Press Mention WVLT Volunteer TV September 14, 2005
SACE Quoted
Maintaining mercury rules sparks debate
In this mention
A WVLT news segment reports on Senate debate over mercury pollution regulations, focusing on TVA's Kingston Steam Plant as Tennessee's worst mercury polluter. Emily Saunders of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy warns of mercury's health risks to pregnant women and children, while TVA head Bill Baxter defends their cleanup plan and argues the danger is minimal.
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Full transcript
Roane County
Maintaining mercury rules sparks debate
Kingston, Roane County (WVLT) - The US Senate has voted to affirm regulations allowing power companies to control how they cut back on toxic mercury pollution released from their plants.
One environmental group says that's not a good idea, especially here where they say TVA's Kingston Steam Plant is the worst mercury polluter in Tennessee.
Eric Waddell takes a closer look.
The environmental watchdog group PIRG claims the Kingston Steam Plant is the worst mercury polluter in the state.
They cite EPA surveys that say 490 pounds of the toxic substance were released into the air in 2003 and eventually into the water and ground in the surrounding area.
Local environmentalists say this is a big health risk.
"It is highly poisonous to people especially females, who are of child bearing age also young children including fetuses and infants causing developmental delays," says Emily Saunders, from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
~unders says part of the danger leads from the fact that mercury is invisible. Collecting in food sources like fish which live in the areas lakes and streams.
"You can't taste it and you will not have a reaction to it. You aren't going to get sick instantly but it accumulates," says Saunders. "I would not recommend eating the fish for a number of reasons. Mercury is certainly a concern."
The head of TVA Bill Baxter counters, saying they are in the middle of a $5.6 billion cleanup plan which will greatly reduce mercury pollution, adding that even though that project isn't done, there isn't a danger to area residents who eat fish out of the waters surrounding the Kingston Steam Plant.
"I would have no trouble eating the fish out of Tennessee streams and TVA lakes, I've been doing it all of my life. As I have said before scientific monitoring of mercury levels has shown decreasing levels of mercury while we are increasing the level of electricity available for folks," says Bill Baxter, with TVA.
Baxter contends that only one percent of mercury released is from US power plants. He tells us the biggest polluters are overseas in China and India.
Tennessee senators were split on the resolution which would have led to strengthened regulations on mercury pollution.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist voted to keep the laws as-is, while Republican Senator Lamar Alexander crossed party lines voting to strengthen controls on the power companies.