Call to Action: Bush Admin to INCREASE Mercury in Air
League of Conservation Voters
Mercury is a real horror show. It comes out of power plants, into our air, and causes brain damage in children. And now the Bush Administration actually wants to increase the amount of mercury in our environment.
Tell your Senators to re-write the ending to this feature by blocking these toxic regulations!
By taking action through our partner, Act for Change, you'll be
supporting the environment and helping to build strong environmental
coalitions.
Last March, the Bush Administration finalized a pro-industry rule for mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. But now
Congress has the opportunity to effectively overturn a key part of this
rule and force stricter regulation of this toxic pollutant.
This is
not science fiction: Mercury is especially harmful to women of
childbearing age, pregnant women, and children. Exposure to the heavy
metal can cause permanent damage to a fetus and has been linked to
neurological disorders in young children. Mercury emissions fall to the
ground and into our waterways, entering the food chain and tainting
fish in local lakes and streams. Most states have already issued warnings to limit fish consumption tied to mercury contamination.
But the Bush Administration's weak mercury rule is pure fantasy: it
allows more emissions of the toxin for a longer period of time.
More than half of all Americans live within 30 miles of mercury polluting plants,
but the Bush Administration made it clear whose side they're on. They
worked closely with the electric utility industry to develop rules to
allow more mercury in our air over a longer period of time – and save
the utility industry billions of dollars.
As the
Bush Administration proposed their weak rules, 45 Senators and 10
Attorneys General expressed opposition to the plan. Now it's time for
Congress to take action and force the Bush Administration to clean
mercury from coal-burning power plants.
Write to your Senators today. A blockbuster response will send the Bush Administration back for a rewrite.
Sincerely,
Deb Callahan
President
League of Conservation Voters
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