Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 39661
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2025/07/09 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
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2005/9/13-16 [Politics/Domestic/California, Politics/Domestic/President/Reagan] UID:39661 Activity:nil
9/13    To conservatives and small-government supporters, what is your opinion
        on regulating mercury emissions?
        http://tinyurl.com/chhea
        Another fact:  FDA/EPA & number of states have issued fish consumption
        advisories: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg.html
        Don't you think these two things somehow related?
        \_ If the mercury is completely w/in the state it OUGHT to be
           beyond the reach of the fed gov. Re fish - so what? don't
           eat fish, I've never eaten fish (or any other animal) in
           my entire life and I'm doing okay.
           \_ Your mind has been classified as: small and conservative.
           \_ Brilliant!!! Maybe Colorado can charge an exorbitant amount
              of money for water going into California since they have an
              abundance. And you're thinking of privatization right? That's
              great! Go America, go Ronald Reagan, go Conservatism!!!
           \_ Re air, I've never breathed air my entire life and I'm...oh
              wait.
           \_ so your general position is a lack of respect for animal life,
              AND disrespect for people's culinary tastes?
              \_ Are the fish affected by the Hg? If so, let them evolve.
                 If not, what is the big damn problem - why don't you get
                 some culture and stop living off the flesh of dead animals.
           \_ most mercury emitted to the air in the coal-firing powerplants.
              coal contains a very very small amount of mercury, but because
              we burn a lot of it, this become a problem.  Since mercury
              vapor do travel across state lines, what is your opinion on
              Feds impose regulation on state-own power plants?
              \_ Legitimate ways for congress to get pwr over state coal
                 plants would be:
                 1. the plant provided pwr to other states not just
                    the state it was located in
                 2. the plant got coal from another state
                 3. Congress paid for the plant (all or part)
                 4. Congress took over all regulation of all coal plants
                    in the entire US
                 If the state is paying for the plant and it gets all of
                 the coal locally and provides all of the coal locally,
                 it OUGHT to be beyond the pwr of Congress. The argument
                 that the effect of the coal production on other states
                 justifies fed regulation if taken to its logical
                 conclusion justifies congressional regulation of
                 everything. Crime in one state affects another - why
                 shouldn't congress regulate that?
                 The pwr of the fed gov in necessarily limited and should
                 remain so.
           \_ I'm going to shoot you. I've never gotten anything good from
              you in my entire life and I'm doing ok.
              \_ Bring it on!
2025/07/09 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/9     

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tinyurl.com/chhea -> www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2005/2005-09-13-10.asp
Senate Fails in Bid to Block Bush Mercury Plan By JR Pegg WASHINGTON, DC , September 13, 2005 (ENS) - The Senate today narrowly defeated a resolut ion to block the Bush administrations controversial plan to cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The 51-47 vote upholds a federal rule that permits a mercury emissions tr ading program, which critics contend violates the Clean Air Act and fail s to address the serious public health and environmental concerns associ ated with the toxic metal. "The rule is not based on sound science," said Senator Susan Collins, a M aine Republican, "and it will harm human health and the health of our en vironment." plant FirstEnergy's Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania, a coal-rich state. Some 44 states have issued fish consumption advisories due to mercury con tamination in some or all of their waters. Young children and women of childbearing age are most at risk the federal government estimates at least one in eight American women of childbeari ng age has unsafe levels of mercury levels in her blood. Senator James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, said sponsors of the resolu tion were wasting time on a measure that had no chance of affecting the implementation of the Bush rules. Inhofe called the vote "purely political and essentially meaningless," no ting that the White House had pledged to veto the resolution and that th e House was unlikely to even consider it. senators Vermont Senators Patrick Leahy (center) and Jim Jeffords spoke with the media yesterday about their efforts to repeal the controversial mercury pollution rule. "This was a debate that powerful special interests had been able to preve nt, until now," said Leahy. "We have garnered more support than anyone t hought possible just a few months ago when we began this effort." Debate on the measure reflected sharp disagreement about the Bush adminis trations mercury plan - divisions that breach party lines. Six Democrats joined 45 Republicans in voting against the resolution; nin e Republicans, 37 Democrats and the Senates lone Independent supported t he measure. Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants are currently unregulated - these facilities emit some 48 tons of mercury each year, accounting fo r about 40 percent of the nation's mercury pollution. Proponents say the Bush plan, which aims to reduce these emissions some 7 0 percent by 2018, is the most cost effective way to cut mercury polluti on and is modeled after a program that has successfully cut acid rain po llution. Deeper cuts would hurt the industry, supporters say, and raise electricit y costs without much benefit to public health. But the Bush plan has drawn broad criticism and is the subject of several federal court challenges by more than a dozen states and an array of pu blic health and environmental groups. Critics say it is an inappropriate regulatory approach because of the dan ger posed by the toxic metal. Inhofe US Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who chairs the Senate Environment Committee, said the resolution was a waste of time. Friends of Jim Inhofe) The cap and trade plan puts industry-wide limits on mercury emissions and issues tradeable credits to plants that reduce emissions below the limi ts. But it allows some plants to avoid making any reductions. Opponents contend this will create local hot spots of pollution, disproportionatel y impacting individual communities. "I am confounded by the failure of this rule to meet either the spirit or letter of the law," said Senator Olympia Snowe, a Maine Republican. "It is clearly delinquent in protecting all Americans equally from the haza rds of mercury." Industry supporters are overstating the economic impact of stricter regul ations, Leahy said, and underplaying the health benefits that would acco mpany cuts in mercury pollution. A peer reviewed study released last week by the Mount Sinai School of Med icines Center for Childrens Health and the Environment estimated some $2 billion a year is lost due to the public health impacts of mercury poll ution, Leahy said. "We are telling a whole generation of women and children that their healt h is less important than energy companies profits," Leahy said. The Senate resolution took specific aim at a March 2005 rule that allows the federal government to implement the cap and trade plan. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that determined mercury emissi ons from power plants should be reduced using maximum achievable control technology (MACT). Supporters of the resolution say that reversal is a clear violation of th e Clean Air Act and noted that development of the mercury policy was lit tered with controversy. Large passages of the draft rule were lifted verbatim from industry memos and a report by the EPA Inspector General found that senior agency offi cials manipulated the development of the mercury rule in order to favor the emissions trading plan. In addition, the Government Accountability Office determined the EPAs eco nomic analysis of the mercury rule was seriously flawed and violated the agencys own policy guidelines. The facts point to "an intentional and illegal effort to circumvent the l aw designed to benefit big energy companies at the expense of the public ," said Senator James Jeffords, a Vermont Independent. Opponents of the Bush mercury plan contend power plants should be forced to cut emissions much more quickly than the goals outlined in the curren t regulations. town Peninsula Harbour, at the Lake Superior North Shore town of Marathon, Ontario is contaminated with mercury. The greatest concentrations of mercury lie in the waters close to the paper factory shown by the smokestack near the center of the photo. EcoSuperior) They note that in a presentation to an industry trade group in 2001, EPA officials said a MACT standard could reduce mercury emissions 90 percent - to 55 million tons - four years after a rule is finalized. MACT standards have been used to rein in the two other major sources of m ercury pollution in the United States - medical and municipal waste inci nerators. Utility groups have lobbied hard against a mercury MACT standard, arguing that commercial technologies are too new and expensive to achieve such reductions, and noting that US power plants only contribute one percen t of global mercury pollution. The resolutions sponsors would derail the only mercury regulation on the books and fail to see that mercury pollution is "a global issue," accord ing to Senator George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican. "The technology does not exist to accomplish what proponents want," added Senator Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican. "If I had a magic wand, I woul d be happy to wave it and support a 90 percent reduction. Advocates of a stronger mercury rule say the United States should lead by example. They contend advanced emissions reduction technology does exis t and will be commercially available once there is a strong market deman d for it. "It is all well and good we want to reduce emissions in 2018 by 70 percen t," said Senator Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat. Quote of Note "Perhaps a new revelatory experience is taking place, an experience where in human consciousness awakens to the grandeur and sacred quality of the Earth process. Humanity has not participated in such a vision since sha manic times, but in such a renewal lies our hope for the future for ours elves and for the entire planet."
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www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg.html
Seafood can be an important part of a balanced diet for pregnant women. It is a good source of high quality protein and other nutrients and is low in fat. However, some fish contain high levels of a form of mercury called methy lmercury that can harm an unborn child's developing nervous system if e aten regularly. By being informed about methylmercury and knowing the k inds of fish that are safe to eat, you can prevent any harm to your unb orn child and still enjoy the health benefits of eating seafood. Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and it can also be released into the air through industrial pollution. Mercury falls from the air a nd can get into surface water, accumulating in streams and oceans. Bact eria in the water cause chemical changes that transform mercury into me thylmercury that can be toxic. Fish absorb methylmercury from water as they feed on aquatic organisms. HOW CAN I AVOID LEVELS OF MERCURY THAT COULD HARM MY UNBORN CHILD? Nearly all fish contain trace amounts of methylmercury, which are not ha rmful to humans. However, long-lived, larger fish that feed on other fi sh accumulate the highest levels of methylmercury and pose the greatest risk to people who eat them regularly. You can protect your unborn chi ld by not eating these large fish that can contain high levels of methy lmercury: Shark Swordfish King mackerel Tilefish While it is true that the primary danger from methylmercury in fish is t o the developing nervous system of the unborn child, it is prudent for nursing mothers and young children not to eat these fish as well. As long as you select a variety of other kinds of fish while you ar e pregnant or may become pregnant, you can safely enjoy eating them as part of a healthful diet. Of cours e, if your serving sizes are smaller, you can eat fish more frequently. You can choose shellfish, canned fish, smaller ocean fish or farm-rais ed fish- just pick a variety of different species. There is no harm in eating more than 12 ounces of fish in one week as lo ng as you don't do it on a regular basis. One week's consumption does n ot change the level of methylmercury in the body much at all. If you ea t a lot of fish one week, you can cut back the next week or two and be just fine. Some kinds of fish are known to have much lower than average levels of m ethylmercury and can be safely eaten more frequently and in larger amou nts. Contact your federal, state, or local health department or other a ppropriate food safety authority for specific consumption recommendatio ns about fish caught or sold in your local area. WHAT ABOUT THE FISH CAUGHT BY MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS IN FRESH WATER LAKES AND STREAMS? There can be a risk of contamination from mercury in fresh waters from e ither natural or industrial causes that would make the fish unsafe for you or your family to eat. The Environmental Protection Agency provides current advice on fish consumption from fresh water lakes and streams. Also check with your state or local health department to see if there are special advisories on fish caught from waters in your local area. Methylmercury Levels in Commercial Seafood Species December 2000 *FDA is in the process of re-evaluating this information and will update this advice as new information becomes available.