Washington, D.C. - United States Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) released the following statement regarding the Bush Administration’s mercury rule.
“The rule released today is reckless, dishonest, and dangerous. Mercury contamination has made fish unsafe to eat in parts of Maryland and 43 other states across the nation, especially for children and pregnant women. The Bush Administration has responded to this problem by relaxing the restrictions on mercury pollution and making polluters less accountable. Experts throughout the scientific community agree that the new rules could result in serious health problems throughout the country. However, the Administration has decided to ignore the facts.
“The Bush Administration’s cap and trade program is profoundly inappropriate for regulating a potent neurotoxin like mercury. While cap and trade systems can be a useful and cost-effective approach to regulating less toxic pollutants such as carbon dioxide, it is a dangerous approach when dealing with highly toxic substances like mercury. Relying on a cap and trade to regulate mercury will almost certainly create toxic “hot spots” – where communities surrounding dirty power plants will be subjected to even higher levels of mercury than permitted by this already inadequate rule. That may be good for polluters, but it is a health disaster for families living in the area around the power plant.”