Three advocacy groups on Thursday [December 4] released a report that ranks Texas worst in the nation in the amount of mercury emitted into the air by power plants, with the TXU Monticello plant in Mount Pleasant listed as the biggest emitter in the state. Texas power plants emitted 8,992 pounds of mercury into the air in 2001, the most recent year for which figures were available, according to the report by the Texas Public Interest Research Group, Public Citizen, and the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition. According to the report, the Monticello plant emits 1,303 pounds of mercury, while the Limestone Plant in Limestone Couny and the Pirkey power plant in Longview each emit 1,100 pounds.

The group also criticized a Bush administration proposal on mercury pollution rules, which would allow power plants to postpone, in some cases for as long as a decade, requirements that they install technology designed to reduce mercury pollution, according to a drat of the document. The regulation would allow utilities to meet their mercury reduction targets over the next six years as a result of installing pollution controls to capture smog and acid rain. This would reduce mercury emissions by about 34 tons per year, of 30 percent, by 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

Gordon Hall, Titus County/Camp County Manager for TXU, said even with the EPA's change in approach on mercury emissions, TXU is not waiting. "No technology has been proven to reduce mercury emissions from lignite facilities," Hall said. "TXU has, and continues to be, involved in research and in fact has received two Department of Energy grants for additional mercury research next year." In response to the Monticello plant's listing as the worst mercury emitter in Texas, Hall said, "U.S. power plants represent less than one percent of global mercury emissions. Meanwhile, forest fires annually release 15 times more mercury into the atmosphere than all U.S. coal plants combined. No technology has been proven to reduce mercury emissions from lignite facilities."

Hall said it is premature to speculate on the impact of the EPA's White House-backed proposal since no technology exists today to reduce mercury from commercial lignite facilities. "TXU is absolutely committed to addressing the issue of mercury emissions," Hall said. "TXU has a proud history of successfully meeting challenges on emissions. For example, we have already achieved significant reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions."

Critics of the EPA's new guidelines said that it is only about one-third of the reductions that could be achieved under a more ambitious requirement proposed in 2000 by the Clinton administration. That would have required the best mercury controls be installed at every plant by 2008. The more stringent requirements, which could be achieved only by mercury-specific pollution controls, would not kick in until 2018 under the Bush administration proposal.

The "Toxic Neighbors" report evaluated 2001 Toxics Release Inventory data, the nation's database of toxic air, water and land pollution, the advocacy groups said. "Toxic mercury pollution from power plants is dangerous, widespread and largely preventable," said Karen Hadden, executive director of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition. Hadden and other advocates urged the federal government not to backtrack on protecting the environment and the nation's health in regard to mercury.

Tom "Smitty" Smith, director of Public Citizen's Texas office, said the Bush administration proposal represents a significant weakening of the Clean Air Act. "We're already the worst state in the nation for mercury pollution, and we call on the EPA and our congressional representatives to protect our health, not dump toxins on Texas," Smith said.