinIllinois.̀18It'sfittingthattheU.S.EPAholdits̀19mercuryhearingherebecausegreaterChicagoranks̀20firstamongmetropolitanareasinmercuryemissions̀21frompowerplantstoplantsinthecity,andfour̀22thatcircleChicagocontributedsome3,310poundsof̀23mercuryemissionsin1998.̀24TheWaukegan,Joliet29,andWillCounty  0/3 ̀85̀1plantsareespeciallydriven,ranking15th,17th,and̀219thonthelistofthenation'slargestpowerplant̀3mercurysources.Noothercity,largeorsmall,has̀4suchaclusterofpollutingpowerplants.Allthesè5plantsareownedbyonecompany,California-based̀6MidwestGeneration.̀7Chicago'ssituationmakesclearwhyitis̀8thatU.S.EPAshouldregulatemercury.Here,massivè9mercuryemissionsareemittedupwindofbothoneof̀10thenation'smostpopulousregionsofthenationand̀11oneofthenation'smostimportantecosystems,thè12GreatLakes.Noindustryorgovernment-sponsored̀13riskassessmentevercontemplatedsuchascenario,̀14andyet,everydayChicagoresidentslivewithit.̀15I'dliketousethebalanceofmytimetò16pointoutsomeunusualaspectsabouttheChicagò17powerplantsthatIthinkmaybeimportantinyour̀18regulatorydetermination.Theseemissionsfrom̀19theseChicagoareaplantscomefrompowerplantsthat̀20burnlow-sulfurcoalwithoutscrubbers.They'reiǹ21fullcompliancewithagencyrules,andyettheyarè22twiceaspollutinginsulfurdioxideasamoderǹ23plantbecausethey'vebeen_grandfathered_Ԁfrom̀24strictersulfurdioxideemissions.  0/3 ̀86̀1Theparticularwesterncoalthatthesè2plantsburnis--andthisistruejustofthesè3plants,notofwesterncoalingeneral--isabout̀4fourtimeshigherinsulfur--fourtimeshigheriǹ5mercurycontentthantheparticularIllinoiscoals̀6thatareburnedfurthersouthinIllinois'power̀7plants.Theseplantshaveburnedswitchtothis̀8lowersulfurwesterncoalsome20,30yearsagoiǹ9ordertomeetthefederalregulations,andwe'rè10seeingmoreandmoreofIllinois'coal-firedpower̀11plantsswitchtolowersulfurcoal.Whetherornot̀12weendupwithhighermercurysourcesof--higher̀13mercuryemissionsfromthesedownstateIllinoispower̀14plantsasaresultoftheswitch,wewon'tknowfor̀15anotheryearortwowhenthedatacomesout.̀16Butwhatitillustratesistheunintended̀17consequencesofapolicythatregulatespowerplant̀18emissionspiecemeal.Iwouldhopethatyouwould̀19begininDecemberregulatingmercury,butthatyoù20alsomakeclearplanstoregulatenitrogenoxide,̀21sulfurdioxide,andcarbondioxidefrompowerplants̀22soonsothatwedon'tendupjustshiftingpollutioǹ23fromoneformtoanother.Inattemptstocontrol̀24sulfur,weendupwithhighermercury;tocontrol  0/3 ̀87̀1mercury,weendupwithmorecarbon.Weneedà2comprehensiveprogram.Weneedtodothis̀3immediately.̀4Thankyouforyourattention.̀5_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveSusanJones̀6NationalResourceCouncilofMaine.̀7MS.JONES:Goodmorning.Mynameis̀8SueJones,andIrepresenttheNationalResources̀9CouncilofMaine.Werepresentover5,000members̀10throughoutMaineandthecountry.Wearethelargest̀11environmentaladvocacygroupinMaine.Ourmissioǹ12istoseektoconserveandprotectMaine'sresources̀13fornowandfuturegenerations.̀14OnbehalfoftheCouncil,Istronglyurgè15EPAtoregulateunderSection112oftheCleanAir̀16Actallhazardousairpollutants,includingmercury,̀17emittedfromelectricalsteamgeneratingunits.Iǹ18accordancewithSection112(n)(1)(A)oftheCleanAir̀19Act,EPAshouldmakeafindingthatitisappropriatè20andnecessarytocontrol_HAPs_Ԁfromutilityunitsand̀21shouldwastenoadditionaltimeinimplementingand̀22initiatingthe_rulemaking_Ԁprocesstoimplementthis̀23finding.Additionaltimeindelayingregulationand̀24reductionsbytheutilitysectorwillonlyfurther  0/3 ̀88̀1theharmtothepublicandenvironmentalhealthiǹ2Maineandallareasdownwindofcoal-firedpower̀3plants.̀4Utilitiesaresignificantemittersoftoxic̀5airpollutionandshouldnotbeexemptfrom̀6Section112.Therecently-released_toxics_Ԁreleasè7inventoryconfirmedwhatwehavelongbeeǹ8suspecting:Utilitiesemitthesame_HAPs_Ԁasother̀9sectorsandinsignificantamounts,sometimesineveǹ10greateramountsthancurrentlyregulatedsectors.̀11ThereisnojustifiablereasonforEPAtoregulatè12_HAPs_Ԁemittedfromothersectorsandyetnotregulatè13_HAPs_Ԁfromtheutilityindustry.EPAshouldsubject̀14utilitiestoperformancestandardsreflecting_MACT_Ԁ̀15technologiesforhazardousairpollutants.̀16BecauseEPAconcludedinitsfinalReporttò17CongressthatmercuryistheHAPof"greatest̀18potentialconcern"fromutilities,theremainderof̀19thesecommentswilladdressmercury.Inthè20NortheastandMaine,_NESCAUM_Ԁhasmodeledmercurỳ21depositionandfoundthatmeasurablequantitiesof̀22mercuryaredepositedthroughouttheNortheast,̀23includingremoteareas.Itiswell-documentedthat̀2450percentofmercuryisdepositedin600milesof  0/3 ̀89̀1beingemitted.Whilemunicipalsolidwastè2_combusters_Ԁareresponsibleforalmosthalfofthè3mercurydepositedregionally,nearlyone-thirdcomes̀4fromutilityandnon-utilityboilers(fromin-regioǹ5andout-of-region).̀6_NESCAUM_Ԁattributesmorein-regiondepositioǹ7fromutilityboilersfromoutsidetheNortheastthaǹ8insidetheregion.Furthermore,becausemercurysò9easilyrecyclesandcyclesthroughouttheatmosphere,̀10settlingoutfromtheairandthenre-_volatizing_Ԁintò11theatmosphereagainandfinallysettlingtorestiǹ12thecolderclimates,itisclearthatmuchofthè13mercuryemittedintheMidwestisendingupinthè14NortheastandendingupinMaine.Itisimportant,̀15therefore,toreducemercuryemissionsfromall̀16coal-firedpowerplantsandutilitiesassoonas̀17possible,suchasbyremovingtheSection112̀18exemption.̀19Currently,Mainehasstatewidemercurỳ20advisoriespostedoneveryriverandoneveryoneof̀21the2,314lakesinthestate.Theywarnwomen,̀22children,andsensitivepopulationstolimittheir̀23consumptionoffishcaughtinthosewaters.Whileit̀24isimportanttoeducateandwarnthepublicaboutthe  0/3 ̀90̀1dangersofmercuryand_methylmercury_,itisfarmorè2importantandefficienttoaddresswaystoreducè3thesetoxins.EPAshouldprotectthepublichealth̀4byreducingmercuryemissionsfromutilityunitsas̀5wellasfromothersources.̀6Ithinkit'sreallyimportanttonoteherè7thatMainehasnocoal-firedutilitiesinthestate,̀8andyethassomeofthehighestlevelsofmercurỳ9foundinfishandloonsinthecountry.Theimpacts̀10ofmercurypoisoningtoMaine'secologyarè11well-established.Maine'smercurylevelsposerisks̀12tofish-eatingwildlife.Predatorssuchaseagles,̀13loon,osprey,mink,andotterareatparticularrisk̀14frommercuryexposure,and,therefore,riskadversè15effects.Documentedeffectsinwildlifeincludè16reducedreproductivesuccess,impairedgrowthand̀17development,behavioralabnormalities,anddeath.̀18Specifically,let'stalkaboutMaine'sbald̀19eagles.Reproductionhasremained15to40percent̀20belowotherinjuredpopulationsofeaglesinthè21UnitedStates.Itishavingasignificantimpacttò22oureaglepopulation.Inloons,concentratedlevels̀23havebeenfoundtoexceedthresholdswhereadversè24reproductiveandhealtheffectsarepredicted.In  0/3 ̀91̀1Maine,60percentofloonchicksareatriskofnot̀2hatchingand17to24percentaredefinitelỳ3affected.Mussels,significantlywehavefound̀4higherlevelsofmercuryintissuesthancollectedoǹ5theeastcoastandotherpartsoftheeastcoastor̀6onthewestcoast.Mercuryislethaltominkand̀7otter,andharborsealsintheGulfofMainehavè8exhibitedelevatedlevels.̀9Maineiscommittedtoresearchingmercury.̀10We'vehadsignificantstateresourcesalreadỳ11devoted.We'vebeenlookingatfishresearchfor̀12almost25to30yearsatthispoint.Significant̀13studiesarenowbeingconductedthroughoutMaine,̀14including_Encasco_ԀBay,whichisrightoutsideofour̀15largestcity,Portland,aswellas_as_Ԁfarnorthas̀16_Akagin_ԀNationalPark,whichisoneofthecrowned̀17jewelsofournationalparks.̀18EPAhasrepeatedlydemonstratedthrough̀19numerous,well-documentedstudiesthatmercuryand̀20otherHAPemissionsthreatenpublichealthandthè21environment.Infact,EPA_proactively_Ԁregulates̀22othersectorstoreducemercuryandHAPemissions.̀23Incontrasttoutilities,theothermajorsourcesof̀24mercurypollutionarereducing,orwillsoonbe,  0/3 ̀92̀1theirfairshareofemissions.RecentlyissuedEPÀ2regulationsformunicipalandmedicalwastè3incineratorswillrequiremercuryemissionstobè4reducedby90percentand94percentrespectivelybỳ52002.Similarly,domesticindustrialdemandfor̀6mercurydecreasedbymorethan75percentfrom1988̀7to1996asaresultofpollutionpreventionefforts̀8andrestrictionsonmercuryinpaintsandpesticides.̀9Moreover,states,includingthestateof̀10Maine,aregoingbeyondfederalrequirementsandarè11capitalizingonmaintainingandupdatingmercurỳ12emissionsinventoriesandreducingmercurydepositioǹ13intheregion.Maineisthesecondstateinthè14countrytohaverecentlyadoptedacomprehensiveneẁ15recyclingandlabelingprogramformercury-containing̀16products.Statesaregoingbeyondthefederal̀17requirementsatthispoint,doingalltheycanunder̀18federallegislationtomakethishappen.̀19EPAhasallthescientificevidencethatit̀20needstoshowthatreducingmercuryfromutilitỳ21sourcesisappropriateandnecessary.Now,allit̀22needstodoisact.RemovetheSection112exemptioǹ23immediatelythathasgivenutilitysourcesthefreè24reigntoemitdangerousamountsof_HAPs_Ԁandmercury  0/3 ̀93̀1withoutcontrol.ThesoonerEPAexercisesits̀2authorityoverallutilityemissions,thesoonerthat̀3thecitizensandwildlifeofMainelivingdownwind̀4willbeabletolivewithoutthreatoftoxic̀5poisoning.Thankyou.̀6_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveGene_Trisko_,̀7UnitedMineWorkersofAmerica.̀8_MR_._TRISKO_:Goodmorning,ladiesand̀9gentlemen.MynameisEugeneM._Trisko_.I'maǹ10attorneyadmittedintheDistrictofColumbus.I'm̀11pleasedtobeherewithyoutodayonbehalfofthè12UnitedMineWorkers.The_UMWA_Ԁrepresentsall̀13union-organizedcoalminersincoal-producingregions̀14throughouttheUnitedStates.̀15Theunionhistoricallyhassupported̀16technologicalapproachesthatallowcoaltobeburned̀17cleanly.Theunionwasactivelyinvolvedintheacid̀18raindebateinthe1980s,advancingconstructivè19proposalsbeforeEPAandCongress,designedtoreducè20aciddepositionwhileprotectingcoalminingjobs.̀21Weareheretodaybecauseofourinterestiǹ22preservingourjobbase.̀23Thepurposeofourstatementheretodayis̀24twofold;first,tohighlightacoupleofkey  0/3 ̀94̀1scientificuncertaintiesandrelatedanalytical̀2issuesforEPA'smercurycontroldecisions;and̀3second,tooutlinepreliminaryviewsonthedesignof̀4anelectricutilitymercuryemissionscontrolplaǹ5shouldtheagencyproceedinthatdirection.̀6Item1:TheScienceJuryisOut.Nò7determinationabouttheneedformercurycontrolsat̀8electricutilitiesisappropriatepriortothè9releaseoftheNationalAcademyofSciences'̀10committeereportonthetoxicologicaleffectsof̀11mercury.̀12EvidencepresentedbeforetheNAScommitteè13(forexample,theSeychellesIslandsanalyses)could̀14supportadeterminationthatadditionalmercurỳ15controlsareunnecessaryandwouldnotyieldanỳ16significantpublichealthbenefits.̀17Otherfederalagenciesthathaveexamined̀18therisksposedbycurrentlevelsofmercuryexposurè19intheU.S.havefoundnobasisforconcern.Wenotè20inthisregardthefindingsoftheAgencyforToxic̀21SubstancesDiseaseRegistryoftheU.S.Departmentof̀22HealthandHumanServices,andIquote,"Thesè23state-of-the-sciencestudiesofexposedsensitivè24_subpopulations_Ԁ(pregnantwomen,developingfetuses,  0/3 ̀95̀1andyoungchildren)indicatethatmercurylevelstò2whichtheU.S.publiciscurrentlyexposedposenò3healthriskundercurrentexposureconditions."̀4Incontrast,werecognizethatother̀5evidencepresentedtotheNationalAcademymaypoint̀6tootherconclusions,supportingEPA'scurrent̀7recommendedReferenceDosefor_methylmercury_.̀8ButuntiltheNASreportisreleased,itis̀9prematuretodiscusstheneedforadditionalmercurỳ10emissioncontrolsfromanyemittingsector.Oncethè11NAShasissueditsreportthissummer,weencouragè12EPAtoseekadditionalpublicinputtoitsmercurỳ13controldeterminationthroughhearingsandcomment.̀14Item2:ControlBenefitsareUncertainand̀15RequireAssessment.Asdiscussedbyprevious̀16speakers,mercuryisaglobalpollutantwithlong̀17biologicalresidencetimes.Decisionstocontrol̀18mercuryemissionsaresimilartothosefor̀19controllinggreenhousegasemissions.Actions̀20undertakenbytheU.S.alonemaynotresultiǹ21meaningfulpublichealthbenefits.Forexample,wè22understandfrompublicresearchthatroughlyone-half̀23ofmercurydepositioninNewYorkcomesfromCanadiaǹ24sources.____________  0/3 _̀96̀1Wearestruckbytheabsenceofanalyses̀2indicatingthehealthbenefits,orreductionsiǹ3relevanthealthrisks,posedbyalternativelevelsof̀4domesticutilitymercuryemissionscontrols.For̀5example,itwouldbehelpfulforpolicy-makerstò6understandtheexpectedreductionincordbloodor̀7hairmercurycontentamongaverageandsensitivè8membersoftheU.S.populationatalternativelevels̀9ofutilitymercurycontrol(forexample,acrossà10rangeof33to90percent)overrelevanttimè11horizons,(10,50,and100years,andsoforth),̀12basedonfateandtransportandrelatedmodeling.Wè13stronglyurgeEPAtoundertakesuchquantitativè14analysesinsupportofitscurrentregulatorỳ15determinationandinanysubsequentactionsdirected̀16attheelectricutilityindustry.̀17Item3:EPAHasFlexibilityinRegulatorỳ18Design.IntheeventthatEPAdeterminesthat̀19mercuryemissioncontrolsareappropriateand̀20necessary,theAgencyhasdiscretionunder̀21Section112oftheCleanAirActtofashioncontrol̀22strategies.Asingle-phaseapplicationofmaximum̀23achievablecontroltechnology(MACT)isnotdictated̀24bythestatuteorbyitslegislativehistory._  0/3 ̀97̀1Severalcommercially-availablecontrol̀2technologies,suchasscrubbersand_baghouses_,arè3effectiveinremovingmercuryincombinationwithSO2̀4or_particulates_.EPAwillknowmoreaboutthè5effectivenessoftheseoptionsonceitcompletesthè6collectionandanalysisofdataunderitson-going̀7informationrequeststotheutilityindustry.̀8Item4:AvoidSingle-Phase_MACT_.The_UMWA_Ԁ̀9isapprehensiveabouttheimpositionofa_MACT_Ԁ̀10requirementbasedonthehypotheticalperformanceof̀11technologiesthatarenotinwidespreadcommercial̀12use.Theabsenceofsuccessfullarge-scalè13commercialoperatingexperiencewithactivatedcarboǹ14injectiontechnologies--viewedbyEPAasthemost̀15effectivemeansofreducingmercury--isamajor̀16impedimenttoasingle-phase_MACT_Ԁapproach.̀17AsEPA'sMarch1999_CAPI_-3analysispointed̀18out,"Thecontrolofmercuryemissionsfrom̀19coal-firedboilersisnotcommerciallypracticediǹ20theU.S."Ontheotherhand,EPAfindsthatunits̀21equippedwithwetscrubbersremove30percenttò2290percentofmercuryasaco-productofSO2removal.̀23WeknowwithinterestthatEPA'sinitial̀24_CAPI_Ԁproposalin1996offeredatwo-phaseapproachto  0/3 ̀98̀1mercuryreduction,involvinga50-percentcutby2005̀2andanother50-percentreductionby2010,foraǹ3overallreductionof75percent.Similar,perhaps,̀4totheCleanEnergyGroupproposalthatweheard̀5earlier.The_UMWA_Ԁprefersaphasedapproachtoà6single-phase_MACT_Ԁbecauseitwouldprovideadditional̀7timefortechnologicalimprovement,aswellas̀8opportunitiesforintegrationwithotherEPAair̀9programs.̀10Item4:ExploreOtherOpportunitiesfor̀11Integration.AsEPAconsiderstheneedfor̀12additionalmercurycontrol,italsoisproceeding̀13withotherregulatoryprograms(regionalhaze,̀14PM2.5,SIPCall,_NSR_ԀReform--thelistgrows̀15longer)thatwillhavethedirecteffectofreducing̀16emissionsofSO2,_NOx_Ԁand_particulates_.Mercurỳ17emissionswillbereducedasaco-productofmanyof̀18thetechnologiesrequiredbytheseprograms.̀19The_UMWA_Ԁissensitivetotheriskofjob̀20lossesassociatedwithincreasinglystringent,̀21piecemealemissioncontrolsappliedtoexisting̀22plants.We,therefore,urgeEPAtoanalyzeanarraỳ23ofregulatoryoptionsforachievingmercuryemissioǹ24reductionsasco-productsofanintegratedutility  0/3 ̀99̀1emissioncontrolstrategy.Inourview,EPAhasyet̀2todeterminetheextentofmercuryreductionthatmaỳ3occurwithfullimplementationofthePM2.5and̀4renalendhazeprograms.̀5Item5:ConsiderPhasedApproachesWith̀6Trading.Itwillbemorecost-effective,andless̀7disruptivetocoalminingjobs,toachieveagiveǹ8levelofutilitymercurycontrolthroughtrading̀9programsthatallowcontrolstobeconcentratedamong̀10large_baseload_Ԁplants,withallowancesfreedupfor̀11useatintermediate-loadorcyclingunits.̀12Considerationalsoshouldbegiventoprogramsthat̀13providecredits(oravoidpenalties)forinstalled̀14technologiesthatalreadyarereducingmercury.̀15Finally,inviewoftheseconsiderations,̀16the_UMWA_ԀrespectfullyurgesEPAnottoincludè17languageinanyregulatorydeterminationformercurỳ18thatwouldbindtheagencytoparticularformsof̀19technologicalcontrols,or,specifically,toà20single-phase_MACT_Ԁcontrolprogramsimilartothat̀21describedinEPA'sMarch1999_CAPI_Ԁanalysis.̀22WeappreciatetheopportunityEPAhas̀23providedtoappearatthishearing,andwelook̀24forwardtoacontinuedexchangeofproductiveviews  0/3 ̀100̀1onthisimportantregulatorydetermination.̀2Thankyouverymuch.̀3_MR_.WAYLAND:We'vegotonemorespeaker̀4thismorning,andthenRobBrennerisgoingtoclosè5thismorning'ssessionwithafewcomments,andwe'll̀6breakforlunch.̀7CliffPorterfromtheLigniteEnergỳ8Council,hashebeenabletogethere?Hehadcalled̀9earliersayinghewouldbelate.̀10Letmedoublebackandseeifanyofthè11onesfromearlier,SidNelson?PattiLeaf?̀12MS.LEAF:Yes.̀13_MR_.WAYLAND:ThatisPattiLeaffromthè14NorthernStatesPower.̀15MS.LEAF:Goodmorning.Iamhappytobè16clearconsideringthemeteorologicalconditionsboth̀17inMinneapolisandinChicago.̀18I'mPattyLeaf,andI'masenior̀19environmentalanalystforNorthernStatesPower,aǹ20electricutilitylocatedinMinneapolis,Minnesota.̀21_NSP_Ԁhasbeenveryactiveinregardstomercurysincè22theearly'90satboththestateandfederallevels.̀23_NSP_Ԁwastheonlyutilityto,onitsown,testallof̀24itscoal-firedboilersformercuryandtosharethat  0/3 ̀101̀1informationwiththeEPAforuseinitsstudiesoǹ2utilityairtoxicreleasesandmercury.Iappreciatè3theopportunitytoprovideinputtodayonEPA's̀4regulatorydeterminationontheneedtoregulateair̀5toxicreleasesfromutilitypowerplants.̀6I'dliketofollowuponthecommentsyoù7heardearlierfromTim_Hagley_ԀoftheMinnesotà8ChamberofCommerce._NSP_ԀconcurswiththeChamber̀9thatEPA'sregulatorydeterminationmustbemadè10basedonsoundsciencewithacompleteunderstanding̀11oftheimpactstohumanhealthfromutilitymercurỳ12releases._NSP_Ԁthinksitextremelyimportanttowait̀13untilthequestionsidentifiedintheEPA'sUtilitỳ14Air_Toxics_ԀReportcanbefullyansweredbeforeà15soundregulatorydeterminationcanbemade.Itwould̀16bedisappointing,atbest,toimplementamandatory,̀17costly,regulatoryprogramonlytofindoutlater̀18thatitdidn'tappropriatelyaddressthemainconcerǹ19athand,thatis,ofmercurycontamination.̀20Recognizingthatmercuryisofconcernand̀21thatanswerstomanyofthequestionsidentifiediǹ22EPA'sreportarenotyetavailable,_NSP_Ԁencourages̀23theEPAtotakeamulti-prongedapproachatthis̀24time.  0/3 ̀102̀1First,weencouragetheEPAtocontinuetò2tryandfullyanswerthequestionsposedinitsowǹ3report.WeencouragetheEPAtoawaittheresultsof̀4theNationalAcademyofSciences'determinationoǹ5theimpactsofmercurytohumanhealth.Wealsò6encouragetheEPAtotakethetimenecessarytofullỳ7evaluate,process,andunderstandtheinformatioǹ8recentlycollectedintheICRprocess,boththefuel̀9analysisinformationandthestacktestresults.̀10Unfortunately,thismayleadtootherquestions,as̀11ithasfor_NSP_.̀12DatacollectedinJanuary2000for_NSP_'s̀13_Sherco_Ԁunit3drasticallyconflictswithinformatioǹ14previouslycollectedontheunitregardingthè15removalefficiencyofmercuryacrosstheunit'sdrỳ16scrubber/_baghouse_.Previoustestresultsindicated̀17mercuryremovalofbetween40and60percent;current̀18testresultsindicateadishearteningzeropercent̀19removal.̀20Secondly,weencouragetheEPAtodevelopà21voluntaryreductionprogramwhileawaitingthè22resultsneededtomakeasoundregulatorỳ23determination.TheMinnesotaChamberrepresentativè24spoketoyouoftheprocessthattookplacein  0/3 ̀103̀1Minnesota.Iwasaveryactiveparticipantinthat̀2processthattookovertwoyearstocompleteandis̀3currentlyintheprocessofbeingimplemented.̀4TheMinnesotareductioninitiativefocused̀5onthefactthatwhatwasofconcernwasthedesirè6toreducemercuryinthemostcost-effectivemanner̀7possible.Outofthiswasbornavoluntary,flexiblè8programwithanaimofreducingmercuryreleasescost̀9effectively._NSP_ԀbelievesthattheDepartmentof̀10Energy'sVoluntaryClimateChallengeProgramhasbeeǹ11veryeffectiveinreducingemissionsofgreenhousè12gases,andasimilarprogramcouldbepromotedbythè13EPAtoencourageutilitiesandothermercurysources̀14tocreativelyandvoluntarilytakestepstoreducè15mercuryreleasesfromanyandallsources.Infact,̀16ifavoluntaryprogramisestablishedandis̀17successful,insteadofrelyingontraditionalcommand̀18andcontroltechnology,future_MACT_Ԁdeterminations̀19mayrestonvoluntaryprograms.̀20As_NSP_'scommitmenttotheMinnesotaMercurỳ21ReductionInitiative,wehavefiledavoluntaryplaǹ22withtheMinnesotaPollutionControlAgencythat̀23considersmercurysourcesthroughoutourcompany.̀24_NSP_Ԁhas,throughtheyears,implementedmanyprograms  0/3 ̀104̀1thathavereducedmercuryreleasestotheenvironment̀2becausewethoughtitawiseandprudentthingtodo.̀3However,_NSP_Ԁhasfiledaplanthatgoesbeyondwhat̀4we'vealreadydone.Ourplancallsforcontinued̀5mercurysamplingofourcoal,retestingallofour̀6coal-firedboilers,conductingmercurycontrol̀7researchinconjunctionwith_EPRI_,convertingtwò8coal-firedboilerstonaturalgas,andconducting̀9studiesonthefeasibilityofconvertingother̀10boilers,inventoryingmercurycontainingdevicesiǹ11use,anddevelopingaphase-outplanforthosè12devicesdeemedhigh-risk,evaluationofgastransfer̀13stationsforpotentialmercurycontamination,̀14implementationofstricterpurchasingprotocols̀15eliminatingthepurchaseofmercurycontaining̀16productsexceptincertaincases,andmyfavorite,̀17thepromotionofamercurysniffingdogiǹ18conjunctionwiththeMinnesotaPollutionControl̀19Agency.̀20Ihavenotgivenyouthefullrundownofour̀21plan,butwantedtopresentyouwithasamplingof̀22thewidevarietyofreductionoptionsavailabletò23companieswhentheyareallowedtheflexibilitytò24evaluateoptionsforthemselves.Severalother____________  0/3 _̀105̀1companiesinMinnesota,includingallofthemajor̀2utilities,areparticipatinginthisprocess,andwè3arehopefulthatMinnesota's70percentmercurỳ4reductiongoalwillbemetby2006.̀5NSPdoesnotbelievethatthescientific̀6informationonmercuryiscurrentlyatalevelthat̀7allowsforEPAtomakeasounddeterminatioǹ8regardingtheneedforregulation.Weneedtowait̀9forsomeanswerstofigureouthowbesttoaddress̀10mercury.However,whilewearewaiting,wedon't̀11needtositidlyby.Thereareactionsthat̀12companiescanvoluntarilytake,andshouldbè13encouragedtotake,toreducemercuryreleases.̀14ThesecompaniesshouldbeencouragedbytheEPAtò15undertakevoluntarymercuryreductionsandshouldbè16recognizedbyEPAwhentheydoso.Akeycomponent̀17inearlyvoluntaryreductionsisthepromiseof̀18recognitionofthoseeffortsifamandatoryprogram̀19isestablished.AsinMinnesota,soundgoallevels̀20couldbeestablishedwiththeunderstandingthatthè21matterwillberevisitedifthegoalsarenotmet.̀22WehopethatEPAtakesthetimenecessarytò23thoroughlyreviewtheadditionalinformationoǹ24mercurythatisexpectedinthenearfuture._  0/3 ̀106̀1However,whatevertheEPA'sregulatorydeterminatioǹ2maybe,_NSP_Ԁencouragesthedevelopmentofprograms̀3thatallowformaximumflexibilityandcreativitỳ4similartothatallowedforSO2and_NOx_Ԁreductions̀5mandatedbythe1990AmendmentstotheCleanAirAct.̀6IseriouslyhopetheEPAconsidersour̀7suggestiontowaitforneededanswersinconjunctioǹ8withtheestablishmentofavoluntaryreductioǹ9program.It'sawin-winsituationforall.̀10Thankyoufortheopportunitytocomment̀11today.̀12_MR_.WAYLAND:IsJohn_Venners_Ԁfrom_KFX_?̀13Thenwehave--hasKaren_Kendrick_-Hands̀14arrivedyet.̀15UNIDENTIFIEDSPEAKER:Karenisnotcoming̀16tonight.̀17_MR_.WAYLAND:Johnwillbethelastspeaker̀18ofthemorning,andthenRobwillclosethesession,̀19andthenwe'llbreakforlunchatthattime.̀20_MR_._VENNERS_:Thankyou.̀21MynameisJohn_Venners_ԀIapologizeforthè22delay.I'maco-founderof_KFx_,Inc.,headquartered̀23inDenver,Colorado._KFx_Ԁfocusesonprovidingtotal̀24solutionsforthepowerindustrythroughdeliveryof  0/3 ̀107̀1fuelproductionprocesses,intelligentsoftwarè2technologies,andprofessionalservices,enhancing̀3theoperationalefficiencyofenergyproductionwhilè4preservingtheenvironment.̀5_KFx_'scoretechnology,theK-Fuelprocess,̀6isapre-combustionprocessthatupgradeslow-rank̀7coal,asfoundinthePowderRiverBasin,intoahigh̀8Btu,premiumsolidfuelbyremovingthemoistureand̀9restructuringtheproduct.Duringthehigh̀10temperature,highpressureprocess,numerous̀11reactionstakeplaceproducinganenvironmentallỳ12superiorproductthatcanbeblendedorfired̀13directlyintheutilityboilerswithoutspecial̀14handling.̀15Over$120millionhasbeeninvestedoverthè16past16yearstodevelop,improve,anddemonstratè17theK-Fuelprocess.Actualtestresultshavebeeǹ18mostencouragingandclearlydemonstratethemanỳ19environmentalbenefitsofthepre-combustionprocess.̀20Forexample,thereportedresultsfromthè21_Clifty_ԀCreekplantinOhioshowedthatthe_NOx_Ԁwas̀22reducedbyapproximately20percent,SO2was.67̀23_MMBtu_,andheatrateimprovementsof2percent̀24furtherreducetotalemissionsasaresultof  0/3 ̀108̀1utilizingpremiumfuel.̀2Inaddition,testresultshaveconfirmed̀3thatunderthesuperheatedconditionsoftheK-Fuel̀4process,mercurywassubstantiallyreduced,and,iǹ5fact,inseveralcasesitwasimpossibletoeveǹ6detectanytracesofthemercury.Itwasapparenttò7usduringthedevelopmentoftheK-Fuelprocessthat̀8theutilityindustryandtheenvironmentcould̀9benefitfromtheenhancedproductatlittleornoneẁ10costtotheconsumer.̀11_Kennecott_ԀEnergy,asubsidiaryofRio_Tinto_,̀12recognizedthemanybenefitsoftheK-Fuelprocess̀13andhaspartneredwith_KFx_Ԁtofurtherexploitthis̀14provenprocess._Kennecott_ԀEnergyisthenation's̀15leadingproduceroflowsulfurwesterncoalandis̀16activelyinvolvedinmeetingthefuelmanagement̀17challengesfacingtheircustomers,thepower̀18industry.̀19ArecenttraceelementsanalysisofK-Fuel̀20byRio_Tinto_Ԁindicatedthatthemercurycontentof̀21theprocessedcoalwasbelow.03_ppm_.Testresults̀22indicatethatmercuryincoalispresentinelemental̀23formratherthanchemicallyboundwithother̀24elements.Basedonthevaporpressureofmercuryat  0/3 ̀109̀1elevatedtemperatures,mercuryflashesfromaliquid̀2statetovaporwhenthepressureintheprocessoris̀3letdown.̀4Intheearlystagesoftheprocess,mercurỳ5inliquidformisexpelledfromtheporesofthecoal̀6alongwithwater.Mercuryevolvedfromthecoaliǹ7theK-Fuelprocessisdisposedofinitsoriginal̀8elementalformalongwiththeincineratorash.̀9Sincetheearlydaysoftheoilindustry,̀10theproducersofcrudeoilfoundwaystoprocessthis̀11naturalresourceintovariousnewproductstomeet̀12themarketdemandandrequirements.Asaresult,thè13petroleumindustry,inlargepart,hasbeenabletò14addressthegrowingenvironmentalneedsand̀15requirementswithnewprocessesandapplications̀16priortocombustion.̀17Perhapsit'stimeforgovernmentand̀18industrytolookseriouslyatpre-combustioǹ19solutionsandopportunitiesinthecoalindustryas̀20wedealwithgrowingenvironmentalandhealth̀21concerns.Whynotworkonsolvingtheproblembeforè22itbecomesaproblem.̀23Economicsandcostalwaysplayamajorrolè24whenconsideringnewapproachesandtechnologies.In  0/3 ̀110̀1additiontothemanyenvironmentalandeconomic̀2benefitspreviouslymentioned,theend-userutilitỳ3canlargelyeliminatethesehazardousairpollutants̀4withoutthecapital,operating,anddisposalcostsof̀5postcombustion.̀6_KFx_,togetherwithitspartner,_Kennecott_Ԁ̀7Energy,welcomestheopportunitytoprovidethis̀8cost-efficientsolution.TheK-Fueltechnologỳ9existstoday.Itcanprovideahighlỳ10energy-efficientandenvironmentallysoundfossil̀11fuelwithlittleornocosttotheeconomy.̀12Thankyoufortheopportunity.̀13_MR_.BRENNER:Ijustwantedtosayacouplè14ofthingsverybrieflybeforewebreakforlunch.As̀15Isaidthismorning,thisisaveryimportant̀16decisionforus,andit'sveryvaluabletohavethè17opportunitytoreceivecommentsfromabroadand̀18diversegroupsuchasthis.̀19Iexpectedtogetalotofcommentsabout̀20thisclassicissuethatwe'refacing.Itis,insomè21ways,aclassicregulatoryissue,andthereis̀22uncertaintythathasbeenaddressedoverthepast̀23decadeandmoreunderthiswholesetofissuesand̀24researchthathasbeendoneandiscontinuing,and  0/3 ̀111̀1theninthiscasealso,awholesetoflegal̀2requirementsthatwehavetoconsider,requirements̀3oftheCleanAirActandensuinglitigation,andall̀4ofthatleadstothequestionof,whenisthè5appropriatetimetoact.Therewasalotof̀6discussionofthatthismorning.̀7ButIwasalsosurprisedattheextentof̀8detailhereonissuessuchasthehealthissues,̀9especiallyhealtheffectsandimplicationsfor̀10children;theecosystemconcernsandthediscussioǹ11ofconsiderationsthatweshouldbetakingintò12accountaswemakethisdecisionwithrespecttò13ecosystems;theeconomicissuesaffectingthecoal̀14andutilityindustriesandtheemployeesofthosè15industries,suchasthemineworkers;someofthè16technologyissues,whataretheavailabilityof̀17technology,what'sthelikelyavailabilityoffuturè18technology;andthendiscussionofawholearrayof̀19regulatorystrategiesthatweshouldbeconsidering̀20ifwedo,infact,goaheadanddecidetocontrol.̀21SoIwantedtothankeverybodyatthè22midpointtodayfortheamountoftimethatwas̀23clearlydevotedtoputtingtogetherthisreallỳ24extraordinarilydetailedandcarefullyconsideredset  0/3 ̀112̀1ofcomments.Thanksonbehalfofallofmỳ2colleaguesatEPA.AndIlookforwardtostartingup̀3againthisafternoon.We'llstartupagainat̀41o'clockinthisroomandcompletetheday.̀5Thankyouverymuch.̀6(Whereupon,aluncheonbreakwas̀7takenuntil1o'clockp.m.,̀8afterwhichthefollowing̀9proceedingswerehad:)̀10_MR_.WAYLAND:Okay.Wearenowreadytò11begintheafternoonsession.Robwillbebackwith̀12usinjustafewminutes.̀13We'llstartthe1o'clocksessionwith̀14CasiCrameroftheOhioEnvironmentalCouncil.̀15MS.CRAMER:TheOhioEnvironmentalCouncil̀16wouldliketourgetheU.S.EPAtorulewithà17positivedeterminationconcerningtheregulationof̀18mercury.Thehazardousairpollutantmercuryposesà19veryseriousproblemforOhio.Ohioiscurrentlỳ20underastatewidefishconsumptionadvisoryduetò21mercurycontamination.TheOhioDepartmentofHealth̀22adviseswomenofchildbearingageandchildrenunder̀23sixtolimittheirintakeoffishtoonemealper̀24week.Coal-firedpowerplantsalonereleased  0/3 ̀113̀17,770poundsofmercuryintoOhio'senvironmentiǹ2theyear1998,earningthestatearankingofthird̀3largestemitterofmercuryemissionsinthenation.̀4TheimpactofmercuryonOhio'senvironment̀5isalsoapotentialthreattoOhio'seconomy.Iǹ61996,accordingtotheAmericanSportsFishing̀7Association,thefreshwatersportfishingindustryiǹ8Ohiocontainedmorethan1.2millionanglersandhad̀9anoveralleconomicimpactofover$1.8billion.Iǹ10thewordsofDennisR.Becker,PresidentoftheOhiò11_B.A.S.S._ԀChapterFederation,oneof_OEC_'smember̀12groups,"Whileweareacatch-and-releasè13organization,weareveryconcernedaboutthè14continuingdeclineinfishinglicensesalesandthè15impactfishadvisorieshaveonthem."TheDivisioǹ16ofWildlifeoperatesontheincomefromlicensè17sales,andthisdeclinethreatenstheirabilitytò18properlymanagetheresource.Therefore,fish̀19advisoriesaffectbothsportandmeatanglers.Ifwè20knowmercuryisthereandtheproblemsitcancause,̀21wehaveamoralobligationtoaddressit.̀22TheU.S.EPAhastheabilitytorelieveour̀23environmentfromthedetrimentalimpactsofmercurỳ24byimplementingadequateregulationstocontrol  0/3 ̀114̀1mercuryemissionsonpowerplants.Indoingso,thè2Agencywillhelpusavoidafutureenvironmentthat̀3hasbecomesopollutedthatsimplesummertimè4pleasures,thejobscreatedbysportfishing,andthè5consumptionoffishaspartofahealthydietareoff̀6limitstoentirestatewidepopulations.̀7Iwouldnowliketoreadaletterfromthè8sportfishingandconservationorganizationsthatis̀9addressedtotheadministrator.̀10"ThependingEnvironmentalProtectionAgencỳ11determinationregardingwhetherornottoregulatè12mercuryemissionsfromcoal-firedpowerplantsisof̀13utmostconcerntoOhio'ssportingandconservatioǹ14organizations,whichrepresent1,258,379Ohioans.̀15Coal-firedpowerplantsinOhiocontributè16approximately54percent,or7,770pounds,ofour̀17state'stotalmercuryemissions.̀18"In1997,theOhioDepartmentofHealth̀19issuedastatewidefishconsumptionadvisoryduetò20mercurycontamination.Thisyear'sadvisorystates̀21thatchildrenunderagesixandwomenofchildbearing̀22ageshouldeatnomorethanonemealoffishperweek̀23fromanybodyofwaterinthestate,andthatfish̀24fromLakeErietotheOhioRiverandover43listed  0/3 ̀115̀1waterbodiesinbetweenshouldbeeatennomorethaǹ2onceamonth.̀3"AsOhiosportfishermenand̀4conservationists,weurgetheU.S.EPAtotakeintò5theaccountthecurrentstateofourwaterbodies.À6positivemercurydeterminationfortheregulationof̀7mercuryfromcoal-firedpowerplantswouldbeastep̀8towardassessingthedamagethathasoccurred,and̀9movingforwardintoatimethatwillallowour̀10riversandstreamstomendthemselves.̀11"Sincerely,OhioLeagueSportsmen,̀12representingamembershipof10,000Ohioans;thè13_Isaak_ԀWaltonLeagueofAmerica,OhioDivision,̀14representingamemberof2,500Ohioans;theOhiò15_B.A.S.S._ԀChapterFederation,representingà16membershipof1,855Ohioans;theOhioSmallmouth̀17Alliance,representingamembershipof130Ohioans;̀18OhioCoastalResourceManagementProject,̀19representingamembershipof70Ohioans;andthè20OhioanEnvironmentalCouncilrepresentinganetwork̀21of624memberandindividualgroupsthatconsistof̀22over1,243,824Ohioans.̀23Thankyouverymuch.̀24_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveAndy_Knott_Ԁof  0/3 ̀116̀1HoosierEnvironmentalCouncil.̀2_MR_._KNOTT_:Thankyou.̀3MynameisAndy_Knott_.Iamtheairandthè4energypolicydirectorfortheHoosierEnvironmental̀5CouncilbasedinIndianapolis,Indiana.TheHoosier̀6EnvironmentalCouncilisIndiana'slargestnonprofit̀7environmentaladvocacygroupwithover30,000̀8individualmembersandover60membergroups.̀9Indianaisoneofthemostco-dependent̀10statesinthenation,withapproximately98percent̀11ofourelectricitycomingfromcoal-burningpower̀12plants.Indianaishometosomeofthelargest̀13coal-burningpowerplantsintheUnitedStates.Asà14result,Indianaisbothaperpetratorandavictim̀15whenitcomestopowerplantpollution.̀16Indiana'spowerplantsareranked5thinthè17U.S.formercuryemissions.Also,everysinglè18waterbodyinIndianaiscoveredbyafish̀19consumptionadvisoryformercury.̀20Priorto1999,therelationshipbetweeǹ21airbornemercurydepositionfrompowerplant̀22emissionshadneverbeenstudiedatdepth.Using̀23existingdata,theHoosierEnvironmentalCouncil̀24examinedthisrelationshipandproducedareportin  0/3 ̀117̀1Septemberoflastyearentitled,"AirRaid:Mercurỳ2FallingintoIndianaLakes."AndIwillsubmità3copyofthereportalongwithsomeofthenewspaper̀4articleswrittenaboutitwithmytestimonytoday.̀5Ourreportexaminedsevenlakeschosenbased̀6onthreeconditions.First,fivenaturallakeswerè7selectedbasedontheirlocationasupstream̀8headwaterswithfewornotributaries.Withthesè9typesoflakes,thereisasignificantlyreduced̀10chancethattheirmercurycontaminationiscausedbỳ11directdischargefromindustry.̀12Secondly,twohuman-madereservoirswerè13chosenbecausetheywereconstructedintheprevious̀1420years.Theshorttimeithastakenthesè15reservoirstobecomecontaminatedisanindicationof̀16theseverityoftheairdepositionproblem.̀17Thirdly,becausemercurycancomefrom̀18directdischargefromindustry,weexaminepermit̀19information.Wedeterminedthatthereareno_NPDES_,̀20orNationalPollutionDischargeEliminationSystem,̀21permitsformercuryinanyofthetributariesthat̀22flowintoanyofthesevenlakesthatwerecoveredbỳ23ourreport.̀24Becausecoal-firedpowerplantsaresucha  0/3 ̀118̀1largesourceofmercuryemissions,wethenexamined̀2theproximityofcoal-firedpowerplantstotheseveǹ3lakes.Wefoundthatthereareninecoal-firedpower̀4plantswithin15to100milesofthesevenlakes.̀5Whileit'scurrentlyimpossibletotargetwherè6emissionsfromspecificsmokestacksgo,basedoǹ7preexistingcomputermodelingstudies,wind,and̀8precipitationpatterns,wecanatleastinferthatà9largepartofthemercuryintheselakescomesfrom̀10localpowerplants.̀11Theimpactsofmercurypollutionarè12significant.Take,foroneexample,_Olin_ԀLake,onè13ofthenaturallakesthatwecoveredinourreport.̀14_Olin_ԀLakeisthelargestuninhabitedlakeinIndianà15anditissurroundedbyanaturepreserve.Yet,it̀16iscoveredbythehighestpossibleleveloffish̀17consumptionadvisory,aLevelFive.ALevelFivè18advisorymeansthatabsolutelynooneshouldeatfish̀19fromwaterwiththisranking.Thefactthatalakè20thatwouldotherwisebepristineiscontaminatedtò21suchanextentthatnooneshouldeatfishfromitis̀22atravesty.̀23WeimploretheEPAtoregulatemercuryand̀24otherhazardousairpollutantsfrompowerplants.  0/3 ̀119̀1EPAshoulddevelopnationalemissionsstandardsfor̀2electricutilitiesthatwillrequirea90-percent̀3reductionfromallcoal-firedpowerplantsoverthè4nextdecade.Itistimethatthislargestsourceof̀5unregulatedmercuryemissionsisbroughtunder̀6control.̀7Indiana'sgovernorissuingtheU.S.EPÀ8overitsproposednitrogenoxidereductionsforpower̀9plants,alsoknownasthe"_NOx_ԀSIPCall."As̀10evidencedbythisrecalcitrantattitudetowardsozonè11pollution,weinIndianacannotrelyonourstatè12governmenttoregulatetoxicmercuryatthistime.̀13OnlystrongemissionreductionstandardsfromEPÀ14willsolvethisseriousandpervasiveproblem.̀15Lastly,whenEPAdoesimposetheseemissions̀16standards,EPAmustalsoevaluateimpactsonother̀17pollutionmedia,suchasthemassivesolidwastè18streamthatisgeneratedbycoal-firedpowerplants,̀19andadequatelyregulatethiswastestreamtoensurè20thattheenvironmentisprotected.Wecannotalloẁ21toxicpollutantstosimplybetransferredfromonè22wastestreamtoanother.̀23Thankyouforthisopportunity.̀24_MR_.WAYLAND:NextGregBlock.  0/3 ̀120̀1Wewillmoveon.WehaveMelissa_Scanlan_Ԁ̀2fromMidwestEnvironmental.̀3MS._SCANLAN_:Goodafternoon,andthanksfor̀4theopportunitytocomment.̀5MynameisMelissa_Scanlan_.I'malegal̀6directoratMidwestEnvironmentalAdvocates,andI'm̀7appearingtodayonbehalfoftheIndigenous̀8EnvironmentalNetwork,anationalgrassroots̀9organization,whosemissionistoencouragè10sustainablelifestylesamongindigenouspeopleand̀11toprotecttheearth.̀12IhavewrittencommentsthatI'msubmitting̀13thatwillgointomoreofthetechnicalaspectsof̀14therequirementsoffederalIndianalawandthè15responsibilitiesthat_that_ԀplacesontheEPA.Sò16todayI'mjustgoingoverthegeneraloutlineof̀17this.̀18We'veheardalotofgreattestimonytodaỳ19abouttheimpactsofmercuryonfishandoneagles̀20andonpeople,pregnantwomen.We'vealsoheardà21lotoftestimonyfromtheindustryrepstalkingabout̀22theneedformoreanalysis,morestudies,andthè23industrywouldlikeustobelievethatweneedtò24studythisproblemmore.They'releadingustoan  0/3 ̀121̀1analysisparalysis.TheywanttheEPAtonottakè2action,becauseeverydaythattheEPAdoesnottakè3action,theysavemoney.Andasoutlinedbythè4NationalWildlifeFederation,theEPAdoesn'tneedtò5fallpreytothis.TheEPAhasenoughinformatioǹ6todaytotakeaction.Andwecannotwait.̀7Overthehistoryofthiscountry,therehavè8beennumerousfederalpoliciesdirectedtowards̀9destroyingnativeAmericantribes,theallotment̀10period,terminationperiod,removal.Indigenous̀11peoplearenowexperiencingthelatestmutationiǹ12thispolicy--destructionofnaturalresourcesthat̀13preventsthemfrommaintainingtheirculturaland̀14spiritualpracticesandmaintainingahealthysourcè15offood.̀16Contaminationoffishontreelandsis̀17occurringduetoAgencyinaction,andIknowthatEPÀ18willcorrectthisproblem.Theyhavethè19responsibilitytodosoundertheTrust̀20Responsibilityofthetribes,andweknowthatthè21EPAhasbeenaleaderamongstotherfederalagencies̀22inFederalIndianpolicy,andwehopethatyouwill̀23liveuptothatinmakingthisdecision.̀24Inordertoexercisetreatyrights,  0/3 ̀122̀1regulatorsmustmaintainthequalityandquantityof̀2waterresourcesandfish.Treatyrightsarenotthè3merechancetodipyournetintothewaterand,bỳ4chance,pulloutanuncontaminatedfish.Theyarè5theright--theright--forindigenouspeopletò6haveanadequateanduncontaminatedsupplyoffish,̀7andthisrightimposesadutyontheFederalAgencỳ8toconsiderhowtheiractionsaregoingtouphold̀9treatyrightsandhowtheir,conversely,inactioǹ10impairtreatyrights.̀11Mercurycontaminationoffishinthewesterǹ12GreatLakesregioninparticularhasalreadybeeǹ13showntoimpairtreatyrights.Thisisevidentiǹ14accountsbyindigenouspeoplewhohavestopped̀15fishingduetohealthadvisoriesaswellasinblood̀16testsoffive--ofmembersoffive_Chippewa_Ԁtribes̀17inWisconsinduringtraditionalspearfishingseasoǹ18thathaveshownelevatedlevelsofmercury,upto15̀19timesthelevelassociatedwithadversehealth̀20effects.̀21Thisisaverysadstateofaffairs,when,̀22inordertoexerciseyourtreatyrights,youhavetò23runtheriskofadversehealtheffectsduetomercurỳ24contaminationthatcanbestoppedandshouldbe  0/3 ̀123̀1stoppedbythisagency.̀2Thetrustresponsibilitythatgoestoeverỳ3FederalAgency,includingtheEPA,requirestheEPÀ4toensurethatitsactionsareconsistentwiththè5protectionoftribalrightstohuntandfish.Andat̀6aminimum,theEPAhasadutytoconsultwithtribes̀7beforetakingfinalactionaffectingtreatyrights.̀8It'snotbychancethattherearenottribal̀9representativesinthisroomtodayfromthewesterǹ10GreatLakestates.Theyarewaitingforagovernment̀11--togovernmentconsultationwiththeEPAonthis̀12decision.AndtheIndigenousEnvironmentalNetwork̀13urgesyoutoenterintothisconsultationandtotakè14yourresponsibilitiesseriously.Wetrustthatyoù15will.Thankyou.̀16_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveKeith_Reopelle_Ԁof̀17WisconsinEnvironmental.̀18_MR_._REOPELLE_:Goodafternoon.Mynameis̀19Keith_Reopelle_.I'mtheprogramdirectorwith̀20Wisconsin'sEnvironmentalDecade,astatewidegroup̀21that'sbeeninWisconsinforabout30yearsatthis̀22pointintime,about25,000members.Ithankyoù23verymuch.Itrulyappreciatethisopportunitytò24speaktoyoutoday.  0/3 ̀124̀1It'saspecialdayforme,inpart,becausè2Ihaveaseven-year-old-daughter,Teal,who'sturning̀3seventoday,whosebirthdayistoday.That'saǹ4excellentreminderofkindofwhywe'reallhere.̀5Theseregulationsareneededtoprotectourchildren,̀6toprotecttheirchildren,andfuturegenerations.̀7Wisconsin,withitsmanythousandsoflakes̀8atthetopoftheCanadianshield,isextremelỳ9susceptibletomercurycontamination.And,asyoù10know,Wisconsin'sDepartmentofHealthissuesafish̀11advisorywhichlistsabout340lakesandriversduè12tounsafelevelsofmercurycontamination.Roughlyà13thirdofallthelakesourDepartmenthastestedhavè14beenaddedtotheadvisorywitha.5partsper̀15millionthresholdforinclusion,buttheyonlỳ16publishandprint40,000ofthosefishadvisories.̀17Wesellabout1.2millionfishinglicenses.Sò18clearly,thevastmajorityofanglersarenotseeing̀19thefishadvisoryandarenotabletofollowit.̀20Thatlisthasbeenbuildingforalongtime.̀21We'veactuallyknownaboutthisproblemforatleast̀2230years,in1970,thatthengovernorWarrenKnolls̀23actuallybanned,closeda40-milestretchofthè24WisconsinRiverduetoextremelyhighlevelsof  0/3 ̀125̀1mercurycontaminationfoundinsomeofthefishoǹ2theriveratthattime.Sowe'veknownaboutthis̀3problemfor30years,anditsactionislongoverduè4forthelargestemitterofmercuryemissions.̀5Othershavetalkedalotabouttheeffects̀6ofmercurycontamination,theimpactsofmercurỳ7contamination.I'lljustmaketwoquickpointsabout̀8that.Oneis,basedonEPA'sReporttoCongressand̀9theestimateofthenumberofpregnantwomen,womeǹ10ofchildbearingages,andchildrenwhoconsumeas̀11muchasafishmealperdayontheaverage,wè12extrapolatedthatandcameupwithmorethan40,000̀13peopleinWisconsinarelikelyaffected,andthat's̀14veryconservative.Itassumesthatpeopleiǹ15Wisconsineatnomorefishthanpeopleinanyother̀16state,whichis,undoubtedly,notthecase.̀17Butwehaveamuchmorestarkreminderof̀18allthedamagethatmercurycandotohumansiǹ19Wisconsin.HisnameisHenry_Henk_.Heisà20gentlemanwholivesinHayward,Wisconsin,northerǹ21partofthestate,who,severalyearsago,overà22six-toeight-monthperiodatealotoffish.̀23Admittedlyheatefishforbreakfast,lunch,and̀24supper.Andthosefishweremostlyallfromone  0/3 ̀126̀1lake,whichwasonthefishconsumptionadvisory.̀2Heendeduplosingabout100poundsof̀3weight,losingtheuseofhislegs,losinghismind̀4literally--hedidn'trecognizehisownwife;̀5grindinghisteethtothebone.Hewasinahospital̀6inHaywardandthenhemovedtoDuluth,wheretheỳ7ranbloodtestsandCATscansandeverythingtheỳ8couldthinkofandweremiffeduntilsomebodyasked̀9hiswife,didhehaveanyunusualdietaryhabits.̀10Andshesaid,well,yeah,infact,allhe'sbeeǹ11eatingforthelasthalfofyearorsoisfishfor̀12mostofhismeals.Andtheyputtwoandtwotogether̀13andsentahairsampledowntotheclinic,andas̀14soonastheystartedtreatinghimformercurỳ15contamination,allhissymptomsbegantoreverse.̀16Thedoctorsaidhewouldneverwalkagain.Heis̀17walking.I'vemetwithhimseveraltimes.Heuses̀18bracesandsuch.̀19Butifmercurycan--anditwasn'tà20confirmedcasebytheDepartmentofHealthbecausè21thetestsweredoneonhairandnotbloodandnotiǹ22therighttimeframe,butyoucouldcertainlyaskhis̀23doctors,andtheyhavenoquestionofwhatdidit.̀24Andifmercurycandothattoanadulthuman--this  0/3 ̀127̀1gentlemanisover200pounds--itisnotatallhard̀2toimaginethatitcouldimpactfetusesorsmall̀3children.̀4Wisconsinhasalsodoneatremendousamount̀5ofresearch,ourDepartmentofNaturalResources,oǹ6loons,andIjustwanttomentiontoo,othershavè7saidalot.We'reconcernedaboutwildlifeaswell,̀8andIhopeyouseesomeofthatresearch.Therè9appearstobeaclearlinktoloonsonthelakesiǹ10northernWisconsindonotreproduceaswellasthosè11onlowermercurylakes.̀12Powerplantsare,likemoststates,byfar̀13thelargestsourceofmercuryemissionsinthestate.̀14Theyaccountforabout40percentofthemercurỳ15emissionsinWisconsin.AndwefeelWisconsiǹ16desperatelyneedsaregulationofthemercurỳ17emissionsfromthosepowerplants.̀18Infact,thestatehaspursuedsuchà19regulationonitsown.Therewasabillintroduced̀20intolegislaturelasttwosessions,SenateBill177,̀21toregulatemercuryemissionsfrompowerplants.And̀22Ijustwantyoutoknowthatthereismuchbroader̀23supportinWisconsinthanmaybeisrepresentedherè24today.Thebillwasintroducedby15Democratsand  0/3 ̀128̀1sixRepublicans.Theleadingauthorofthebilliǹ2theStateAssemblywasaRepublican.Thebillhad̀3variousrunsupportfromourDepartmentofNational̀4Resources.AndI'msurethatSecretaryMeyerwill̀5contactyouonhisownintermsofhisinterestiǹ6mercuryregulations.̀7Overahundredorganizationsinthestatè8passresolutionspushingformercuryregulationiǹ9thestate,includingabout40fishingandhunting̀10conservationclubs,includingmanyresortowners,̀11includingfishingguidesandincludinglakè12associations.̀13Atthispoint,wehavealsopetitionedour̀14DepartmentofNaturalResourcesbecausewebelievè15theyhavetheauthoritytoregulatemercuryemissions̀16already,sowe'vepetitionedthemtodothat.And,̀17again,groupslikethe_Isaak_ԀWaltonLeagueof̀18Wisconsin,the_B.A.S.S._ԀFederationofWisconsin,all̀19thesegroupsareco-petitioners.Iwillleaveacopỳ20ofourpetitionsoyoucanseethat.̀21Butobviouslyifweregulatedmercuryiǹ22Wisconsin,thatwouldnotsolvetheproblem.̀23Obviouslythisisacontaminantthatdoesn'tknoẁ24boundaries,andobviouslytheonethingIthinkthat  0/3 ̀129̀1utilityrepresentativesandenvironmentalistscaǹ2agreeonisthereneedstobeanational,regional̀3nationalsolution,andthat'swhythisagencyissò4criticalandthisactionissocritical.̀5Insummary,we'veknownabouttheproblem̀6for30years,andthat'sfartoolongtowaittotakè7actiononthelargestsourceofmercuryemissions.̀8Weneedtodothisnow.Thetimingiscriticaland̀9it'scritical(A)because30yearsisfartoolong,̀10andchildren'shealthisatstake,but(B)becausewè11need--thesoonerwedothis,thesoonermercurỳ12planningformercuryreductionsatutilitiescaǹ13coincidewithplanningforreductionsofother̀14emissions,like_NOx_Ԁinparticular.Andit's̀15important,Ithink,andforrateerrors,it's̀16importanttothinkaboutthesemultiplegroups̀17atoncebecausewe'llspendalotmoremoneỳ18reducingthemifwedon'tconsiderthemallatthè19sametime.̀20TheotherthingIwantedtomention,I'll̀21leavecopiesofourreport,which,bytheway,hasà22moredetaileddescriptionofHenry_Henk_Ԁandthè23impactsthatherealizedfromeating̀24mercury-contaminatedfish.I'llgiveyoucopiesof____________  0/3 _̀130̀1thatreport.We'vealsogottenacouplehundred̀2postcardsfrommembersofoursinWisconsinaddressed̀3totheAdministrator,whichI'llleavewithyou.̀4Thankyouverymuchfortheopportunitytò5speaktoday.̀6MR.WAYLAND:NextwehaveIsaacElnecaze.̀7MR.ELNECAZE:Goodafternoon.Mynameis̀8IsaacElnecaze.I'mtheAirQualitySpecialistiǹ9Michigan,EnvironmentalCouncil.Todayyou'veheard̀10fromseveralenvironmentalgroupsdiscussingthè11healtheffectsandtheeffectsoninlandlakesofthè12Midwest,andcertainlyhereinMichigan,wehavemanỳ13ofthesameconcerns.̀14Inmytestimonytoday,Iwanttodiscuss̀15moreintermsofthemagnitudeoftheemissionsthat̀16comefromtheutilities,asI'vebeenabletofigurè17themout.Iwouldliketoinclude,beyondmercury,̀18someoftheothertoxicsthatareinvolved,certainlỳ19fromtheTRIreports,andbrieflytalkaboutthè20healtheffectsofsomeoftheseothertoxics,whatÌ21wouldconsidertobetheeconomic--theperversè22economicincentives,exemptionthatutilityboilers̀23enjoyfromregulationwhichcauses,Ithink,problems̀24andwhich,Ithink,needtobeaddressed.Finally,I_  0/3 ̀131̀1wanttodiscussthemercurytradingissuebecausè2I'veheardseveralpeoplediscussittoday,andÌ3wanttobringourviewpointonthis.̀4InMichigan,utilityboilersareabout̀540percentofthemercury.However,theyalsò6constituteabout40percentofthenickel,quarterof̀7thechromium,82percentofthehydrogenchloride,̀8and90percentofthehydrogenfluoridethatis̀9emittedinthestate.̀10Moreimportantly,andthisissomethingthat̀11we'venoticedasatrend,wehavenoticedthat,asà12resultofmanyoftheregulationsthathaveoccurred̀13since1990,thattheleveloftoxicemissionsfrom̀14sourceshasdecreasedinMichigan.However,Ifound̀15somedata,it'llbe,inthejournalofFuel̀16ProcessingTechnology--don'taskmehowIfound̀17thatone--thatshowedthatthetwoleading̀18utilitiesinMichigan,ConsumersEnergyandDetroit̀19Edison,haveactuallyincreasedmercuryemissions̀2025percentbetween1994and1998.Inotherwords,̀21whatwe'rehavingisthatregulationdoessucceediǹ22reducingtoxicreleases,and,inmymind,it's̀23somewhatirrationaltoexemptoneofthelargest̀24sources,inwhichcase,itkindofoffsetmanyofthe  0/3 ̀132̀1gainsyoumake.̀2Veryquickly,bothchromiumandnickelarè3consideredbytheEPAasClassAcarcinogenswhich̀4meansthatthereisadirect--theagencyconsiders̀5themadirectcausallinkbetweencancerandthesè6two.Itisacauseoflungcancer.Thetoxicacid̀7gases,likehydrochloricacidandhydrofluoricacid,̀8areresponsibleforpulmonaryirritationanduptò9andincludingthingssuchaswhatiscalledpulmonarỳ10edema,whichisthebuildupoffluidinthelungs.̀11Movingontojustaquickdiscussionofthè12economicincentives,therearetwothingsthatstrikè13mebyhavingthisexemption.Manyothersourcesarè14workingtowardsreducingmercury,andobviouslyas̀15othersourcesmakereductionsinmercury,additional̀16reductionsbecomeprogressivelymoreexpensiveand̀17yougetlessofthemasyoucontinueonreductions.̀18So,therefore,itseemstomethatthemost̀19cost-effectivewayofdealingwithsomethinglikè20mercuryemissionsistodealwithutilityboilers,̀21sinceyoucancertainlygetthelargestamountof̀22emissionsattheleastcostwithoutundulyburdening̀23othersources,anditbecomesamuchfairerpolicy.̀24Also,becauseyouhavethisexemptionof  0/3 ̀133̀1utilityboilers,whatseemstohappen--atleast̀2whatseemstobemakingcommonsenseisthatit̀3providesadisincentive,almostaperversè4disincentivetomovetowardscleanerformsofenergy,̀5tomovetowards_renewables_,becauseit'snotcosting̀6anythingforutilitiestocontinueemittingmercury.̀7Ifregulationscomeintoplace,nowyou'retaking̀8intoaccountthecostofhealtheffectsthatmercurỳ9emissionsandother_toxics_Ԁcause,inwhichcaseyoù10nowprovideincentivestomovetowardscleanerforms̀11ofenergyandkindofacoalonamuchmorelevel̀12playingfield.̀13Finally,Iwanttodiscuss,veryquickly,wè14supportthemaximumflexibilityforindustrytomeet̀15whateverstandardeventuallycomesup,andwewould̀16liketoseea90-percentreductioninmercuryfrom̀17allpowerplantswithinthenexttenyears.̀18However,wewanttomentionspecificallỳ19thatwedoopposemercuryemissionstrading.It'sà20veryquick--therearetradingschemesforother̀21pollutants,butputtingtheminplaceofmercuryand̀22other_toxics_Ԁignoresthefactthatmercuryandother̀23_toxics_Ԁaredifferentthan_NOx_ԀorSO2._NOx_ԀandSO2̀24arefunpollutants;theyspreadout.Mercuryand  0/3 ̀134̀1other_toxics_Ԁareveryoftenverylocalized,haveverỳ2localizedeffects,andare,inacaselikemercury,̀3theyarepersistentand_bioaccumulating_.So,̀4therefore,formationofa_hotspot_Ԁforatoxicisof̀5muchgraverconcern.Andsowedonot,giventhè6tendencyfor_hotspots_Ԁtooccur,andthefactis,manỳ7oftheolderplantsinMichiganareinlow-incomè8areas,areinminorityareas,likeinthesoutheast̀9partofthestate.Wefeellikeitwouldbeverỳ10counterproductiveandwouldoffsetalotofthegains̀11youcouldmakebyputtinginmercuryreductionsbỳ12havingamercurytradingsystem.̀13Thankyouverymuchforyourtime.̀14_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveAngela_Ledford_,̀15CleartheAir.̀16MS._LEDFORD_:MynameisAngela_Ledford_.Ì17representCleartheAir.CleantheAiristhè18NationalCampaignAgainstDirtyPower.We'rè19relativelynewonthescene,soit'sapleasuretobè20heretodayandtotalkaboutthisparticularEPÀ21determination.̀22CleartheAirisaprojectinitiatedbythè23PewCharitableTrust.Itisaprojectofthreè24leadingcleanairgroups,theCleanAirTaskForce,  0/3 ̀135̀1theNationalEnvironmentalTrust,andU.S._PIRG_.Wè2alsoworkwithdozensofgrassrootsorganizations̀3acrossthecountrytoreallyfacethepowerplant̀4issuesinWashington.̀5I'mheretodaytourgeyoutotakeimmediatè6stepstolimitmercurypollutionfrompowerplants.̀7Asyouwellknow,everyothermajorsourceofmercurỳ8andair_toxics_Ԁaresubjecttoregulationsunderthè9CleanAirAct.AndIwasputtingtestimonytogether,̀10IrealizedIwasquotingEPAstatsoverandover̀11again,soratherthanquoteyoutoyourself,letmè12justfocusinonkindofwhatoursummarylookat̀13someEPAworkaswellassomeofthelatestStatè14informationhastosayabouttheissueofmercurỳ15frompowerplants.̀16RecentlywereleasedareportthatIhanded̀17outtoyoucalled"CastingDoubt:Mercury,Power̀18Plants,andtheFishWeEat."Thereportwas̀19preparedbytheCleanAirTaskForceforClearthè20Air.Essentiallywhatthereportdoesistakesà21lookatthemostrecentfishadvisoriesdatafrom̀22aroundthecountry.Asyouknow,theStatefish̀23consumptionadvisoriesrecommendeitherlimitingor̀24avoidingconsumptionoffishfromcertainwater  0/3 ̀136̀1bodiesorfromspecifictypesofwaterbodies.AndÌ2wanttorunthroughkindofthesummaryofwhatthat̀3lookatthatinformationshowedus.̀4Wenotedthathealthdepartmentsin40̀5stateshaveissuedthousandsoffishconsumptioǹ6advisories,andthereare27stateadvisories.This̀7indicatesanincreaseactuallyoverthelastfeẁ8years.In1993,therewere27stateadvisories;and̀9by'97,thatnumberhadgrownto40.Sostatesarè10becomingmoreandmoreawareandconcernedaboutthis̀11issueandurgingtheirpublictobeandtheir̀12consumerstobemoreconcernedaswell.̀13Tenstateshaveissuedstatewidemercurỳ14fishconsumptionadvisoriesoneverywaterbody,and̀1513stateshaveadvisoriesforcertainsaltwater̀16species;andsince1993,thenumberofmercurỳ17advisorieshasincreasedby128percent.̀18Anotherinterestingthing,Ithink,fromthè19reporttolookatisthattheTRIdatashowsusthat̀20powerplantsareresponsibleformorethan50percent̀21ofmercuryemissionsin13states.Andjusttakingà22lookatsomeofthosestatesandwhatkindsoffish̀23consumptionadvisoriesthey'reissuing.17,254acres̀24ofColorado'slakesareunderadvisory;35,673miles  0/3 ̀137̀1ofIndiana'srivers;321,858acresofMontana's̀2lakes;69,377acresoflakesinNorthDakota;29,000̀3acresofNewMexico'slakes;andover100,000acres̀4ofWisconsinlakes.Again,alotofthosestates̀5aren'theretoday,soIthoughtitwasimportanttò6takealookatthecombinationofpowerplantmercurỳ7emissionsandwhatthat'sshowingintermsoftheir̀8fishconsumptionadvisories.̀9ThedatathatIdidthinkwasimportantfor̀10ustoraisetodayaboutthehealthrisksassociated̀11withmercury--and,again,thatisdownasaresult̀12oftheEPAresearch--isthefollowing:Four̀13millionwomenofchildbearingageareconsistentlỳ14exposedto_methylmercury_ԀatlevelsabovewhattheEPÀ15considersafe.Ofthesefourmillionwomen,about̀16380,000arepredictedtobepregnantinanygiveǹ17year.̀18Nearlythreemillionchildrenbetweenthè19agesofthreeandsixareconsistentlyexposedtò20_methylmercury_ԀatlevelsabovewhichEPAconsiders̀21safe.̀22Recreationalanglers,Asian-Americans,̀23membersofsomeNativeAmericantribes,Nativè24Alaskans,andpersonsofCaribbeanethnicitymayhave  0/3 ̀138̀1_methylmercury_Ԁexposurestwotofivetimeshigherthaǹ2exposuresexperiencedbytheaveragepopulation.̀3Whileit'struethatnoteverysinglè4mercurysourceiscoveredbyEPArules,themost̀5glaringomissionistheutilitysector.Man-madè6emissionsintheU.S.total158tonsofmercuryeach̀7year,andofthattotal,coal-firedpowerplantsarè8estimatedtoemitabout52tonsayear.̀9Wethinkit'stimethattheutilitysector̀10dotheirparttoreducemercuryemissions.Wewould̀11liketoseereductionsreducedbyanoverall̀1290percentby2003.Ijustrealizedthere'satypò13inthetestimony.I'llcorrectthatintherecord.̀14Ideally,wewouldliketheEPAtorequirereductioǹ15ofmercuryfromthepowerplantstoatleastthat̀16levelandbythesameyear.Webelievetightcaps̀17andtighttimeframesarereallyessentialtorush̀18thetechnologiestomarketthatit'sgoingtotaketò19gettothesereductionlevels.Sowehopeyoù20considersettingsomeverystrictstandards.̀21Ithinkwhatourreportssays,andI'msurè22alotofthetestimonyhere,isthat,themorewè23lookformercuryinfishandthemorewelookforà24mercuryproblem,themorewefindit,andit'stime  0/3 ̀139̀1thatweworkwiththepowersectortoreducemercurỳ2emissions.Thankyou.̀3_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveConradSchneider̀4fortheCleanAirTaskForce.He'spoolingtimefor̀5twoslots.̀6_MR_.SCHNEIDER:Goodafternoon.Mynameis̀7ConradSchneider,andIrepresenttheCleanAirTask̀8Force,anorganizationthatadvocatesfederal,state,̀9andprivatesectoractiontoreducepowerplantair̀10emissions.WearepartofCleartheAirCampaign,̀11andwealsoworkwithover50localstate,regional,̀12andnationalorganizationsin26statesaroundthè13country.̀14Ishouldsaythankyouforallowingmetò15pooltimetoday.Ourconsultantsonmercury,̀16MarthaKeatingandMargaretRound,hadplanned̀17originallytocomeandtestify,butwereunabletobè18hereonthisdate,andsoI'mstandinginforthem.̀19Butrestassured,theseremarkswerepreparedbỳ20MarthaandbyMargaret.̀21Wewouldliketosayattheoutsetthatthis̀22isthemostimportantdecisionthattheU.S.EPAwill̀23makeduringtheremainderoftheClintoǹ24administration.  0/3 ̀140̀1Powerplantsarethenumberoneindustrial̀2sourceintheU.S.ofemissionsofcarbondioxide,̀3sulfurdioxide,andnitrogendioxide.Accordingtò4resultsthusfarfromthecoalsamplingdatà5collectedunderEPA'sInformationCollectionRequest,̀6powerplantsarethenumberonesourceofmercurỳ7emissionsintheU.S.And,recentdatafromthè8_Toxics_ԀReleaseInventoryindicatethatpowerplants̀9arethenumberoneemittersofacidgases,including̀10hydrochloricacidandhydrofluoricacid.̀11Powerplantsarealsotheonlysourcè12categorytohaveenjoyedanexemptionfromthè13requirementsofSection112oftheCleanAirAct.̀14It'stimeforEPAtoleveltheregulatoryplaying̀15fieldandevaluatecontrolstrategiesforutilitỳ16boilersashasbeendonefornumerousothermercurỳ17sources.̀18WesubmitthatEPA'sownstudyofutilitỳ19hazardousairpollutantsconfirmsthatpowerplant̀20HAPemissionsshouldbetreatedthesameasHAP̀21emissionsfromothersources.Utilitysourcesarè22significanttoxicemitters.The_HAPs_Ԁreleasedbỳ23powerplantsareknowntohaveadverseeffectsoǹ24healthandtheenvironment,andthereisnobasisfor  0/3 ̀141̀1concludingthatcurrentexposuresto_toxics_Ԁreleased̀2bypowerplantsareinnocuous.Therearealreadỳ3readilyavailablemeanstodramaticallyreducè4releasesoftoxicairpollutantsfromutilitỳ5sources.AllofthesefactorsrequireEPAtoaddress̀6toxicreleasesfromutilitysourcesinamanner̀7that'sconsistentwithyourobligationsunder̀8Section112.̀9EPAhaspreviouslyconcludedthatmercuryis̀10theHAPofmostconcernfrompowerplants.Thè11UtilityStudyevaluatedpowerplantmercuryemissions̀12andtheirpotentialimpactondepositiontoyour̀13watersheds,subsequentuptakeofmercuryintothè14aquaticfoodchain,andexposuretohumansthrough̀15theconsumptionoffish.̀16Theexposureanalysisdemonstratedthat̀17elevatedmercuryexposure--thatis,exposureiǹ18excessofEPA'sReferenceDosefor_methylmercury_Ԁ--̀19isofconcernforkeysegmentsoftheU.S.̀20population.OtheranalysessincetheUtilityStudỳ21showthatanindividualwhoconsumesasinglè22high-mercuryfishmealhaselevated_methylmercury_Ԁ̀23concentrationsforabouttwoweeks.Andanother̀24studyfoundthatarecreationalanglerwhoconsumes  0/3 ̀142̀1fishdailyduringaone-weekvacationcouldbè2exposedto_methylmercury_Ԁlevelsthatexceedall̀3federalguidelinesforseveralweeks.This̀4informationisparticularlyrelevanttowomenwhomaỳ5bepregnantorplanningpregnancy.Italsò6illustratesthatwhilereducinguncertaintyinthè7ReferenceDoseisimportant,exposureisevenmorè8important.Consumingfishwith_methylmercury_Ԁlevels̀9commonlymeasuredinU.S.waterscanresultiǹ10_exceedances_Ԁofeventheleastconservativefederal̀11_methylmercury_Ԁbenchmark.̀12Thus,becausemercuryemissionsfrompower̀13plantsarelinkedtoincreasesin_methylmercury_Ԁ̀14concentrationsinfishtissue,EPAmustconcludethat̀15hazardstopublichealtharereasonablyanticipated̀16fromsuchemissions.̀17Now,wealsoencourageEPAtoconsiderother̀18pollutantsinthecontextofaregulatorỳ19determination.IntheUtilityStudy,EPAindicated̀20that,inadditiontomercury,nickel,arsenic,lead,̀21cadmium,anddioxinareallpollutantsof"potential̀22concern."Whileananalysiswasperformedinthè23UtilityStudyofthepotentialimpactsofthè24short-termreleasesofacidgases,onlyroutine  0/3 ̀143̀1emissionscenarioswereconsidered.̀2WeurgeEPAtoevaluatethepotentialimpact̀3oftheseacidgasesunderotheremissionscenarios,̀4suchasstart-up,malfunctions,short-termemissions̀5frompeakingunits,andinversionweatherevents.Iǹ6addition,webelieveEPAshouldevaluateexposures̀7otherthaninhalationforleadandforcadmium,̀8pollutantsthatpersistintheenvironmentand̀9_bioaccumulate_Ԁinthefoodchain.Ofcritical̀10importanceistherecentreassessmentofthecancer̀11potencyofdioxin.Theproposedten-foldincreaseiǹ12potencywillincreaseEPA'scancerriskestimatesfor̀13dioxinexposuretoashighas1in1,000forsomè14segmentsofthepopulation.̀15Intermsofcontroltechnologies,webelievè16thatbasedondatapresentedinthepeer-reviewed̀17literature,mercurycontrolsaretechnicallyfeasiblè18andmercuryemissionscanbesignificantlyreduced.̀19Mercuryreductionsarebeingdocumentedforavarietỳ20ofcontroldeviceconfigurationsanddifferenttypes̀21ofcoal,whileongoingresearchisfocusingoǹ22optimizingmercurycapturebyexistingcontrol̀23devicesanddevelopingnewtechnologies.Webelievè24thatcost-effectiveandefficienttechnologiesto  0/3 ̀144̀1reducemercuryemissionsfrompowerplantscanbè2achievedwithinEPA'slikelyregulatorytimeframe.̀3Intheabsenceofapositivedeterminationhowever,̀4thepromisingresearchanddevelopmentinthisareà5willcease.̀6Controllingair_toxics_Ԁthroughcriterià7pollutantcontrolshasbeenrecognizedbyEPAasà8waytoachieveconcurrentreductionsinanumberof̀9pollutants.TheAgencyshouldcapitalizeonthis̀10approachwithpowerplantsbyactivelyseekingways̀11tointegratethecriteriaandair_toxics_Ԁprograms.̀12Fuelswitchingtonaturalgasandrenewableenergỳ13areoptionsthatwouldsignificantlyreduceall̀14emissions,bothcriteriapollutantsandair_toxics_.̀15WeurgeEPAtoconsideramulti-pollutantcontrol̀16approach,notonlytoachievecontrolofcriterià17pollutantsandmercury,buttheotherair_toxics_Ԁas̀18well.̀19Now,someotherissuesthattheAgencỳ20shouldconsiderarethoseofchildren'shealth,̀21environmentaljustice,andreducingemissionsof̀22persistent_bioaccumulative_Ԁ_toxics_.Theseareashavè23beenrepeatedlyidentifiedasprioritiesofthis̀24Administrator.TheEPA's"NationalAgendatoProtect  0/3 ̀145̀1Children'sHealthfromEnvironmentalThreats"was̀2developedinrecognitionthatchildrenaremorè3highlyexposedtoenvironmentaltoxinsandmaybè4moresusceptibletothemduringprenataldevelopment̀5andchildhood.BoththeUtilityStudyandthè6MercuryStudyconcludethatchildrenfacethehighest̀7risksfromconsumingfishcontaminatedbymercurỳ8emissions,withupwardsofthreemillionchildreǹ9betweenagesofthreetosixhavingmercuryexposures̀10greaterthantheReferenceDose.Clearly,suchà11findingwarrantsapositiveregulatorydetermination.̀12TheUtilityStudyalsoindicatesthat,iǹ13additiontochildren,subsistencefishersshoulderà14disproportionateamountoftheriskfromeating̀15mercury-contaminatedfish.TheMercuryStudỳ16identifiedanumberofethnicgroupsthatconsumè17fishfarmorefrequentlyandingreateramountsthaǹ18thegeneralpopulation.TheseincludesNativè19Americans,Alaskannatives,personsofCaribbeaǹ20ethnicity,andpersonsofAsian/PacificIslander̀21ethnicity.̀22Environmentaljusticeaswellisimportant̀23inthesensethatpeopleinpovertyarealsò24disproportionatelyaffectedbypowerplantemissions.  0/3 ̀146̀1Peoplelivingwithinonemileofpowerplantsarè2twiceaslikelytobepoorandabout30percentmorè3likelytobenon-whitethanthenationalaverage.̀4Low-incomecommunitiesandpeopleofcolorarealsò5exposedtonumerouspowerplantpollutantsotherthaǹ6mercury,aswellaspollutionfromnearbyindustrial̀7facilities.̀8Apositiveregulatorydeterminationforour̀9powerplantsisalsoacriticalstepinmeetingthè10objectivesofthePersistent_Bioaccumulative_ԀToxic̀11Strategy.Implementingthestrategythroughaǹ12industrialsector,suchaspowerplants,providesthè13opportunitytoincludemanyimportantpersistent̀14_toxics_Ԁinadditiontomercury,suchascadmium,̀15arsenic,manganese,chromium,andnickel.̀16Inconclusion,therearefewcaseswherè17regulatoryactiontocontroloneindustrysectorwill̀18havesuchapervasivebenefitwithinandacrossall̀19media.WeurgeEPAtotaketheappropriateactioǹ20andissueapositiveregulatorydeterminationfor̀21powerplants.̀22Thankyouforyourtime.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveCindy_Luppi_Ԁfrom̀24theCleanWaterAction.  0/3 ̀147̀1UNIDENTIFIEDSPEAKER:She'snothere.̀2_MR_.WAYLAND:DennisLeonardfromDetroit̀3Edison.̀4_MR_.LEONARD:Goodafternoon.I'm̀5DennisLeonard,principalengineerfromDetroit̀6Edison.I'dliketospeakononeaspect,butonè7veryimportantaspectofthemercurydebatebeforè8youthisafternoon,andthataspectconcernsthè9depositionofmercury.̀10Several_commenters_Ԁtodaypointedoutthat̀11theEPAReporttoCongressestimatedthat15tonsper̀12yearofmercuryisdepositedintheU.S.frompower̀13plants,andtheyarguethat_that_Ԁwasasufficient̀14basisformakingaregulatorydeterminationthat_that_Ԁ̀15modeling,inessence,issufficient.I'dliketò16pointoutthatitis,infact,--well,inessence,Ì17agreewiththerecommendationinEPA'sReporttò18Congressthatthere'salowdegreeofconfidenceiǹ19thatmodeling,andadditionalresearchisneedediǹ20thisarea.̀21Additionalresearchisneededfortwò22reasons.Oneis,there'sbeenanewunderstandingof̀23chemistryofmercurycyclingintheatmosphere.It̀24pointsoutthatoxidizedmercuryisreducedto  0/3 ̀148̀1elementalformthroughchemicalreactionsthatwerè2notunderstoodacoupleyearsago;andtheother̀3reasonistheresultsofthemercurydepositioǹ4network.̀5Firstletmetalkasecondoffofthis̀6slide.Thisslidehasacrosshatchingofdifferent̀7mercurydepositionlevelsintheUnitedStates.Thè8westernUnitedStateshaseitherlessthanonè9microgrampercubicmeterorsomewherebetweenonetò10threemicrogramspercubicmeteraccordingtotheEPÀ11simulationintheReporttoCongress.Incontrast,̀12themodelsimulationpointsout,orpredictsrather,̀13thattheeasternU.S.has10to30microgramsper̀14cubicmeterandinsomeplaces,greaterthan30.Sò15thepredictionisapproximatelyanorderofmagnitudè16differenceindepositionlevelsbetweenthewesterǹ17UnitedStatesandtheeasternUnitedStates.̀18I'dliketocontrastthatpredictionwith̀19actualdata.Thisisdatagatheredfromamercurỳ20depositionnetworkmaintainedbytheUnitedStates̀21GeologicalSurvey.Acoupleinterestingthingstò22lookatisthelackofapronouncedwesttoeast̀23gradient.Thereisaslightgradient,butnowherè24neartheten-foldvariationthattheReportto  0/3 ̀149̀1Congresssimulationhadpredicted.̀2I'dalsoliketopointoutthatthè3concentrationsofmercuryontheeasternedgeofthè4prairieinMinnesotaareessentiallythesameasthè5concentrationsinPennsylvania.Pennsylvaniais̀6downwindofprobablyoneofthelargest,ifnotthè7largest,concentrationofpowerplantsinthè8country.Youdon'tseeasignatureofpowerplant̀9emissionsresultingindepositionwhenyoulookat̀10thedata.Andforcertain,thedatadoesnot̀11correspond--thedatadoesnotsupportthemodeling̀12resultsthatareintheReporttoCongress.̀13SobeforeEPAmakesaregulatorỳ14determination,it'sveryimportanttogobackand̀15revisitthatmodelandincorporatethenewsciencè16thathasbeenlearnedaboutchemicalreactiontò17mercuryintheatmosphere,whatcausedthegreater̀18rolethatglobalnaturalmercuryplays,andother̀19advancesthathavebeenmadeinscience.̀20Thankyou.̀21_MR_.WAYLAND:Wearerunningalittleahead̀22ofschedule.I'dliketochecktomakesurethat̀23thereisnoonewhohasarrivedlatethatwasonthè24agendawhohasnothadanopportunitytospeak.  0/3 ̀150̀1Isanyonethat'scomeinthatwasonthis̀2morning'sagendathatweinadvertentlyskippedover̀3becausetheyweren'there?̀4We'llmoveaheadtothenextsession.Wè5haveJoshuaFrankfromBaker_Botts_.̀6_MR_.FRANK:Goodafternoon.Mynameis̀7JoshuaFrank,andI'mfromthelawfirmofBaker̀8_Botts_.I'mspeakingonbehalfoftheClassof'85̀9RegulatoryResponseGroup.TheClassof'85isà10voluntaryadhoccoalitionof34electricgenerating̀11companiesfromacrossthecountrythatwasformediǹ121990toaddressenvironmentalissuesaffectingthè13electricutilityindustry.̀14Weappreciatetheopportunitytopresent̀15commentstodayonEPA'supcomingdeterminationonthè16needtoregulateairtoxicreleasesfromelectric̀17utilitysteamgeneratingunits.̀18TheClassof'85supportsregulationsbased̀19oninformeddecision-makingandsoundscience.Iǹ20thecontextofthisregulatorydetermination,this̀21meansthatEPAmustpossessafullunderstandingof̀22thehealthrisksposedbyutilityhazardousair̀23pollutantreleasespriortomakinganydecisiontò24regulateonthebasisofhealthhazards.  0/3 ̀151̀1InitsReporttoCongressonair_toxics_Ԁ̀2emissionsfromelectricutilitysteamgenerating̀3units,EPAidentifiedfurtherresearchthatwas̀4neededinordertoquantifythemagnitudeofhealth̀5risksposedbyutilityemissionsofseveralhazardous̀6airpollutants,particularlymercury.Amongother̀7things,theAgencynotedthatthereneededtobeà8betterassessmentoftheeffectthatareductioniǹ9utilityemissionswouldhaveon_methylmercury_Ԁlevels̀10infish;thatfurtherresearchwasneededintothè11actualconsumptionlevelsand_methylmercury_Ԁexposures̀12of_subpopulations_Ԁofconcern;andthatadditional̀13studywasrequiredtodeterminethemercuryexposurè14levelsthatwerelikelytoresultinadversehealth̀15effectsinhumans.̀16Bywayofexample,thefirstoftheseissues̀17alone--theeffectofreductionsinutilitỳ18emissionson_methylmercury_Ԁlevelsinfish--requires̀19additionaldatatofillindeficienciesinthreè20categories:First,uncertaintiesassociatedwith̀21atmosphericmodeling;second,uncertainties̀22associatedwithaquaticcyclingmodeling;andthird,̀23lackofanalysisonwhethersufficientreductioniǹ24mercurysourcesmayhavealreadytakenplacetobring  0/3 ̀152̀1_methylmercury_Ԁinfishbelowlevelsofconcern.̀2Thedataneededtoreduceuncertaintiesiǹ3atmosphericmodelinginclude_speciation_Ԁofpoint̀4sourceemissions,measurementofmobilesources,̀5resolutionofglobalbackground,andbetterknowledgè6ofbasicatmosphericprocessessuchaschemical̀7transformations,meteorologicalinfluences,and̀8long-rangetransporttodistinguishbetweenglobal,̀9regional,andlocalsources.Thedataneededtò10improvethepredictabilityofaquaticcyclingmodels̀11include_bioaccumulation_Ԁratesatalllevelsofthè12foodweb,sedimentation,burialrates,_methylation_Ԁ̀13and_demethylation_Ԁratesunderdifferentconditions.̀14Theanswerstothequestionsraisedinthè15ReporttoCongressgototheveryheartofwhetherit̀16isnecessaryandappropriatetoregulatehazardous̀17airpollutantemissionsfromelectricutilityunits.̀18Attheveryleast,theAgencyshouldfullyanswer̀19theseandtheotherquestionsposedinitsReporttò20Congressbeforemakinganydecisiontoimplementà21costlyregulatoryprogram.TheClassof'85̀22understandsthatseveralstudiesintendedtoanswer̀23theseandothercriticalquestionsrelatedtomercurỳ24arecurrentlybeingperformedby_EPRI_Ԁandothers.It  0/3 ̀153̀1behoovestheAgencytoawaitthisupcoming̀2informationandundertakeathoroughreviewofthè3resultsofthesestudiessoastomakeaninformed̀4decision.̀5Further,theClassof'85isconcernedthat̀6EPAisnotgivingitselfenoughtimetoreviewand̀7analyzethevoluminousdatacollectedfromutilities,̀8atgreatexpense,duringtheInformationCollectioǹ9Requestprocess.Acompleteevaluationofthisdatà10isrequiredtocharacterizeutilityemissionsand̀11modelthetransportandfateofthevariousformsof̀12mercury.Theseresults,intandemwithstudiesof̀13healthrisksfrommercury--suchastheupcoming̀14NationalAcademyofSciencesreport--haveadirect̀15bearingonwhetheremissionsfromelectricutilitỳ16unitsintheUnitedStatesadverselyaffecthumaǹ17healthsuchthatregulationisnecessary.Moreover,̀18itappearsthatEPAhasnotconducted,anddoesnot̀19plantoconduct,theresearchnecessarytomakeà20determinationontheother_HAPs_ԀthattheAgencỳ21identifiedinitsReporttoCongressforwhich̀22additionalstudywasneeded.̀23TheClassof'85implorestheAgencytotakè24thenecessarytimetofullysynthesizeandanalyze  0/3 ̀154̀1theavailabledata,includingidentificationof̀2informationgaps,andtoconducttheadditional̀3researchneededratherthanrushingtomakeà4decision.EPAmustallowsciencetodictatethè5appropriatepolicy,ratherthanallowingpolicytò6precedethestateofthescience.̀7Thankyouagainforacceptingthesecomments̀8onbehalfoftheClassof'85RegulatoryResponsè9Group.̀10_MR_.WAYLAND:NextwehaveBrian_Urbaszewski_Ԁ̀11fromAmericanLungAssociation.̀12_MR_._URBASZEWSKI_:MynameisBriaǹ13_Urbaszewski_.IamtheDirectoroftheEnvironmental̀14HealthfortheAmericanLungAssociationof̀15metropolitanChicago.We'vebeenadvocatingfor̀16peoplewhosufferfromlungdiseasesince1906,and̀17thereareseveralhundredthousandpeopleinour̀18servicearea,CookCounty,Illinois.̀19Representinganorganizationdedicatedtò20lunghealth,Iwishtoexpressaconcernabouttoxic̀21pollutantandthathaveanimpactonrespiratory.Ì22amawareofconcernsregardingtheimpactofmercurỳ23emission.Thisisnotmyareaofexpertise,andÌ24willfocusmycommentsonothertoxicpollutants  0/3 ̀155̀1emittedbypowerplants.̀2Forthefirsttimeever,generating̀3facilitieswererequiredtoreportTRIemissions̀4figuresfor1998oneyearago.Accordingtothè5recentreleaseoffinalnational1998TRIdata,coal-̀6andoil-firedpowerplantsarethelargestsourceof̀7toxicairemissionsnationwide,surpassingsuchknowǹ8_toxics_Ԁgiantsasthechemicalindustry,themetal̀9smeltingindustry,andthepulpandpaperindustry.̀10Themajorityofthepollutionemittedbythepower̀11generatingindustrywere,infact,acidgases,̀12pollutantsknowntoirritatetherespiratorytract.̀13Over40percentofallTRIemissionsiǹ14Illinoisarefrompowerplants.IntheChicagoozonè15non-attainmentarea--anareaofaboutsixcounties̀16plusafewtownshipsincorporatingmostofthè17metropolitanarea--thelargestsourceofTRIair̀18emissionswereoldercoal-firedpowerplantsownedbỳ19MidwestGeneration.RecentTRIfiguresshowthesè20facilitiesannuallyemitatotalofover2.6millioǹ21poundsoftoxicmaterialtotheair.Ofthis̀22material,approximately91percentoftheemissions̀23fromtheseplantswereacidgases,primarily_HCL_Ԁand̀24HF,hydrochloricandhydrofluoric.  0/3 ̀156̀1Someofthepotentiallesserhealtheffects̀2of_HCL_Ԁincludeinflammationandulcerationofthè3respiratorytract,rhinitis,bronchitis,cough,and̀4choking.HealtheffectsofHFaresimilar.̀5Inhalationcancausesevererespiratorytract̀6irritationthat,inlargeconcentrations,maybè7fatal.Overexposurecancauseirritationofthè8eyes,nose,andthroat;pulmonaryedema,orwateroǹ9thelungs;nasalcongestion;andbronchitis.̀10Electricutilitiesshouldbetreatedlikè11anyothersourcefacingregulationsundertheair̀12_toxics_ԀprovisionoftheCleanAirAct.̀13TheActrequiressignificantemittersof̀14listedtoxicairpollutantstomeetperformancè15standardsreflectingthecapabilityofmoderǹ16pollutioncontrolmethods.EPA'sownutilityair̀17_toxics_Ԁstudyconfirmsthatutilitiesareamajor̀18source_toxics_,andthereforeshouldbesubjecttò19nationalstandardslikeanyothermajorsourceof̀20_toxics_,especiallyair_toxics_.̀21Anagencycontrolstrategymustlook̀22simultaneouslyatreducingacidgases,whichthè23industryemitsinverylargequantities,alongwith̀24otherpollutantsofconcern,suchasmercury,and  0/3 ̀157̀1criteriapollutants.̀2Scrubbertechnologycancaptureacidgases̀3suchashydrochloric,hydrofluoricacid,butonlỳ420percentofallcoal-firedboilershavescrubbers̀5installed.AnevensmallerproportionofIllinois̀6facilitiesusesuchmoderncontrols.Thereis̀7evidencethatmercuryspecificcontroltechnologies,̀8suchascarboninjection,mayalsoholdpromisetò9reduceacidgasemissions.̀10Inclosing,wefeeltheAgencyshouldlook̀11atalloptionsandformulateatechnologyforcing̀12standardthatexaminesthewholearrayoftoxic̀13pollutantsemittedbypowerplants,bothCriteriaand̀14_HAPs_.̀15Thankyouforallowingmetomakeà16statement.̀17_MR_.WAYLAND:Michael_Fiorentino_Ԁofthè18CleanAirCouncil.̀19_MR_._FIORENTINO_:Goodafternoon.Mynameis̀20Michael_Fiorentino_.IamStaffAttorneyforCleaǹ21AirCouncil.Wewerefoundedin1967.Weareà22Pennsylvania-based,membership,nonprofit̀23organization.Weworkthroughacombinationof̀24publiceducation,communityadvocacy,andoversight  0/3 ̀158̀1ofgovernmentenforcementoftheenvironmentallaws̀2toensurethatallcanliveinahealthyenvironment.̀3WehaveofficesinPhiladelphia,Harrisburg,̀4PennsylvaniaandBloomington,Delaware.̀5BecausetheEPAhasheldonlyonehearingiǹ6theentirenation,publichearingonpowerplantsair̀7_toxics_Ԁissue,Ihadtocomeagreatdistancetò8provideviewsfromtheCounciltoday,butwefeel̀9thattheresourceexpenditureisjustifiedbecausè10air_toxics_ԀaresoabundantinPennsylvania.Infact,̀11Pennsylvaniaranksnumberoneinthenationfor̀12mercuryemissionsfrompowerplantsandranksthird̀13foralltoxicairemissionsfromelectricutilities,̀14withover58millionpoundsin1998.̀15Now,asyouprobablyheardtoday,fullỳ16one-thirdofthemercuryairemissionsintheU.S.̀17resultfromtheburningofcoalinelectricutilitỳ18steamgeneratingunits.IntheCommonwealthofPA,̀19thatishigherthan36percent.Agaphasexistediǹ20EPA'sstrategyforreducingthethreatsfrommercurỳ21emissionsintheenvironment,andthatisthelackof̀22regulationofmercuryairemissionsfrompowerplants̀23inparticular.̀24Mercuryairemissionshavebeenregulatedby  0/3 ̀159̀1EPA,ofcourse,foranumberofotherindustries̀2underthe_NESHAPs_.ButEPAisundercourtordertò3fullycomplywithSection112(n)(1)(A)oftheCleaǹ4AirActandmakeadeterminationbyDecember.̀5Section112requiresEPAtoregulatemercuryand̀6otherair_toxics_Ԁfrompowerplantsifsuchwouldbè7"appropriateandnecessary"consideringthethreats̀8posedtohumanhealth.Wearewaitingforthè9resultsofyourcommissionstudy.̀10Asyou'veheardtodayaswell,mercuryisà11potent_neurotoxin_.Itdoesgreatestdamagetothè12mostvulnerableamongus,children,infants,and̀13developingfetuses.Thereislittledoubtthatair̀14emissionsofmercuryarebringingthistoxinintothè15foodchain.Thepathwaysfrommercurydepositiontò16_bioaccumulation_Ԁinfisharewellknown.̀17Inadditiontoholdingthedistinctionof̀18beingthenumberonestateformercuryemissionsfrom̀19powerplants,PAalsohasthemisfortuneofbeing̀20downwindfromotherhighemittersofmercuryair̀21pollution.Ohioisnumberthreeformercury.̀22Illinois,Indiana,andWestVirginiaare4th,6th,̀23and7threspectively.Allthesestatesarewithiǹ24rangetodepositsignificantmercuryonPennsylvania.  0/3 ̀160̀1Depositionmodelingindicatesthatonehalfof̀2mercuryemissionsdepositwithin600milesand̀315percentwithinthefirst30milesfromthesource.̀4Powerplantsourcesfromwithinandwithout̀5Pennsylvania,therefore,arecontributingtomercurỳ6degradationinourwaterways.̀7Fishadvisoriesforhighmercurycontentarè8prevalentinmanystatesandmayalsoexistiǹ9Pennsylvania.Somestateshaveissuedadvisoriesoǹ10allwaterswithinthestate,andmanyofthesè11advisorieswarnoftheassociatedrisksofeatingà12smallamountoffishperhapsinaweek,perhapsinà13month,perhapsnotatall.Clearly,thatisnot̀14acceptable.̀15CleanAirCouncilisnotaloneamong̀16PennsylvaniaorganizationsinurgingtheEPAtoact̀17inthismatter.Therearenumerousorganizations̀18thatagreethatmercuryfrompowerplantsmustbè19regulated,andatleastfourgroupsthatactuallỳ20signedontoanationalstatementthatisbeing̀21submittedtotheAdministrator.̀22TheCouncilbelievesthatEPAcancometonò23otherconclusion,butthatitisentirelỳ24"appropriateandnecessary"toregulatetoxicair  0/3 ̀161̀1emissionsfrompowerplants.Itisunacceptablefor̀2this$400-billion-a-yearindustrytoremainexempt̀3fromcontrolsthatmanyotherindustrieshavealreadỳ4contendedwith.̀5Thetechnologicalandeconomicfeasibilitỳ6ofsignificantreductionsinmercuryemissionsthat̀7arenecessaryisnoobstacletoaregulatioǹ8governingpowerplants.Scrubbers,electrostatic̀9_precipitators_,absorptiontechniques,fuel-switching,̀10aswellasotheroptionsareavailabletoachievè11thesesignificancereductions.̀12Indeed,CongressintendedthattheCleanAir̀13Actof1990wouldforcetechnologicaladvancesiǹ14pollutioncontrol.Furthermore,itisclearthatthè15electricpowerindustryiswell-equippedfinanciallỳ16tomakethenecessaryinvestmentstothesefossil̀17steamplant.Timeaftertime,industryhas̀18overstatedtheprojectedcoststoaddthenecessarỳ19pollutioncontrolsinotherareasofairpollution,̀20andEPAhasnotbeenandshouldnotbedeterredbỳ21thesearguments.Evenifthereisamodestpricè22increasethatwouldresultfromtheapplicationof̀23thesetechnologiestoreducemercury,itshouldbè24done.Thepublichasconsistentlystateda  0/3 ̀162̀1willingnesstopaymoreforenvironmentalbenefits.̀2Theremustbeswiftactiontoreducemercurỳ3andotherair_toxics_.ThecleanAirCouncilagrees̀4withotherenvironmentalistsandhealthadvocateswhò5havegatheredheretodaythatmercurymustbereduced̀6by90percentfromelectricutilitysteamgenerating̀7units.The90percent,webelieveattheCouncil,̀8maybeachievedasacompany-wideaverageoragreetò9notfavortheuseoftrading,mercurytrading.Innò10eventshouldasingleunitbepermittedtoemit̀11mercuryatmorethan40percentoftheirbaselinè12levels.CleanAirCouncilurgesthatEPAmakethè13promulgationofthisregulationaccomplishingmercurỳ14reductionsofthisnatureanAgencypriority.̀15Iwanttothankyoufortheopportunitytò16commentonthiscriticalpublichealthmatter.Thank̀17you.̀18_MR_.WAYLAND:Karen_Hadden_ԀfromtheSEED̀19Coalition.̀20MS._HADDEN_:Hi.MynameisKaren_Hadden_,̀21andIamhereonbehalfofthisSEEDCoalition,̀22SustainableEnergyandEconomicDevelopment.We'rè23anenvironmentalorganizationinTexasstatewidewith̀244,000members,andweworkcloselywithmanyother  0/3 ̀163̀1citizenandenvironmentalorganizations.̀2AndI'dliketourgetheEPAtoadoptstrong̀3air_toxics_Ԁregulationsforelectricutilities,̀4especiallyformercuryemissions.̀5InTexas,therearenumerouscoal-burning̀6powerplantslocatedalongtheligniteseaminthè7Easternpartofthestate.Theoldercoal-burning̀8plantsaremuchmorepolluting,sometimesuptoteǹ9timesmorethannewer,moremodernplants.̀10Michael_Fiorentino_Ԁpointedoutthat̀11Pennsylvaniaisnumberonenationallyformercurỳ12emissionsfrompowerplants.It'snotsomethingwè13areproudof,Texasisnumbertwo.Sowedonothavè14agoodrecordonthis.̀15Asdiscussedearliertoday,mercurỳ16contaminationisaseriousenvironmentalandhealth̀17problem.TogetherwithCleartheAirandother̀18environmentalandcitizenorganizations,SEED̀19coalitionrecentlyheldaseriesofpressconferences̀20throughoutthestateinfivemajorTexascities.And̀21aswetraveled,reportersandcitizenseverywherewè22wentexpressedagreatdealofconcernwhentheỳ23learnedaboutthehighlevelsofmercurỳ24contaminationinTexas.  0/3 ̀164̀1Ittakesonlyafractionofateaspoon,just̀2onegram,ofmercurytocontaminatea25-acrelaketò3thepointthatfishareunsafetoeat.And,yet,iǹ4Texas,wehavemanytimesthisamountbeingemitted̀5routinelybypowerplants,andasaresult,thousands̀6ofourchildrenareatrisk.Herearesomeexamples:̀7InSanAntonio,the_J.T._Ԁ_Deely_Ԁplantislocatedverỳ8closetoneighborhoods.Itemits381poundsof̀9mercuryeachyear.̀10W.A.ParishnearHoustonreleases1,326̀11poundsofmercuryeveryyear.̀12IntheDallas/FortWortharea,MartinLakè13releases1,200poundsofmercuryannually,andtherè14areoveraquarterofamillionchildrenwithin50̀15milesofthatplant.Therearesimilarnumbersforà16differentplantinthatregion,theMonticelloplant.̀17InAustin,whichismyhome,321,000̀18childrenlivewithin50milesofacoal-burningplant̀19thatdoesemitmercury.̀20Mercuryendsupinourlakes,rivers,̀21estuaries,andtheGulfofMexico.Healthrisks̀22resultfrom_methylmercury_Ԁinfishthatisconsumed.̀23Asnotedearliertoday,healtheffectscanrangefrom̀24subtletosevere,andthereisahighlevelofrisk  0/3 ̀165̀1fordevelopingfetusesandchildren.Evenwheǹ2debilitationisnotautomaticallynoticeable,mercurỳ3cancausedelayedmentaldevelopment,learning̀4disabilities,anddifficultywithlanguage,motor̀5development,attention,andmemory.Sothehealth̀6concernsabsolutelyneedtobetakenseriously,and̀7themercuryissueneedstobeaddressed.̀8FishingisahugeindustryinTexas.Iǹ9fact,it'sthenumberonerecreationalsportinthè10state.Thestateplayshosttonumerousbassfishing̀11tournamentsthatreceivenationalpublicityand̀12participation,specialguides,leadfishingtrips,̀13andprovidevacationpackages.Overall,freshwater̀14sportfishingcontributesover$4milliontoour̀15Texaseconomy.Thisdoesnotincluderecreational̀16Gulffishingandcommercialoperationswhichwould̀17increasethatfigure.̀18Mercurycontamination,therefore,represents̀19athreattothefishingindustry.Therearefish̀20consumptionadvisoriesfor10,000lakeacresat̀21_Steinhagen_ԀReservoir,andthisisforlargemouth,̀22striped,andwhitebassandfreshwaterdrum.And̀23thesearesomeofthefishthatpeoplereallyliketò24eat.Bassanddrumadvisoriesexistforotherlakes,____________  0/3 _̀166̀1reservoirs,andrivers.Itisunsafetoeat̀2shellfish,fish,andcrabsfromupperLavacaBay,and̀3thereisastatewideadvisorynottoeatking̀4mackerelfromtheGulfofMexicoduetomercurỳ5contamination.̀6Earlier,oneofthespeakersaddressedthè7concernofjobsformineworkers,buttherearè8peopleinthefishingindustryinTexaswhoarealsò9concernedabouttheirjobsifthemercurỳ10contaminationisnotremediated.̀11Arecreationalanglerwhospendsaweek̀12fishingandatefisheverydaycouldhaveelevated̀13mercurylevelsinhisorherbodyforseveralweeks̀14ormonthsbecausethebodyexcretesmercuryverỳ15slowly.ManypeopleinTexasaresubsistencè16fishers,relyingonfishastheirprimaryfood̀17source.Theseindividualsmaybecontinuouslỳ18exposedtomethylmercury.Advisoriesarenotalways̀19well-publicized,andtheseriousnatureofmercurỳ20contaminationisnotalwayswellunderstood.Texas̀21doesnoroutinemonitoringformercury,andtherè22wouldprobablybemanymoremercuryadvisoriesfor̀23fishifroutinetestingwasinplace.It'slikelỳ24thatwearelookingatthetipoftheicebergin_  0/3 ̀167̀1termsofmercurycontaminationinTexas.̀2Now,earlierwetalkedaboutthe$1.5̀3billioncleanuptag,whichmay,infact,beaǹ4overestimate,andIwanttonotethatthisisà5figurethatappliestothewholecountry.I'dlikè6totakeamomentandgetsomefinancialperspectivè7ontheissue.Ifinonestatealone,thecleanupof̀8themercuryisessentialtoprotectinga$4billioǹ9fishingindustry,thenthenationwideinvestment̀10seemslikeasoundeconomicmovebecausetherearè11industriesthroughoutthenationandmanyother̀12statesthatneedtobeprotectedaswell.̀13SoI'dliketoconcludebyurgingyoutò14takethestepsnecessaryfortheprotectionofthè15environment,oureconomy,andourhealth.Pleasè16makeapositivedeterminationregardingregulationof̀17mercuryemissionsfromutilities,andthenstrivè18towarda90-percentmercuryreductionwithinteǹ19years,hopefullysooner.Andasotherspeakershavè20mentioned,mercurytradingissomethingthatour̀21organizationwouldconsiderunacceptable.̀22Thankyou.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:Peter_Morman_,Environmental̀24Law&PolicyCenteroftheMidwest.  0/3 ̀168̀1_MR_._MORMAN_:Thankyoufortheopportunitỳ2totestifytodayonthisimportantissue.Mynameis̀3Peter_Morman_,EnvironmentalLaw&PolicyCenter.̀4We'reanonprofit,publicinterestorganizatioǹ5advocatingforsoundenergy,transportation,and̀6environmentalprotectionpoliciesthatimprovethè7qualityoflifeandencouragesustainableeconomic̀8developmentinourcommunities.̀9WeapplaudtheU.S.EPA'srecentprogressiǹ10characterizingtheproblemofelectricutilitytoxic̀11airemissionsbyaddingtheseemissionstotheToxic̀12ReleaseInventoryandbypromulgatingtheElectric̀13UtilityMercuryEmissionsInformationCollectioǹ14Request.Theseefforts,confirmingthattheutilitỳ15sectoristhenumberoneemitteroftoxicair̀16emissionsgenerallyandmercuryspecifically,clearlỳ17showsthatthereshouldbenofurtherdelayiǹ18dramaticallyreducingtoxicairpollutionfrom̀19electricutilities,especiallymercury.̀20_ELPC_Ԁisconcernedabouttheincreasing̀21threattohumanhealth,wildlife,andfishing-related̀22businessescausedbymercurypollutioninMidwesterǹ23lakesandstreams.ThousandsofMidwesternwater̀24bodiesaresubjecttoadvisorieswarningpeopleto  0/3 ̀169̀1reduceoravoideatingseveraltypesoffishduetò2mercurycontamination,andthenumberofadvisories̀3isgrowing.̀4TheEPA's1998reportonelectricutilitỳ5hazardousairpollutantsconfirmsthatutilitiesarè6amajorsourceofmercuryemissionsandthatthereis̀7a"plausiblelinkbetweenman-mademercuryemissions̀8andmercuryfoundinfreshwaterfish."Evenwith̀9potentialfurtherreductionsinmercuryreleasesfrom̀10non-utilitysources,theconcentrationofcoal-fired̀11powerplantsintheMidwest,ourabundanceoffresh̀12water,andpersistentand_bioaccumulative_Ԁqualities̀13ofmercury,assurethatmercurywillremainaserious̀14healthandenvironmentalthreatuntiland,̀15unfortunately,evenafterelectricutilities̀16significantlyreducetheirmercuryemissions.Itis̀17simplyunfairtocontinuetoallowutilitiestò18externalizemercury-relatedriskstothepublic,thè19environment,otherbusinesses,andfuturegenerations̀20throughtheirdecisionstoburncoal.̀21Continueddelayfliesinthefaceofthè22goaloftheGreatLakesQualityAgreementtò23virtuallyeliminatepersistentand_bioaccumulative_Ԁ̀24toxicsubstancesintheGreatLakes.  0/3 ̀170̀1IcallontheEPAtodaytotakethè2necessarystepstorequireeachcoal-firedpower̀3planttoreducemercuryairemissionsbyatleast̀490percentwithinthenextdecade.Thegoalof̀5virtualeliminationofmercuryhaslongbeenaccepted̀6publicpolicy.Theonlyquestionis,howdoweget̀7thereandwhen?̀8Theair_toxics_ԀprovisionsoftheCleanAir̀9Actprovidethetoolstomeetthe90-percent̀10reductionofutilitymercuryemissions.It'stimetò11utilizethosetoolsandtreattheelectricutilities̀12inthesamemannerasallothermajorsourcesof̀13mercurypollution.Todolesswouldbeunfairand̀14unwiseandwouldseriouslycallintoquestionthè15UnitedStates'commitmenttomeetitsobligations̀16undertheGreatLakesWaterQualityAgreementtò17"restoreandmaintainthechemical,physical,and̀18biologicalintegrityofthewatersoftheGreatLakes̀19BasinEcosystem."̀20Muchprogresshasbeenmadeinreducing̀21mercuryreleasesintotheenvironment,butthejobis̀22farfromfinished.TheU.S.EPAmustactnowonall̀23ofthedataithasaccumulatedoverthelastteǹ24yearsdemonstratingthethreatofmercurypollution  0/3 ̀171̀1topublichealthandtheenvironment.̀2IrespectfullyurgetheAgencytomakeà3determinationthisyeartoinstitutestringent̀4nationalcontrolstosignificantlyreducemercuryair̀5emissionsfromelectricutilitypowerplants.̀6Thankyou.̀7_MR_.WAYLAND:Marcia_Willhite_,_STAPPA_Ԁand̀8_AlAPCO_.̀9_MR_._WILLHITE_:Goodafternoon.I'mMarcià10_Willhite_,AssistantChiefoftheEnvironmentalHealth̀11DivisionwithintheLincoln-LancasterCountyHealth̀12DepartmentinLincoln,Nebraska.I'mparticipating̀13inthispublicmeetingonbehalfoftheStateand̀14TerritorialAirPollutionProgramAdministrators,or̀15_STAPPA_,andtheAssociationoftheLocalAir̀16PollutionControlOfficials,_ALAPCO_.That'slikethè17worstcivilianacronymintheworld,right.Ì18currentlyserveasthePresidentof_ALAPCO_ԀandChair̀19ofthe_ALAPCO_Ԁpollutionpreventionand_sustainability_Ԁ̀20committee.̀21Thankyouforthisopportunitytoprovidè22youwith_STAPPA_Ԁand_ALAPCO_'srecommendationsrelated̀23totheregulatorydeterminationtheU.S.EPAmust̀24makebyDecember15th,onwhetherit's"appropriate  0/3 ̀172̀1andnecessary"toregulateemissionsofhazardousair̀2pollutants,or_HAPs_,fromelectricutilitysteam̀3generatingunits.̀4Yesterday,theassociationsentalettertò5theEPAAdministrator,CarolBrowner,indicatingthat̀6_STAPPA_Ԁand_ALAPCO_Ԁbelievearegulationiswarranted̀7andstronglyrecommendingthatEPAestablish̀8standardstocontrolemissionsof_HAPs_Ԁfromelectric̀9utilities,including,butnotlimitedto,mercury.̀10OtherpollutantstheAgencymaywishtoconsider̀11addressingincludedioxin,arsenic,nickel,andacid̀12gases.̀13AccordingtoEPA'sownstudies,emissionsof̀14_HAPs_,andparticularlymercury,fromelectric̀15utilitiesareasignificantproblem.Ofthè16hazardousairpollutantsassociatedwithcoal-fired̀17electricityproduction,mercurywassingledoutbỳ18EPAasthepollutantof"greatestpotentialconcern."̀19Electricutilitysteamgeneratingunitsareoneof̀20thelargestsourcesofmercuryemissionsinthis̀21country,responsibleformorethanone-thirdofthè22anthropogenicmercuryemissions.̀23Whileothertypesofsources,namelỳ24municipalandmedicalwasteincinerators,alsoemit  0/3 ̀173̀1mercury,theyarealreadysubjecttostringent̀2federalandstateregulationsdesignedtolimittheir̀3emissionsofmercury,amongotherpollutants.Thus,̀4thelargecoal-firedboilers,theonlymajor̀5uncontrolledcategoryofmercuryemissions,willbè6anevenlargerfractionoftheoverallfuturè7emissioninventory.̀8_STAPPA_Ԁand_ALAPCO_ԀbelievethatEPAshould̀9controlHAPemissionsfromelectricutilitiesfor̀10severalreasons.First,andperhapsmost̀11importantly,these_HAPs_Ԁposesignificanthealth̀12threats.BothEPA'sElectricUtilityStudyandEPA's̀13MercuryStudyindicatethatthereisalinkbetweeǹ14anthropogenicmercuryemissionsandthemercuryfound̀15infreshwaterfish.Whenoneconsidersthat̀16approximately34stateshaveestablishedadvisories̀17thatwarntheircitizensaboutthehazardsofeating̀18mercury-contaminatedfishfoundinthosestates,it̀19seemsimperativethatsomenationalactionbetakeǹ20tofurtherreducemercuryemissionstothè21atmosphere.̀22Controllingmercuryemissionsfromelectric̀23utilitiescouldalsohavethesidebenefitof̀24reducingothertoxicemissions.EPA'selectric  0/3 ̀174̀1utilitystudyidentifiedsomeadditionalrisksfrom̀2emissionsoftoxicairpollutants.Forexample,twò3coal-firedanduptoelevenoil-firedutilitieswerè4foundthatposedalocalincreasedcancerriskof̀5morethanoneinamillion.Whenmulti-pathwaỳ6exposureswereconsidered,additionalhighriskswerè7identifiedresultingfromexposuretoarsenic,̀8dioxin,and_radionuclides_.Theseadditionalrisks̀9addtotheweightofevidencethatconvincesusthat̀10HAPemissionsfromelectricutilitiesshouldbè11addressed.̀12Asecondreasonwebelieveregulationsoǹ13electricutilitiesareessentialhastodowith̀14equity.Thetechnology-basedMaximumAchievablè15ControlTechnologyprogramundertheCleanAirActis̀16designedtoensurethatallsignificantsourcesof̀17_HAPs_Ԁimplementcontrolstoreduceemissionstothè18maximumextentfeasible.Electricutilities̀19representalargeportionofthe_toxics_Ԁemissioǹ20inventory.The1998TRIdataindicatethatelectric̀21utilitiesareresponsiblefor38percentofthetoxic̀22releasestoairreportednationwidefromfacilities̀23coveredbytheTRIprogram.̀24ItseemsincongruousthenthatEPArequires  0/3 ̀175̀1stringentlimitsonmercuryfrommedicaland̀2municipalwasteincinerators,whilenotrequiringà3minimumlevelofcontrolfromelectricutilities,à4muchlargerpollutingindustry.Furthermore,italsò5seemsinequitablethatthe_MACT_Ԁprogramwouldnot̀6callforadequateHAPcontrolsfromelectric̀7utilities,manyofthemlargesources,whilè8requiringsmallsources,includingdrycleanersand̀9othersmallbusinesses,tolimittheiremissions.̀10Sucharegulatorypolicy,whichexemptsutilities̀11fromHAPcontrols,couldseriouslyundermineour̀12nation'seffortstodevelopequitableandresponsiblè13HAPcontrolprograms.̀14Finally,EPA'sinitiativetoreducè15Persistent,_Bioaccumulative_,andToxic,or_PBT_,̀16substancesrepresentsathirdreasonforEPAtò17regulateemissionsfromutilities.Intheactioǹ18plansforaddressing_PBTs_,includingmercury,EPÀ19committedtousingeverytoolavailabletoreduceor̀20eliminatereleasesofthesesubstancestothè21environment.Regulatingtoxicemissionsfrom̀22utilitiespresentsaperfectopportunitiestofulfill̀23thiscommitment.̀24Finally,_STAPPA_Ԁand_ALAPCO_Ԁbelieveitmakes  0/3 ̀176̀1mostsensetoregulate_HAPs_Ԁinthecontextofaǹ2integratedmulti-pollutantstrategyfortheutilitỳ3sector.Thankyouforyourconsiderationofour̀4recommendationsonthisissue.̀5_MR_.WAYLAND:Michael_Rossler_,Edisoǹ6ElectricInstitute.̀7_MR_._ROSSLER_:Goodafternoon.Mynameis̀8Michael_Rossler_,andI'maManagerofthè9EnvironmentalProgramsfortheEdisonElectric̀10Institute._EEI_Ԁistheassociationof̀11shareholder-ownedelectricutilities,international̀12affiliatesworldwide,whosedomesticmembersprovidè13electricitytoaboutthree-quartersofthenation.̀14TheEdisonElectricInstitutewelcomesthè15opportunitytocommentontheEnvironmental̀16ProtectionAgency'sdeterminationonwhether̀17hazardousairpollutantsfromelectricutilitysteam̀18generatingunitsshouldberegulatedunder̀19Section112oftheCleanAirAct.̀20Theelectricutilityindustryiscommitted̀21toenvironmentalprotection,andthiscommitmentgoes̀22beyondmereregulatorycompliance.Inrecentyears,̀23_EEI_Ԁanditsmembershaveimplementedflexible,̀24voluntary,andcost-effectivereductionsunderour  0/3 ̀177̀1ClimateChallengeprogram,resultingintheremoval̀2ofover170millionmetrictonsofcarbondioxidè3equivalent.Wehaveworkedwithfederalandstatè4agenciesonimprovinglandmanagementpractices,̀5includingthepreservationofhabitatconservatioǹ6areas.Wehaveinitiatedfacility-specificpollutioǹ7preventionprogramsresultinginsubstantial̀8reductionsintheusageofTRI-listedchemicals.And̀9wehaveundertakencomprehensiveresearchand̀10developmentprogramsinconnectionwithmanyof̀11today'smostpressingenvironmentalissues._EEI_Ԁ̀12hopestobringthissameapproachtothemercurỳ13issue.̀14Inmakingitsdecisiononwhethertò15regulationmercuryemissionsfromcoal-basedpower̀16plants,itisessentialthatEPAgiveconsideratioǹ17toanumberoftechnicalissuesinordertomakeaǹ18informedregulatorydeterminationand,evenmorè19important,iftheAgencyproceedssubsequentlywithà20_rulemaking_.Inits1998ReporttoCongress,EPÀ21statedthatanumberofquestionsneededtobè22answeredbeforedecision-makingcouldbeundertaken,̀23includingthelevelofhumanexposuresintheUnited̀24Statesfromanthropogenicmercuryemissions;from  0/3 ̀178̀1humanhealtheffectsfrommercuryexposure,including̀2_pharmacokinetics_Ԁandhealthendpoints;thè3contributionofnaturalandanthropogenicsourcesof̀4mercuryemissionstotheglobalpoolofmercury;and̀5also,thefateandtransportofmercuryinthè6atmosphereandwaterbodies,including̀7_bioaccumulation_Ԁinaquaticbiota.̀8_EEI_Ԁdoesrecognizethatthescientificdatà9underlyingthemercurydebatecontinuestoevolveand̀10mature.Accordingly,_EEI_Ԁiscommittedtoworking̀11withEPAtoaddressexistinguncertaintiesandurges̀12resolutionoftheseissuesifEPAintendstomovè13forwardwithamercury_rulemaking_.̀14Anothercriticalissueismercurycontrols.̀15Significantuncertaintiesexistsaboutthè16limitationsofbothexistingutilitymercuryemissioǹ17controlsthatalsoreducemercury,andemerging,̀18mercury-specificcontroltechnologies.Theresults̀19ofstacksamplingperformedunderEPA'smercurỳ20InformationCollectionRequesthaveshownawidè21rangeofmercuryremovalefficienciesacrossà22varietyofcontroldevices.Assuch,itwouldbè23difficultforEPAtomakeregulatorydecisionsuntil̀24alltheICRdataareavailableandongoingcontrol  0/3 ̀179̀1technologydevelopmentprojectshavebeencompleted.̀2_EEI_ԀurgesEPAtocompleteitsassessmentof̀3theICRandcomparabledatabeforemovingforward̀4withanymercury_rulemaking_.̀5InadditiontotheICRdatabase,otherneẁ6informationrelevanttothemercurydebatewill̀7likelybeavailableoverthenextsixmonths.Thè8NationalAcademyofSciences'pendingreviewofEPA's̀9ReferenceDoseformercuryexposure,currentlỳ10expectedattheendofthismonth,isbutoneofmanỳ11importantstudiesthatcouldaffectEPA'sdecisions.̀12TheFoodandDrugAdministrationandotherfederal̀13agenciescurrentlyareworkingonamassive,̀14nationwideexaminationofthedietaryhabitsofthè15Americanpublic.Someresultsofthisfourth̀16installmentoftheNationalHealthandNutritional̀17ExaminationSurveyareexceptedlatethissummer,and̀18itiswidelyanticipatedthatnewinformationoǹ19consumptionpatternswillprovideapieceofthè20healtheffectspuzzleidentifiedbyEPAasacritical̀21needformoreaccurateriskassessments.Additional̀22resultsarealsoexpectedthisfallfromthè23SeychellesIslandsstudy,whichincludesnewerhumaǹ24exposuredatathanstudiesreliedontodatebythe____________  0/3 _̀180̀1EPA.Eachoftheseimportantstudieswillhelptò2addressexistingscientificuncertaintiesandtò3assistEPAinmakingthefindingsrequiredbythè4UtilityStudy,aswellastobetterinformthè5Agency'spendingregulatorydetermination.̀6AsEPApreparesitsregulatorydeterminatioǹ7formercury,EEIcautionstheAgencytoavoidmaking̀8aprematuredecision.Cautioniswarrantedgiveǹ9boththeuncertaintiesreferencedearlierandthè10criticaldataemergingoverthenextsixmonths.̀11RegardlessofwhenEPAproceedswithits̀12determination,iftheAgencydecidestodevelopà13utilitymercuryemissionsreductionproposal,thè14determinationshouldbewrittenbroadlyandinà15non-prescriptivemannerthatdoesnotforecloseanỳ16potentialregulatoryoptions.Thisiscritical̀17becauseEPAhasahighdegreeofdiscretionunderthè18CleanAirAct,Section112(n)(1)(A).Thereis̀19nothingtopreventEPAfromcraftingarulemaking̀20thatensuresscientifically-justifiedandverifiablè21mercuryreductions,whileatthesametimeproviding̀22theelectricutilityindustrymaximumflexibilitytò23achievethosereductionsinanon-prescriptiveand̀24cost-effectivemanner._  0/3 ̀181̀1Finally,_EEI_Ԁbelievesitwouldbemutuallỳ2beneficialtoworkwithEPAastheagencydetermines̀3towhatextentmercuryreductionsmaybeneededfrom̀4powerplants.Theutilityindustryrecentlỳ5submitteddataonthelevelofmercuryinthestack̀6emissionsandcoalitburnstoproduceelectricity,̀7anditwouldbeinterestedindiscussingwithEPAthè8implicationsofthisdata.Theutilityindustryalsò9continuestocollectdataontheeffectivenessof̀10variouspollutioncontrolsystemsinreducingmercurỳ11emissionsandisfundingadditionalhealtheffects,̀12fate-and-transport,andotherrelatedresearch.̀13Again,theindustrywouldbeinterestedindiscussing̀14theseprojectswithEPA.̀15Inconclusion,_EEI_Ԁsupportsenvironmental̀16programsandpoliciesthatareprotectiveofpublic̀17health,thatarescientificallysound,andthatarè18flexibleandcost-effective._EEI_Ԁiscommittedtò19workingwithEPAandthestatestoaddresskeyissues̀20necessaryforaninformedregulatorydetermination.̀21Thankyou.̀22_MR_.WAYLAND:DianeBrown,Illinois_PIRG_.̀23MS.BROWN:Thankyoufortheopportunitytò24testifytoday.MynameisDianeBrown,andI'mthe  0/3 ̀182̀1ExecutiveDirectoroftheIllinoisPublicInterest̀2ResearchGroup,Illinois_PIRG_.Illinois_PIRG_Ԁisaǹ3environmentalandconsumeradvocacyorganizationwith̀420,000membersacrossIllinois.̀5IamheretodayonbehalfoftheIllinois̀6_PIRG_ԀandalsothePublicInterestResearchGroupswhò7haveapresencein40statesacrossthecountryand̀8anofficeinWashington,D.C.We'vebeenworkingoǹ9cleanairprotectionsfor30years,andwe'reherè10todaytourgeyoutotakeimmediatestepstorequirè11atleasta90-percentreductionofmercurypollutioǹ12fromcoal-firedpowerplants.̀13Ialsohavewithmetodayapproximately40̀14lettersthatwerewrittenbycitizensinthè15_Chicagoland_Ԁareathatarealsoconcernedaboutthis̀16issue.Theyweren'tabletobeheretoday,buttheỳ17wantedtomakesurethattheirconcernsaboutmercurỳ18pollutionfromcoal-firedpowerplantswerealsò19submittedintotherecord.̀20Illinois_PIRG_Ԁisgreatlyconcernedabout̀21mercurypollutioninIllinoisandacrossthenation.̀22Ithinkyou'veheardtodayandyouprobablywill̀23continuetohearanumberofyourownreports,thè24informationfromthatandwhypeoplearesoconcerned  0/3 ̀183̀1aboutthisissue.̀2Iwantedtojustkindofreadbacktò3statementsfromtheMercuryStudyreporttoCongress̀4in1997that,Ithink,reallyexemplifysomeofour̀5concernsonthisissue.Thefirstisthatthè6_neurotoxic_Ԁeffectsoflow-levelexposuretò7_methylmercury_Ԁaresimilartotheeffectsoflead̀8toxicityinchildrenandincludedelayeddevelopments̀9anddeficitsincognition,language,motorfunction,̀10attention,andmemory.̀11Thesecondisthatpeoplewhofrequentlyand̀12routinelyconsumefish,thosewhoeatfishoverà13shortperiodoftime,aremorelikelytobeexposed̀14tohigherlevelsofmercury.Clearly,youarè15alreadyfamiliarwiththeproblemandyouknowthat̀16therearealotofpublichealthandenvironmental̀17impactsregardingmercury,andwe'reheretodaytò18saybasicallythere'saneedtodosomethingabout̀19it.̀20Wefeelthatlimitingmercurypollutionfrom̀21coal-firedpowerplantswillsignificantlyreducethè22detrimentalpublichealthandenvironmentalthreats.̀23Again,Ithinkmostpeoplearefamiliarthatelectric̀24utilitiesarethelargestknownsourceofmercury  0/3 ̀184̀1releasestotheair,andalso,accordingtothemost̀2recent_Toxics_ԀReleaseInventory,electricutilities̀3arealsothelargestsinglesourceoftoxicair̀4releasesnationwide.̀5TheIllinoisPublicInterestResearchGroup̀6educationfundandtheCleartheAircampaigǹ7recentlyreleasedareport.Inthatreport,wefound̀8thattherewasahighcorrelationbetweenthehighest̀9emittingplantsformercuryandthosethatarè10primarilyfueledbycoal.95percentofemissions̀11werefromplantsprimarilyfueledbycoal.Wealsò12foundthattherewasahighcorrelationbetweenthè13mostpollutingplantsandthosethathadatleastonè14unitoperatingbefore1977.77percentofthè15mercurycomingfromthoseplantsbeganoperatingoǹ16orbefore1977.̀17We'reheretodaytojoinwithalotofthè18other--statementshavebeenmadefrompeopleinthè19publicinterest,environmentalpublichealth̀20community,andsaythatwebelievethatelectric̀21utilitiesmustbetreatedlikeanyothersourcè22facingregulationsundertheair_toxics_Ԁprovisionsof̀23theCleanAirAct.Controllingmercuryemissions̀24fromcoal-firedpowerplantsmustbeanagency  0/3 ̀185̀1priority.Weneednationalmercuryemissions̀2standardsforelectricutilitiesthatwillrequireat̀3leasta90-percentreductionfromcoal-firedpower̀4plants.Weurgeyoutoadoptandtoimplementthesè5policiestohelpprotectpublichealthandtoprotect̀6theenvironment.̀7Thankyou.̀8_MR_.WAYLAND:EmilyGreen,SierraClubGreat̀9Lakes?̀10_Sherilyn_ԀYoung,CleanWaterActionAlliance.̀11MS.YOUNG:Hi.Mynameis_Sherilyn_ԀYoung.̀12IliveinSt.Paul,Minnesota.WhenIlookdownmỳ13street,Icanseeastackofapowerplantjustabout̀14ahalfofmileaway.And,bytheway,I'mnot̀15representingtheorganizationCleanWaterActioǹ16Alliance.They'rejustsendingmeoutbecauseI'maǹ17interestedcitizen.̀18MyneighborhoodiscalledtheWestSide,and̀19thepowerplantthatI'mtalkingaboutisNortherǹ20StatesPower'sHighBridgeplant.TheWestSideis̀21anaverageworkingclassneighborhoodofabout15,000̀22peoplewhereafamilywithkidscanafforddecent̀23housing.It'saneighborhoodofold-timerswhosè24familieshavebeentheresincethelastcentury,and  0/3 ̀186̀1it'saneighborhoodthatattractsnewimmigrants.̀2TheWestSidehaspeoplelikemewhoaresingleand̀3wanttoliveinasafe,affordableneighborhoodwith̀4astrongsenseofcommunity.It'saneighborhood̀5withpeoplelikemyfriendCliff,an80-year-old̀6lifelongfishermanandlakeadvocate,whobelieves̀7peopleinthecityshouldbeabletowalkdowntothè8riverortothelakeandcatchameal.It'smadeof̀9parentsraisingtheirfamilieswhoareveryconcerned̀10aboutwhatproblemspollutionfromthepowerplant̀11maycausefortheirchildren.Infact,almost̀12one-thirdofmyneighborsarekidsunder18,and14̀13percent,likeCliff,areover64yearsold.That̀14makesalmosthalfofuswhoareveryvulnerabletò15whatcomesoutofthestacksattheHighBridgePower̀16plant.̀17TheWestSidehasalotofassets.We'reà18cityneighborhood.Youcouldwalkdowntowntowork.̀19YoucouldwalktotheStateCapital,ifyouwork̀20there.Wehostthelargest_Cinco_ԀdeMayocelebratioǹ21inthestate.We'reatthecoreofametropolitaǹ22areaofoveramillionpeople,butweenjoythè23MississippiRivercorridor,tworegionalparks,thè24largestheronrookeryinthestateisnearby,andthe  0/3 ̀187̀1MinnesotaValleyNationalWildlifeRefugeisnearby.̀2Obviously,it'sagreatplacetolive.̀3Butwe'realsoentirelywithinonemilefrom̀4acoal-firedpowerplantwhichemits88poundsof̀5mercury,3,768tonsofsulfurdioxide,and5,128tons̀6ofnitrousoxideperyearandmore.Ididn'tlist̀7everything.Ionlygotfiveminutes.Justahalf̀8miledownstreamisMetroWastetreatmentfacility,̀9whichincinerates80percentofthesewageiǹ10TwinCities,andemits240poundsofmercuryper̀11year.JustamiledownstreamfromthatisNorthStar̀12Steel,thethirdhighestpolluterinourstate.From̀13theseexamples,youcanseethatpeopleinmỳ14neighborhood,justoneoftheneighborhoodsthatarè15nearby,areexposedtoalotofserious,harmful̀16pollutants.̀17Wedon'ttakethislightly.Wehaveà18neighborhoodenvironmentcommittee,whichI'mà19member.Weeducateourselvesandthewidercommunitỳ20aboutenvironmentalissuesandadvocatefurther̀21solutions.Inthelastfiveyears,we'vè22accomplishedalottoreducetheamountofpollutioǹ23inourneighborhood.Wepromoterecyclingandreusè24throughourannualneighborhoodcleanups.Oneofour  0/3 ̀188̀1membersinstalledsolarpanelsjusttwoyearsagoand̀2nowsellssolarenergytoNorthernStatesPower.Wè3preventedanautomobileshredderfrombeingsitediǹ4ourneighborhood,whichwouldhaveemittedhigh̀5amountsofheavymetal,includingmercury,intoour̀6air.̀7Ourten-yearcommunityplanlists"becoming̀8energyindependent"and"improvingriverqualitỳ9enoughtoallowsafeeatingoffish"astwoofits̀10actionitems.Werecognizetheimportanceof̀11quality,andwe'rewillingtodotheworktoputour̀12moneywhereourmouthis.̀13Lastfall,theMinnesotaPollutionControl̀14Agencycompletedasurveyof2500Minnesotà15households,whichconcludedthattheaveragè16Minnesotanwillpay$118.91extraingoodsand̀17servicesperyearfora50-percentreductioniǹ18regionalMidwestemissions.Thiswaswiththè19understandingthatMinnesota'srateofmercurỳ20depositionwouldonlyachievea12-percentreduction.̀21Thisstudy,whichI'llleaveforyou,and̀22theexampleofmyneighborhood,showsthat̀23Minnesotansarereadytodowhatwecan.Butweneed̀24yourhelp.Individualwillingnesstopay,  0/3 ̀189̀1conservationatthehouseholdlevel,andneighborhood̀2planningalonecan'tprotectorimprovethehealthof̀3meandothersinmyneighborhood.Ourneighborhood̀4environmentcommitteecan'tcutasthmaratesforthè55,000childrenintheneighborhood,stopthè6manufactureofproductswithmercury,orderpower̀7companiestoinstallpollutionreductionequipment,̀8orswitchtorenewableenergy.Wecanonlyurgeyoù9todothis.Sothat'swhyI'mhere.̀10Iaskthatyoumakethedecisiontoregulatè11hazardousairpollutantsfromelectricutilitysteam̀12generatingunits.Pleaselookatthecumulativè13impactsonourhealthfromthesepollutants.I'll̀14leavewithyouarecentcopyoftheMinnesotà15PollutionControlAgency'sstudyonthecumulativè16impactofpollutantswhichmighthelpyoualongoǹ17that.I'llskipwhatelseIwantedtodobecausè18it'sallwrittendown.̀19I'lljustgototheendandsay,themaiǹ20thingis,thisdecisionisnotaboutweighingcosts.̀21It'sreallyimportant.Okay,takeadeepbreath.̀22It'snotaboutwhattechnologyisoutthere,what̀23studiesareoutthere.It'snotaboutweighingcosts̀24andwhobenefitsfromwhat.We'reallgoingto  0/3 ̀190̀1benefitfrommercuryreduction,fromhazardousair̀2pollutantreductions.Thisdecisionisaboutdoing̀3whatwecan,likeourneighborhoodis,toimprovethè4healthandwhenwecan.It'saboutpreserving̀5ecosystemswhichsustainus,andit'sadecisioǹ6aboutourfuture.Sorryaboutthat.Thankyou.̀7_MR_.WAYLAND:WehaveBruce_Lourie_Ԁfrom̀8PollutionProbe.̀9_MR_._LOURIE_:Goodafternoon.Thanksverỳ10much.MynameisBruce_Lourie_,andI'mwithaǹ11organizationcalledPollutionProbe.It'sbasediǹ12Toronto,Ontarioontheothersideoftheborder.̀13AndPollutionProbeisamembership-based̀14environmentalpolicyandadvocacyorganizationthat̀15wasfoundedinTorontoin1969.AndI'mheretoday,̀16Ihaveanundergraduatedegreeinearthsciencesand̀17amaster'sdegreeinenvironmentalpolicy,andwè18workwiththeapproachofdevelopingintelligent,̀19scientifically-soundapproachestoenvironmental̀20policy-making.Ipersonallyworkextensivelyinthè21fieldsofenergypolicy,electricitycompetition,and̀22mercurypollutionprogramsandpolicies.AndI'll̀23forwardtoyouafairlyextensiveliteraturerevieẁ24thatwe'vecompletedlookingatthescienceof  0/3 ̀191̀1mercury,particularlylookingattheuncertainties̀2relatedtomercuryintheenvironment.̀3I'mheretodaytourgetheEnvironmental̀4ProtectionAgencytoadoptregulationsthatlimitthè5emissionsofmercuryfromcoal-firedboilersand̀6urgingyoutosetspecifictargetsand_timelines_Ԁ̀7leadingtothevirtualeliminationofmercurỳ8emissionsfromtheelectricitysector.Wesupport̀9settingagoalofa50-percentreductionby2005and̀10a90-percentreductionby2010.̀11I'mherespeakingfromaCanadiaǹ12perspective,andIthoughtitwouldusefultoprovidè13youwithsomerationaleforthat.Firstofall,I'm̀14disappointedtohavetoreportthatmygovernmentsiǹ15Canada,bothfederalandprovincial,areleaderless̀16and,Ihatetosay,reallyspinelessontheissueof̀17mercurypollutionspecificallyandenvironmental̀18regulationingeneral.Wetooemitlargequantities̀19ofmercury,andsomeemissionsfindtheirwaytothè20northeasternUnitedStates.Youmaynotbeaware,̀21butNorthAmerica'slargestcoal-firedgenerating̀22stationsitsonthenorthshoreofLakeErie,about̀2360mileshalfwaytoBuffalo.Andrightnow,wehavè24nomechanismsinplacethatrestrictouremissions.  0/3 ̀192̀1AlthoughIhavetoreport,Ijustheard̀2yesterdaythatthroughtheCanada-wideStandards̀3Process,thegovernmentswillbesettingastandard̀4January1,2002ontheelectricpowersector,butÌ5canassureyouthatthedecisionsmadebyyouinthis̀6processwillhaveaverysignificanteffectonwhat̀7thatstandardwilllooklike.̀8I'malsoheretopresenttoyourationalè9fromapublichealthandenvironmentperspective.̀10AndIdon'treallythinkI'mheretoprovideawholè11bunchofdata.IthinktheworkEPAhasdonehas̀12beentremendousindoingthat.I'mreallyheretò13appealtoyouasdecision-makers,whosejobitistò14protectthepublichealthandprotectthè15environment.Weallmakedecisionseveryday.This̀16isnotsomuchabout,inmyview,thelanguageofà17positiveregulatorydetermination.It'saboutmaking̀18awisedecisiontoprotectpublichealthandthè19environment.̀20Decisionsmustbemadebasedonwhatwè21know,withprecautioninmind,andgovernmentshaveà22longhistoryofwaitingtoolongtofind"certainty"̀23attheinsistenceofindustrieswhohaveavested̀24interestinperpetualdelay.  0/3 ̀193̀1Frommyreadingoftheliterature,therè2appearstobegeneralagreementamongscientistsand̀3policy-makersregardingthefollowing:̀4Mercury,weknow,isemittedbycoalplants,̀5andthey'reoneofthelargestsourcesofmercurỳ6emissionsinNorthAmerica.̀7TheMidwestandOhioValleyhasthelargest̀8concentrationofcoalplantsinNorthAmerica.̀9Mercury,whenemitted,cantravelhundreds̀10orthousandsofkilometersbeforebeingdeposited.̀11Likeotherairbornepollutants,itis̀12transportedwithprevailingwinds,andinthiscase,̀13travelsnorthandnortheastandisdepositediǹ14Ontario,Quebec,theMaritimeprovinces,and̀15NewEngland.̀16Mercurylevelsintheseregionsarehigher̀17thaninanyotherpartofNorthAmerica,particularlỳ18inCanada'sMaritimeprovinces.̀19Weknowmercuryconvertstothemoretoxic̀20and_bioavailable_Ԁ_methylmercury_Ԁinwaterbodiesandis̀21consumedbyaquaticorganisms.̀22Weknowit_bioaccumulates_Ԁand_biomagnifies_Ԁ̀23atagreaterratethanalmostanyothersubstancewè24know.  0/3 ̀194̀1Wecanmeasureincreasingdangerouslevels̀2ofmercuryinfishandwildlifeinthenortheast.Iǹ3fact,inCanadawehaveresultsofthefirst̀4confirmedloonthathasdiedfromhighlevelsof̀5mercurypoisoninginNovaScotia.̀6Wehavefishadvisoriesformanyofthè7lakesintheseregionsandintheMidwest.̀8Weknowmanypeoplecontinuetoconsumethè9fishandwanttobeabletofishwithoutrestrictions̀10placedonthembyindustrialpractices.̀11Weknowthatsmallamountsofmercuryinthè12organsofhumansandotherspeciescancauseserious̀13_neuro_-behavioraldisorders.Infact,there's̀14communitiesinSouthernCanadawhere60percentof̀15the_inuit_Ԁarelivingatlevelsthatarewithinthè16WorldHealthOrganizationincreasedriskzone.̀17Somyquestionreallyis,whatmoredowè18needtoknowbeforetheEPAactssothatindustrial̀19practicesarecurtailed,family,recreational,and̀20culturalpracticesofthepeoplewhowanttoenjoỳ21theirenvironmentorliveoffitsbounty.̀22Thankyouverymuch.̀23_MR_.WAYLAND:DarrelHarmon,Penobscot̀24Nation.  0/3 ̀195̀1_MR_.HARMON:MynameisDarrelHarmon.I'm̀2theAirQualityManagerforthePenobscotIndiaǹ3Nation.ThePenobscotNationlandsincludethè4reservationitself,whichencompassesthePenobscot̀5RiverfromIndianIslandnorthward,andtrustandfeè6landsintheeasternpartofthestate,comprisingà7totalof122,000acres.̀8TheTribe'shistoryislongandrich,and̀9they'veoccupiedthislandsincetimeimmemorial.̀10HistoricaltreatiessignedwithMassachusettsand̀11Mainepreservedtribalfishingandotherrights,iǹ12returnforgivingupsubstantiallands.Later,̀13federalrecognitionoftheTribeguaranteedthè14federaltrustresponsibility,includingthè15obligationofallfederalagenciestoprotecttribal̀16sovereignty,properties,naturalandcultural̀17resources,andtribalculturalpractices.̀18Forthousandsofyears,Penobscotchildreǹ19rodeincanoeswiththeirparentsbeforetheycould̀20walk.Theywitnessedlifeontheriver,whichwas̀21thecentralarteryofthePenobscotNation,from̀22beforetheirearliestmemorieshadbeguntoform.̀23Theriverwasinvolvedinallaspectsoflife,from̀24huntingandgatheringtotravel,recreation,and  0/3 ̀196̀1spiritualactivities.Theyswamintheriver,̀2bathed,drank,andtookfishfromtheriver.̀3Childrenlearnedtocatch,clean,andpreservefish;̀4theylearnedthehonorofprovidingfortheirfamily;̀5theylearnedtothankMotherEarthforhergenerous̀6bounty.̀7Today,childrenofthePenobscotNationarè8taughttofearthePenobscotRiver.Duetoextremè9levelsofcontaminationbymercuryanddioxin,̀10childrennolongerplayintheriver.Tribalmembers̀11arenolongerabletoenjoythesustenancefishing̀12rightsguaranteedbytreaties,andmostunderstand̀13thatthefishandwatersofthePenobscotRiverarè14nolongersafetoeatordrink.Culturalpractices̀15areinseriousjeopardy,andparentscannolonger̀16conveythecultureofa_riverine_Ԁtribetotheir̀17descendants.Fathersnolongertaketheirchildreǹ18fishingonthereservation,andmothersnolonger̀19teachtheirchildrentopreservetheday'scatch.̀20TheBaldEagleisthecentralsymbolinthè21religionandcultureofthePenobscotpeople.̀22_Nswakan_ԀisthespiritualconnectionwiththeCreator,̀23theGreatSpirithimself.Sacredfeathersfromthis̀24birdareusedforhealingandprayers.Theeagle,as  0/3 ̀197̀1areitsfeathers,isthefocusofnumerousdancesand̀2ceremonies.Theroleoftheeagleinthespiritual̀3andculturallifeofthe_Penobscots_Ԁiscentraland̀4integraltothecohesionofculturalidentity.Thè5onlyparallelavailablefromwesternreligionthat̀6wouldconveytheculturalimportanceoftheBald̀7Eaglewouldbethemostsacredsymbols,suchasthè8CrossandtheStarofDavid.̀9Concentrationsofmercuryinthetissuesof̀10wildlifespecieshavebeenreportedatlevels̀11associatedwithadverseeffects.Toxiceffectsoǹ12_piscivorous_Ԁavianspecies,suchasthebaldeagle,̀13havebeenobserved.Continuedreleasesofmercurỳ14intotheenvironmentareknowntoconstituteathreat̀15tofish,totheBaldEagle,andtherefore,totribal̀16culture.̀17It'swellknownthatcoal-firedsteam̀18generatingpowerplantsaccountforone-thirdofall̀19theanthropogenicmercuryemissionsintheUnited̀20States.Itisalsowellknownthatmercurycycles̀21throughtheenvironment,whereit_bioaccumulates_,̀22harmsfish,eagles,otheranimals,andpeople,and̀23canbereleasedthrough_methylation_Ԁtotravelthrough̀24theenvironment.Whatisnotsowellknownisthe  0/3 ̀198̀1extentofthiscontamination.WhenImeetwith̀2peoplefromalloverthecountry,theyexpressthè3commonbeliefthatMaineisapristineand̀4underdevelopedstate,anoutdoorparadise.Mostarè5verysurprisedtohearthatMainehasastatewidè6advisorylimitingconsumptionofallfreshwaterfish̀7duetothepresenceofmercury.̀8ThePenobscotNationhaslongstruggledtò9preservetheenvironmentthat,forthousandsof̀10years,hassupportedtheTribeanditsculture.Iǹ11recentyears,localsources,suchasincineratorsand̀12a_Holtra_-Chem_chlor_-alkaliplant,havereleased̀13mercurythatledtosedimentsampleswiththehighest̀14mercurylevelseverfoundwithintheUnitedStates.̀15ImpoundmentsonthePenobscotRivercontributetò16_methylation_.Testingonthereservationandtrust̀17landshasfoundmercurylevelsinfishtissueashigh̀18as2.4partspermillion.̀19_ATSDR_Ԁiscurrentlyinvestigatingthehealth̀20riskstothePenobscotpeoplefromconsuming̀21contaminatedfish.Meanwhile,sourceshundredsand̀22thousandsofmilesawaycontinuetoreleasè23contaminantsthattraveltothePenobscotNation.̀24ThePenobscotNationhashadanactiveDepartmentof  0/3 ̀199̀1NaturalResourcesformorethan20years.Wehavè2proventhatmercurydepositionand_bioaccumulation_Ԁis̀3occurringonthereservation.We'veworkedatgreat̀4lengthstoreducelocalemissionsofmercuryand̀5dioxin,butregionalandnationalsourcescontinuetò6haveasignificantimpact.̀7Manypeoplewillarguethatcoststocontrol̀8mercuryaretoohigh.EPAmustalsoconsiderthè9truecostoffailingtocontrolemissionsofmercurỳ10fromsteam-firedutilitygenerators.IfEPAfailstò11requirecontrolstoremovemercury,theTribe,̀12insteadofthesource,willcontinuetopayinterms̀13oflostresources,culture,andhealth,andthereis̀14moretotheequationthanthecostofcontrols.EPÀ15mustalsocalculatethevalueofthelossof̀16resourcesandculturetoTribes,thecostofnot̀17teachingtheirchildrentofish.EPAmustincludè18thecoststochildrenthatsufferneurologicaldamagè19fromeatingfishbecausetheirparentsdidn'tknoẁ20thatthefishwascontaminatedbythemercurỳ21releasedthousandsofmilesaway.Finally,EPAmust̀22considerthetrustresponsibilitytoTribes:Therè23isnoeconomiclimitationtotheobligationtò24protecttribalsovereignty,properties,naturaland  0/3 ̀200̀1culturalresources,andtribalculturalpractices.̀2EPA'sobligationmustbeaddressedwhenconsidering̀3thedevelopmentofthis_MACT_Ԁstandard.Howwillyoù4evaluatethepeopleofthePenobscotNationandother̀5tribes,theirculture,theirresources,andtheir̀6health?̀7Sotoday,wecalluponEPAtofulfillits̀8trustresponsibilitytothePenobscotNationandall̀9tribes,andtotakeactiontoendthecontaminatioǹ10ofresources,toendthedestructionofourculture.̀11TodaywecalluponEPAtobringthehighestlevelof̀12controlpossibletoemissionsfromcoal-firedsteam̀13generatingutilities.̀14ThePenobscotNationisa_riverine_Ԁtribè15withextensivetraditionalfisherieswhicharenoẁ16unusable.EPAhasanobligationtoprotecttribes̀17andrestoreaccesstotraditionalfisheries,whichis̀18acriticalprioritybothforourhealthandour̀19culturalpreservation.̀20OnbehalfofthePenobscotNation,thankyoù21fortheopportunitytospeakheretoday.Wewelcomè22anyandallopportunitiestoworktowardsthè23preservationoftheenvironmentandourculture.̀24Thankyou.  0/3 ̀201̀1_MR_.WAYLAND:N._Dharmarajan_,Centraland̀2SouthwestServices.̀3_MR_._DHARMARAJAN_:Goodafternoon.Mynamè4is_Dharmarajan_,andIrepresenttheCentraland̀5SouthWestCorporation,aDallas-basedelectric̀6utilityholdingcompany.Mycompanyprovides̀7electricservicetoanestimatedpopulationof4.2̀8millionpeople,overapproximately152,000squarè9milesinthesouthwestU.S.̀10Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytò11embellishthesentimentsexpressedbymypeersherè12todayandfocusmycommentsonsomepolicyissues.̀13TheEPAisobligatedtofullyresolvetheissues̀14articulatedinitsUtilityStudyReporttoCongress̀15in1998andfollowtheneededstepstogestatioǹ16beforemakingthedeterminationtoregulateutilitỳ17emissionsofmercury.Myintenttodayisto:̀18One,recapsomeofthekeyworkeffortsiǹ19placetofulfillthedatagapsandassessmentneeds̀20citedintheEPAReporttoCongress,i.e.,theareas̀21ofscientificuncertaintyneedingtobeaddressed;̀22andtwo,putincontexttherelevanceandimportancè23ofaholisticapproachtotheresultssynthesisand̀24usefromsucheffortsbytheEPA.  0/3 ̀202̀1Thesuiteofuncertaintiesasreportediǹ2the1998ReporttoCongresscanbecharacterizedas:̀3One,thesourcesofmercury;two,thè4utilityemissionsofmercury;three,mercuryfateand̀5transport;four,cyclingofmercuryinwatercolumn;̀6five,consumptionratesforfish;six,healtheffects̀7attributedwith_methylmercury_Ԁinthefishconsumed;̀8andseven,relationshipbetweenemissionreductions̀9andreductionsinfishmercurylevels.̀10Since1998,severaloftheseinterlinked̀11issuesarereportedtobeindifferentstagesof̀12resolutionandreview,withmillionsofpublicand̀13privatedollarsinvestedinongoingeffortstò14understandtheuncertainties.Principalamongst̀15theseeffortsare:̀16TheEPA'smercuryInformationCollectioǹ17Requesttoquantifyandcharacterizeutilitymercurỳ18emissionsatacosttotheutilityindustry20plus̀19milliondollars;theDepartmentofEnergy's̀20three-yeareffortsinunderstandingutilitỳ21emissions,limitations,andcapabilitiesofmercurỳ22controltechnologies,whichisestimatedupwardof̀23$13million;thirdly,theCongressionalmandatetò24theNationalAcademyofSciencetoreviewthe  0/3 ̀203̀1toxicologicaleffectsofmercuryatsomeunknowǹ2cost;finally,themulti-milliondollarElectric̀3PowerResearchInstitute'sworkrelativetoallof̀4theabove-listeduncertaintyitems.̀5Theseeffortsarerealwork-in-progressand̀6shouldprovidetheinformationformakinganinformed̀7anddefensibledecisionregardingtheneedtò8regulateutilitymercuryemissions.Aswithanỳ9peer-reviewedscientificproduct,especiallywherè10multipleindependentworkeffortsareinvolved,̀11informationavailabilitywillbeondifferent̀12_timelines_.Interestingdataareemergingfromthesè13massiveefforts,withmeaningfulresultsestimatedtò14flowinonetothreeyears'time.̀15Withtheinterdependenceoftheresultsof̀16thesevariousactivities,EPAshouldnotrushto   `     h      p     ̀17treatindividualeffortsinisolationandarriveat̀18arbitrarydecisions.Inordertomaketheregulatorỳ19needsdetermination,thesynthesisandanalysis̀20shouldbebasedonaholisticapproach.This̀21includestheEPAunderstandingrelationshipbetweeǹ22mercuryemissionsfrompowerplantsandmercurỳ23levelsinfish.Withoutthisunderstanding,onedoes̀24notknowwhetherregulationisappropriateand  0/3 ̀204̀1necessary.̀2EPAwillbeill-advisedtopreemptresults̀3fromtheseendeavorseitherinitseffortstomeetà4December15thdeadline.TheDecember15thdeadlinè5isnotacourtordertorenderaregulatorydecision.̀6Itwasavoluntarysettlementwith_NRDC_Ԁtoresolveà7lawsuitbroughtbythatorganization.Thisvoluntarỳ8agreementshouldnotsabotageEPA'sobligationsunder̀9theCleanAirActandSection112(n)(1)(A)(1)tomakè10areasonedandnon-arbitrarydecision.̀11Thankyou.̀12_MR_.WAYLAND:Tony_DeFalco_,LakeSuperior̀13Alliance.̀14UNIDENTIFIEDSPEAKER:He'snothere.̀15_MR_.WAYLAND:John_Shanahan_,NationalMining̀16Association.̀17_MR_._SHANAHAN_:Goodafternoon.I'm̀18John_Shanahan_ԀoftheNationalMiningAssociation,and̀19Iappreciatetheopportunitytobeheretoday._NMA_Ԁ̀20comprisestheproducersofmostofthenation'scoal,̀21metals,industrial,andagriculturalminerals.Its̀22memberssupplythefueltothenation'scoal-fired̀23powerplants._NMA_Ԁsupportseffortstoensureacleaǹ24andhealthyenvironmentthroughcontinueddevelopment  0/3 ̀205̀1ofcleancoaltechnologiesbasedonrelativerisks,̀2soundscience,considerationofeconomicand̀3environmenttrade-offs,andflexibility.Inarriving̀4atthisregulatorydeterminationregardingmercury,̀5_NMA_ԀencouragesEPAtogivefullconsiderationtoeach̀6ofthesefactors.̀7Inits1998ReporttoCongress,EPAnotedà8numberofquestionsthatwerereferencedearlier̀9todaybyearlierspeakersthatneedtobeaddressed̀10andansweredbeforedecision-makingcanbè11undertaken.Toanswerthesequestions,EPAwillneed̀12totakeintoaccountalltheinformationavailableas̀13itdevelops.TheNationalAcademyofSciences'̀14reviewandEPA'sReferenceDosethatwillsoonbè15finalizedwillformbutonelinkinthischainof̀16information.Othermajorstudiesexpectedoutsooǹ17include,"TheDietaryHabitsoftheNation's̀18Citizenry,"whichwillprovideadditionalinformatioǹ19assessingtherealriskofexposuretomercury.Thè20SeychellesIslandsstudystronglysuggeststhat̀21Americansareofnoriskformercuryexposurethrough̀22fish_consumptions_Ԁatquantitiesmuchgreaterthaǹ23Americansactuallyconsume.Theimportanceofthè24emergingresultsofthisstudycannotbeunderstated,  0/3 ̀206̀1asitprovidesmuchmorereliablehumandatathanis̀2reliedonsofarinsettingtheappropriateReferencè3Dose.̀4Anotherimportantissuethatiscriticaltò5consideradeterminationisthequestionoftransport̀6andcyclingtoanswerthequestionofrelationship̀7betweenU.S.emissionsandtheresultantchangeiǹ8_methylmercury_Ԁinfish.Backgroundlevelsfromnaturè9andearlierindustrialactivityarecritical̀10componentsinansweringthis.Muchmoremercurywas̀11usedinthemiddleofthislastcentury,yetthè12legacyofthatstillremains.Whenthisiscombined̀13withestimatesofonly30percentofU.S.emissions̀14remainintheU.S.,itisclearthattherelativè15impactofcurrentemissionsisconsiderablỳ16diminished.̀17EPA'smercuryICRdepthisnecessarytò18understandnotonly_speciation_,buttherangeof̀19removalefficienciesusingdifferingcontrolsystems.̀20Thefactthatlargeamountsofmercuryareremoved̀21fromregulationofSO2andparticulatematter̀22underscorestheneedforreviewofthisinformatioǹ23indeterminingwhetherregulationisnecessaryand̀24appropriate.IfEPAdoesdeterminetoregulate,  0/3 ̀207̀1thesereductionsshouldbecreditedtowardsutilitỳ2reduction.̀3_NMA_ԀanditsmembercompaniesencourageEPÀ4tobecautiousinlightoftheseriouseconomic̀5implicationsofthisdecision.Obviously,companies̀6andtheirinvestors,manyofwhomarepensioners,̀7willbeaffected.Sotoowillbethemanyworkers̀8whowillbedislocated,suddenlyjobless,intowns̀9whosemajoremployers,coalproducers,arenolonger̀10hiring.̀11Butthemorethan$5billionEPAestimates̀12thatcontrolofmercurywillcosttheelectric̀13utilityindustrywillimpactmorethanpensionersand̀14laborers;indeed,itwillimpactmorethancustomers̀15wholivefrompaychecktopaycheck.Itwillalsò16impactthenation'spursuitofotherenvironmental̀17objectives.̀18Thecostsofregulationareaccumulative,̀19yet,theabilityoftheutilitiesandthecustomers̀20toabsorbthesecostsarenotbottomless.Everỳ21dollarspentonregulatorycontrolsofonetypeof̀22emissionreductionwillultimatelyimpactfuturè23environmentalinitiatives.̀24Publicpressurecausedbyunnecessarilyhigh___  0/3 ̀208̀1energypriceswillcausepublicofficialstorespond̀2inwaysthatmaynotreflecttheirlong-term̀3environmentalobjectives,muchasishappeningthis̀4veryweekinthecontextofgasolinepricesand̀5reformulatedgas.Theseopportunitycostsarereal,̀6andtrade-offsareunavoidableoverthelong-term.̀7Theexistenceoftheseopportunitycosts̀8underscoresthewisdomofEPA'sstatementsinthè9contextofthe1998determinationregardingHAP̀10depositiontothegreatwatersthatMACTstandards̀11arenotrequiredtoachievehealth-basedor̀12environmentalquality-basedresults.Thatsamè13reasoningandthesameregulatoryflexibilityunder̀14Section112(n)(1)isapplicablehere.̀15IfEPAdeterminesregulationisnecessary,̀16NMAurgesthatitconsideralltheregulatoryoptions̀17availableandavoidMACT.Sincetheefficienciesand̀18potentialproblemsassociatedwithemerging̀19technologiesarelargelyunknown,employingà20flexibleapproachwillhelpaccomplishthis,with̀21tradingakeycomponentofthisflexibility.̀22NMAappreciatesthisandfuturè23opportunitiestoengageinmeaningfuland̀24constructivedialogue,asEPAconsiderswithits_  0/3 ̀209̀1deliberations.Thankyou.̀2_MR_.WAYLAND:Sandra_Steingraber_,Cornell̀3University.̀4MS._STEINGRABER_:BeforeIbeginmyformal̀5remarks,Idohaveaconfessiontomake.WhenÌ6firstcalledtheEPAtoputmynameonthelistof̀7speakerstoday,IwasaskedwhatorganizationÌ8represented,andIinitiallyreplied,I'manursing̀9mother.Andthisisthetruth.Ihavechosentò10spend$400onaplanetickettoflyheretodaỳ11becauseIseethechancetoinfluenceyour̀12decision-makingasaninvestmentinmydaughter's̀13future.She'sonly20monthsold.Butmyhonest̀14answercreatedsuchawkwardnessandconfusionastò15howtoidentifyme,thatIadded,well,I'malsoà16professoratCornell,whichiswhymyaffiliatioǹ17appearsthatwayontheroster.̀18MynameisSandra_Steingraber_.I'mà19biologistandtheauthorofthebookLiving̀20Downstream.IreceivedmyPh.D.inbiologyfromthè21UniversityofMichigan,andamnowinresidenceat̀22Cornellasavisitingassistantprofessorinthè23CenterfortheEnvironment.̀24Iamcurrentlyresearchingtheenvironmental  0/3 ̀210̀1threatstoprenatallife,researchIbeganwhenÌ2becamepregnantin1998.Thewombisthefirst̀3environmentforusall.Formanyyears,sciencè4regardeditasakindofwildlifesanctuary,̀5protectedfromharmbytheplacenta,whichwas̀6presumedtoactasabarrierbothtoinfectious̀7pathogensandtochemicalsalike.Buttheneẁ8scienceisshowingusthatthepregnantuterusis̀9lessawalled-offrefugethanitisafragile,̀10interactivehabitat,onethatiseasilybreachedbỳ11toxicchemicals.̀12Inthecaseof_methylmercury_,theplacentà13actsnotasabarrier,butasamagnifyingglass,̀14activelypumpingmercurymoleculesfromthemother's̀15bodyandtransferringthemintothebodyofherchild̀16asthoughtheywerepreciousmoleculesofcalciumor̀17iodineoroxygen.Thisiswhyatbirthumbilical̀18cordbloodhasmanytimeshighertheconcentrations̀19ofmercurythanisfoundinmaternalblood.̀20Inotherwords,whenweallowcoal-burning̀21powerplantstotransferelementalmercury,whichis̀22helddeepunderthegroundincoaldepositsandput̀23thatmercuryintotheair,mercurythatisinvariablỳ24methylatedbybacteriaandwhiskedquicklyupthe  0/3 ̀211̀1foodchain,thepeoplereceivingthehighest̀2exposuresofallareunbornchildren.̀3Theironyisthatthisgroupispreciselỳ4theonethatismostvulnerabletothebrain-ravaging̀5effectsofmercury.Dosesthatwouldposeonlỳ6minimaldangerstotheadultbraincanlaywastetoà7fetalone.Inthecaseofmercury,itisnotsomuch̀8thedosethatmakesthepoison,it'sthetimingthat̀9makesthepoison.Wealsoknowwithcertaintythat̀10mercuryactuallybindstochromosomesinthefetal̀11braincellsandpreventsthemfromdividing.Thisis̀12itsmechanismforharm.̀13Itisinappropriatetoaskpregnantwomentò14accommodatetothissituationbyrestrictingfish̀15consumption,andyetthisisexactlythesituatioǹ16thatpregnantwomenfindthemselvesin.Fishisgood̀17food,especiallyforpregnantwomen.It'saǹ18excellentsourceofomega-3fattyacids,forexample,̀19whichactuallycontributetofetalneurological̀20development,whichisanotherirony:We'reactuallỳ21contaminatingwithbrainpoisonsasourceoffood̀22thathelpsthebraingetwiredupinthefirstplace.̀23Specifically,omega-3fattyacidsaremobilized̀24duringthefetalbraingrowthspurtthathappensin  0/3 ̀212̀1thelastfewweeksofthethirdtrimesterof̀2pregnancy.Thesefattyacidsassistinproliferatioǹ3bothofthevasculartissueaswellasneuronal̀4circuitry.̀5IgrewupfishinginWisconsin.Mydad̀6taughtmehow.Ispenthoursofmychildhoodrifling̀7throughhistacklebox,whichincludedalureshaped̀8likeanakedmermaidandanotherthatwasshapedlikè9ababyduckling,allyellowinnocenceabove,andà10nestofdeadlyhooksbelow.Thattackleboxisnoẁ11gatheringdustinmyfather'sgarage.̀12Myhusbandisaflyfisherman.Hegrewup̀13inConnecticut.Intheearly1960s,heandhis̀14brotherandhisfatherfishedriversandpondsand̀15brooksneartheirhomeinNorwalk,Connecticut.̀16Sometimesthethreefishermenweresohungry,bỳ17mid-morning,theycleanedthefishtheycaughtand̀18atethemforbreakfastrightontheshore.Jeff's̀19fathertaughthissonshowtosuspendtheircatchoǹ20greentwigshookedthroughthegillsandhangthem̀21overtheflamesofanopenfire.Thesemealsandall̀22thewhisperedanticipationinthedarkhoursleading̀23uptothemareJeff'smostdeeplycherishedchildhood̀24memories.  0/3 ̀213̀1TheriversandlakesofConnecticutareall̀2coveredbyfishadvisoriesnow,socontaminatedarè3everysingleoneofthemwithmercury,andsoarethè4lakesofWisconsinwhereIoncecaughtanortherǹ5pikewhiletryingtofishforbluegill.̀6Iwonderhowwewillexplainthissituatioǹ7toour20-month-olddaughter,whowillspendfour̀8decadesofherlife,eitherasachildorasawomaǹ9ofreproductiveage,forwhomtheadvisoriesarethè10mostsevere.Willsheeverstepintoherfather's̀11waders?Fashionfeathersintoflies?Learnhowtò12makehergrandfather'sflyroddanceintheair?̀13CatchfishforbreakfastinthestateofConnecticut,̀14inWisconsin,inIllinois,NewYork?̀15Ihaveafewotherquestions.Inà16mercury-poisonedworld,whathappenstotheknowledgè17thatJeffhas,handeddownfromhisfatherandhis̀18fatherbeforehim,abouthowtocleanandgutabass?̀19Aboutwhatkindofwaterpickerelsliketoswimin?̀20Abouthowtohangtroutoveranopenfire?̀21Ourdaughterisnowoneandahalf.Her̀22favoritebookisTheRunawayBunny,whichwas̀23publishedin1942.Thestoryisaboutaclever̀24motherrabbitwhoremainsonestepaheadofher  0/3 ̀214̀1baby'sattemptstoleavehome.Inonescenethè2littlebunnythreatens,"Ifyourunafterme,Iwill̀3becomeafishinatroutstreamandIwillswimawaỳ4fromyou.""Ifyoubecomeafishinatroutstream,"̀5replieshissensiblemother,"Iwillbecomeà6fishermanandIwillfishforyou."Theillustratioǹ7forthispageshowsthemamabunnyinwaders,casting̀8acarrot-baitedlineafterhertruantoffspring.It̀9isthethreadthatbindsthemothertochild.̀10Ifmydaughterasksme,"What,mama,isà11troutstream,"whatwillIsaytoher?WillÌ12explainthatfreshwatertroutarenowamongthemost̀13contaminatedfishinAmerica,fartoopoisonousfor̀14hertoevereat?̀15Whenfishbecometoopoisonedforwomenand̀16childrentoeat,moreislostthanagoodsourceof̀17fattyacids.Wholewaysofknowingarelost.̀18Ecologicalconnectionsarebroken.Thebondsjoining̀19humangenerationsare_rended_.̀20Bylimitingmercuryemissionsfrompower̀21plants,wehavethepowertochangethissituation.̀22Myresearchhasconvincedmethatwedohavè23sufficientbiologicaldatatoactnow,inspiteof̀24thoseinthisroomwho,likethetobaccoindustry  0/3 ̀215̀1beforethem,seektodeny,down-play,andobfuscatè2suchaconnection.̀3TheycomplainhowsoontheDecember15th̀4deadlinemoves.Butapregnancyisonlyninemonths.̀5Andachildconceivedtonight,achildthatrightnoẁ6atthismomentisonlyaneggandasperm,will,bỳ7December15th,beenteringtheperiodofmaximum̀8braingrowthdevelopmentofitslife.Itwouldbeiǹ9thefifthfetalmonthofpregnancyonDecember15th.̀10Myexperienceasamotherconvincesmethat̀11wealso,besideshavingabiologicalimperative,havè12anethicalandaspiritualone,andweneedtousè13thisalsototakeaction.Pleasedotherightthing.̀14Thankyou.̀15_MR_.WAYLAND:CharlotteRead,SavetheDunes̀16Council.̀17FollowingCharlotte'stestimony,ifthere's̀18anyoneelseintheroomwhowouldliketomakeà19statement,ifyoujustworkyourwaydownheretothè20front,we'lltakeyouonebyone.̀21MS.READ:Itwasaverytoughacttò22follow.̀23MynameisCharlotteRead.I'mAssistant̀24Directorofalocalenvironmentorganizationin  0/3 ̀216̀1IndianacalledSavetheDunesCouncil.Andit's̀2appropriatethatthishearingisbeingheldinEPA's̀3LakeMichiganroominChicago,neartheonlyGreat̀4LakeentirelywithintheUnitedStates.̀5ThetimeforEPAactiononlimitingmercurỳ6emissionsfromcoal-firedpowerplantsisnow.̀7Inputsofmercuryhavethepotentialforaccumulatioǹ8inaquaticbiota,includingfish.Widespreaddamagè9toaquaticresourceshasoccurredandisoccurringiǹ10allofIndiana'swaterways.Fishconsumptioǹ11advisoriesformercuryinIndiana'sLakeMichigaǹ12watersanditstributariesineffectnowmakè13achievingthe"_fishable_"goaloftheCleanWaterAct̀14impossibleforthosewhoseektofishthesewaters.̀15IgotacopyofIndiana'sfishconsumptionadvisorỳ16pagejustfortheLakeMichiganwaters.̀17Accordingtoajust-releasedreportbythè18DeltaInstituteofChicago,whichisentitled,̀19"AtmosphericDepositionof_Toxics_ԀtotheGreatLakes:̀20IntegratingScienceandPolicy,"thesouthernGreat̀21Lakesareaispredictedtohaveoneofthehighest̀22ratesofmercurydepositionintheUnitedStates.̀23AndIhaveattachedthatsectiononmercuryaswell.̀24The"LakeMichigan_Lakewide_ԀManagementPlan"  0/3 ̀217̀1wasjustreleasedinAprilbyEPA,providesiǹ2Table5-25differingbutsignificantestimatesof̀3atmosphericdepositionofmercuryinLakeMichigan.̀4That'sattachedaswell.Approximately80percentof̀5thetotalmercuryinputstoLakeMichigancomefrom̀6theatmosphere,with30percentcomingfromChicago.̀7Alsoattachedisacopyof"MercuryinLakè8Michigan,"areportbyRobertP.Masonand_Kristin_ԀA.̀9Sullivan,whichappearsinEnvironmentalScience&̀10Technologyin1997.̀11Themissionofmyorganization,Savethè12DunesCouncil,fornearly50yearshasbeeǹ13preservingandprotectingtheIndianaDunesfor̀14publicuseandenjoyment.Therefore,ourfocusiǹ15thisstatementhasbeenonpollutionimpactstò16LakeMichigan,includingthosethatinterferewith̀17publicenjoymentoftheresourcesofIndiana's̀18portionofLakeMichigan,suchasthepublic's̀19abilitytosafelyeatfish.Thisemphasisshouldnot̀20beconstruedasdisregardordisinterestinthè21harmfulimpactsofmercuryemissionsfrompower̀22plantsonotherareasinIndianaorelsewhereinthè23GreatLakes.̀24Folks,doitnow.Limitmercuryemissions  0/3 ̀218̀1toprotectthepublichealthandtheenvironment.̀2Thankyou.̀3_MR_.WAYLAND:Isthereanyoneelse,whether̀4you'reonthelistornot,thatwouldliketomakè5commentfortherecordatthistime.̀6_MR_.BRENNER:Letmejustsayawordbrieflỳ7onbehalfofmyEPAcolleaguesandmyself.Mostof̀8youwerehereatlunchtimewhenIexpressedmỳ9thanksforthecommentswehavereceivedandalsothè10carethatwastakeninpreparingthemandthè11willingnessofpeopletocommentonallaspectsof̀12thedecision,science,technology,economics,public̀13health,children'shealth,alltheissuesthatarè14important.̀15Ithinkit'simportantthatIespeciallysaỳ16thankyoutothepeoplewhocameheretodaywhodon't̀17normallyappearatpublichearingsandtheregulatorỳ18process.Imean,that'snotanareawherethey'rè19particularlycomfortablein.Butyouwerewillingtò20comeoutheretodayandtalktous,andIwanttosaỳ21thatIespeciallyappreciatethat.It'simportant̀22forustogetasmuchpublicinputaswecanaswè23maketheseveryimportantdecisions.AndIfeellikè24todaywasveryvaluableforus.  0/3 ̀219̀1Andyouwillseethisprocessnowplayout̀2overtherestoftheyearaswemaketheregulatorỳ3determination,and,asyouheard,ifyou'resignedup̀4onthelist,you'llbeabletolookatthefull̀5transcriptofthemeetingthattookplacetoday,and̀6thenwewillgothroughaprocessofmakingà7decisionastoaregulatorydetermination,andifit̀8ispositive,thenwe'llbegintheprocessofdeciding̀9whatcontrolsareappropriate.Andifthatistrue,̀10therewillbeadditionaldiscussionswiththepublic̀11aswegothroughthatprocess.̀12ButIwanttosaythishasbeenagreat̀13startforusandtremendouslyvaluableaswesort̀14throughtheseissues.Thankyouagain.̀15(Whichwerealltheproceedings̀16hadintheabove-entitledcausè17onthisdate.)̀18̀19̀20̀21̀22̀23̀24  0/3 ̀220̀1STATEOFILLINOIS)̀)SS:̀2COUNTYOFCO_O_ԀK)̀3̀4PAMELAL._COSENTINO_,beingfirstdulysworǹ5onoathsaysthatsheisacourtreporterdoing̀6businessintheCityofChicago;thatshereportediǹ7shorthandtheproceedingsgivenatthetakingofsaid̀8hearingandthattheforegoingisatrueandcorrect̀9transcriptofhershorthandnotessotakenas̀10aforesaidandcontainsalltheproceedingsgivenat̀11saidhearing.̀12̀13̀14_̀PamelaL._Cosentino_,_CSR_,_RPR_̀15̀̀16̀̀17̀SUBSCRIBEDANDSWORNTÒ18beforemethis12thdaỳofJuly,A.D.,2000.̀19̀_̀20NotaryPublic̀21̀22̀23̀24____________