The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Mercury plan moves forward
Utilities fear proposal to cut emissions may force shutdowns, hurt economy

By MEG JONES
June 28, 2001

Despite strong objections from utility companies and business groups, the state Natural Resources Board on Wednesday moved ahead on a proposal that would make Wisconsin the first state to force utilities to reduce mercury emissions.

Environmental groups favor the plan, saying it would clean up Wisconsin's air and reduce the amount of mercury ending up in the state's lakes and tainting fish.

Utilities think the proposal is too strict, saying it could force them to close some of the state's 13 coal-burning plants and would cost an estimated $1 billion over 10 years to put in place the technology required to reduce emissions - costs that would be passed on to consumers. In Wisconsin, 53% of all energy is supplied by coal.

The proposed rule would cut mercury emissions by 90% over 15 years. Utilities would submit compliance plans to cut mercury emissions by 30% after five years and 50% after 10 years.

The board voted to schedule public hearings on the proposal. However, the state Department of Natural Resources may end up tinkering with the proposal, depending on reaction from residents at public hearings held around the state in the coming months.

Conceding that "we don't have the perfect proposal," DNR Secretary Darrell Bazzell said public input will be important to the plan.

"We believe we have to begin the process now to reduce mercury emissions," Bazzell said.

Growing health concern

Why the fuss over mercury emissions? Because of growing concerns over the level of mercury found in fish caught and eaten in Wisconsin.

The DNR in March issued an advisory warning children under 15, nursing mothers and women of childbearing age not to eat more than one meal a week of panfish and one meal a month of larger fish caught in any of Wisconsin's 15,057 inland lakes.

Russ Ruland, of the Musky Club of Wisconsin, said warnings about the danger of consuming fish will hurt tourism because anglers will no longer want to fish in the state's streams and lakes if they're worried about getting sick from eating their catch. Ruland has fished in Wisconsin for more than 50 years and recently taught his 6-year-old grandson to fish.

"I think it would be a shame if I have to tell him we can fish but we can't eat it because it's contaminated with poison," Ruland told the board.

Utilities are committed to reducing mercury emissions, but the DNR proposal is too much, too quickly, said William Skewes, executive director of the Wisconsin Utilities Association, which represents all of the state's utility companies.

Skewes said mercury emissions are a global problem that can't be solved here when air currents bring in much of the pollution from Asia and other areas.

"After we have spent what I understand will be over a billion dollars on control technology and fuel switching, we will not have removed a single Wisconsin lake from the fish consumption advisory list, we will not have appreciably reduced the amount of mercury in the global pool and we will not have decreased the risk of mercury exposure to one Wisconsin citizen," Skewes said.

Instead, the association recommends reducing mercury emission levels by 10% over five years and 40% within 10 years. Skewes said the technology to reduce emissions by 90% from Wisconsin's power plants does not yet exist.

Forcing utilities to chop emissions by so much could hurt the economy and threaten the companies' ability to meet the state's energy needs, said Jeff Schoepke of the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's largest business group.

Wisconsin could end up becoming an "energy island" where the cost of power would be much higher than in other states that don't have mercury emission rules, Schoepke said.

"Unless you can make sure this rule is enforced in Louisiana and China, it's not going to reduce mercury emissions here," he said.

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to draft regulations to limit mercury releases from power plants, but those regulations would not go into effect until 2004.

That raises the possibility that the EPA's standards could be less stringent than Wisconsin's rules, Schoepke said.

But Bill Kordus, of the Twin City Rod and Gun Club, said utility companies are simply trying to frighten people by saying the plan will be too expensive.

"These people will spend millions of dollars to postpone anything," said Kordus, who lives in Menasha. "If they're not spending money to clean up their act, then they've got their head in the sand."

Although mercury emissions float into the state from elsewhere, Bazzell said Wisconsin has a chance "to help shape debate" over the issue. Other states may take a cue from Wisconsin and set their own rules to limit the mercury that comes from power plants.

While the technology to cut 90% of all mercury emissions in Wisconsin doesn't exist, Ruland said the state's proposal could spur utilities to devise ways to clean the air.

"As rules like this are passed, the technology will catch up quickly," Ruland said.