Alerts

News Services

Media Kits

Newsletters & Updates

Toll Free Information

Calendars

Mercury Rule Media Kit

The Department of Natural Resources is proposing revisions to Wisconsin's current rules regulating mercury released from coal-fired electricity generating plants. The revised rules would be more protective of human and environmental health than current rules.

Fast Facts

Mercury

  • A naturally-occurring element that cannot be created or destroyed
  • Found in the earth's crust, many rocks, and coal
  • A heavy metal for which people have found many uses
  • Can also be highly toxic and cause health problems - some forms more toxic than others
  • Emitted from several sources - natural and human-made
  • Released into the air when burning coal, burning mercury-containing wastes, producing chlorine
  • Once emitted, travels through air, sometimes long distances, eventually falls and deposited into waterways and onto the land and vegetation
  • In lakes and wetlands, bacteria convert elemental mercury to methyl mercury, a more toxic form readily taken up by fish and other organisms in water bodies

Health Effects

  • Health experts worldwide have recognized mercury as hazardous material responsible for serious public health, environmental and economic problems for decades
  • Mercury can damage the developing brains of children, affect their behavior and ability to learn
  • Mercury can also damage the human nervous system - in adults too much may lead to loss of coordination and memory and affect vision, hearing and speech

Fish

  • All Wisconsin lakes have a mercury fish consumption advisory; EPA estimates roughly 437,000 Wisconsin men and women are exposed to hazardous mercury levels by eating fish
  • DNR's earliest examination of mercury contamination began in 1970, including fish sampling in the Wisconsin River where known sources of mercury were a concern
  • Wisconsin began mercury-based consumption advisories in 1985 after elevated mercury levels identified in sport fish harvested from several northern lakes
  • Wisconsin is country's number 2 fishing destination. Fishing generates a $2.75 billion economic impact in Wisconsin and supports more than 30,000 jobs. Fishing related activities and sales generate nearly $200 million in state tax revenues for local and state government. 381,000 nonresident anglers fished in Wisconsin in 2006, spending a total of 3.8 million days and $280 million on retail goods

Emission Sources

  • Coal-burning power plants are largest human-caused source of mercury emissions to the air in the US, contributing over 40 percent of all domestic human-caused mercury emissions
  • According to 2005 air emission inventory data, a total of 4,140 pounds of mercury was released into environment from Wisconsin's stationary air pollution sources (permitted facilities):
    • 2,586 pounds (62.5 percent) from coal-fired electrical generating units
    • 1,139 pounds (27.5 percent) from the chlor-alkali facility in Port Edwards, Wisconsin. (Wisconsin's sole chlor-alkali facility, ERCO Worldwide, has announced that it will undergo modifications to eliminate its mercury cell technology by the end of 2009.)
    • 195 pounds (4.7 percent) from coal-fired power boilers located at industrial facilities
  • The proposed rule would allow only 380 pounds per year -- a 56 percent reduction from the current rule. Overall, mercury emissions would be reduced each year by nearly 3,000 pounds from 2005 levels.

Back to Top

Health Impacts

Mercury is a hazardous material that causes serious environmental and health problems. Although it is found naturally, problems arise from its release from man-made products and energy production.

Human exposure to mercury occurs either short-term through breakage and spills of mercury-containing equipment (acute exposure) or longer-term through regular consumption of fish contaminated with methylmercury (chronic exposure).

Symptoms from Chronic Exposure to Methylmercury

Adults
  • sleep disturbances
  • irritability
  • memory loss
  • behavior changes
  • paresthesia - a sensation of pricking on the skin
  • blurred vision
  • malaise - a vague feeling of illness or depression
  • speech difficulties
  • constriction of the visual field
  • deafness
Children
  • impaired dexterity
  • impaired fine motor skills
  • impaired verbal memory
  • delayed development
Infants born to women who ingested high concentrations
  • mental retardation
  • ataxia - loss or lack of muscular coordination
  • deafness
  • constriction of the visual field
  • blindness
  • cerebral palsy
Infants born to women who ingested lower concentrations
  • developmental delays
  • abnormal reflexes

Following the fish consumption advice allows people to obtain the health benefits of eating fish while reducing their risk of exposure to environmental contaminants in fish.

Back to Top

Rule

Wisconsin currently has rules limiting mercury emissions. A set of revisions to the current rules that are more protective of human health and would reduce emission further, are being prepared for consideration by the state Natural Resources Board: June 24-25, 2008, Agenda Item 3.A.1.

Current Rule Summary

  • Wisconsin's rule requires the state's four major utilities to reduce their mercury emissions in two phases:
    1. 40 percent reduction by 2010
    2. 75 percent reduction by 2015
  • Rule also establishes a goal of 80 percent reduction by 2018 to encourage additional progress.
  • Rule does not require a specific control technology -- each utility can select the approach it determines is most cost effective and best meets system needs
  • Rule contains several important provisions to protect electric reliability and ensure reductions can be met

Proposed Rule Summary

The proposed revisions to Wisconsin's mercury rule are based upon a health and welfare finding: Mercury Emissions from Coal-fired Power Plants

The proposed rule
  • Has two approaches for large (150 MW and greater) coal-fired power plant mercury reductions:
    • Achieves a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions from coal by the year 2015 or
    • Reduces multiple pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), and achieve 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions six years later.
  • Small (> 25 MW and < 150 MW) coal-fired power plants must reduce their mercury emissions to a level defined as Best Available Control Technology (BACT)
  • Creates certainty for utility investments in pollution abatement equipment and technology
  • Assures future electrical reliability for business and ratepayers at reasonable costs

For more information, Mercury Rule and Revisions.

What the Rule Will Achieve

  • Allows only 380 pounds per year, a 56 percent reduction from the current rule
  • Reduces mercury emissions each year by nearly 3,000 pounds from 2005 levels.
  • Reduces sulfur dioxide by 97,000 tons each year and nitrogen oxides would be reduced by 66,000 tons each year between 2005 and 2015, under the multi-pollutant approach and with the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and Reasonable Available Control Technology (RACT).

Why the Rule is Needed Now

  • Acting now saves lives and reduces health-related costs and environmental losses
  • Citizens of Wisconsin should not wait any longer
  • Twenty-two states either have or are proposing rules to reduce mercury more than the vacated federal rule
  • Some states can do it faster because they use less coal or use Eastern coal - which has less mercury. Sixty percent of Illinois' power is nuclear.
  • Proposed rule is a more comprehensive and flexible than neighboring midwest states rules and provides greater public health benefits
  • Puts the state in a good position to meet future federal mercury requirements

Back to Top

Sources

Sources of Mercury Into the Environment

  • Element in the earth's crust
  • Found in many rocks including coal and natural deposits of cinnabar (HgS)
  • Natural phenomena include volcanic eruptions, forest fires, erosion of mercury-bearing soils and rocks, evaporation of mercury-containing water, and animal secretions
  • Human-related sources of mercury include:
    1. Coal-fired power plants
    2. Industrial coal-fired boilers
    3. Chlor-alkali production
    4. Sludge drying and combustion
    5. Foundries
    6. Waste incineration
    7. Natural gas and oil combustion
    8. Non-ferrous metal smelters
    9. Iron and steel plants
    10. Cement plants
    11. Paper pulp factories
    12. Municipal, hospital and other incinerators
    13. Amalgam fillings in dentistry

Once mercury is released to the atmosphere, it can travel long distances. Ultimately, mercury in the air deposits into water or onto land and vegetation where it can be washed into the water.

Mercury Sources in Wisconsin

Wisconsin air emission inventory data indicates that three major types of stationary sources (permitted facilities) are responsible for mercury air emissions in the state:

  1. Coal-fired electrical generating units.
  2. ERCO Worldwide chlor-alkali facility in Port Edwards.
  3. Industrial coal-fired power boilers.

Wisconsin's sole chlor-alkali facility, ERCO Worldwide, is modifying operations to eliminate its use of mercury cell technology by the end of 2009.

Wisconsin Stationary Source Mercury Emission Sources

The 2005 air emission inventory data showed the following sources contributing a total of 4,140 pounds of mercury emitted.
Stationary Source Category 2005 Mercury Emissions - Pounds Number of Processes**
ERCO Chloralkali Production 1,139.0 1
Solid Fuel-fired Electrical Generating Units* 2,586.0 62
Industrial, Institutional & Commercial Solid Fuel Boilers 195.0 74
Sludge Drying & Combustion 95.0 5
Foundry 55.0 5
Waste Incineration 34.0 5
Natural Gas & Oil Combustion 18.5 553
Remaining Categories 18.3 13
  4,140.8 718

Wisconsin DNR Air Emissions Inventory - 2005, Bureau of Air Management.

*Solid fuel EGU boilers are primarily coal-fired but other reported fuels include coke, tires, biomass, and paper pellets.

**Firing of different fuels is reported as separate processes for the same unit therefore there may be multiple reported processes for a single emission unit (e.g. a boiler burning coal and coke have two reported processes in the air emission inventory). The one exception is the ERCO chlor-alkali production which has nine separate reported processes but for purposes of this analysis they are considered one process.

Back to Top

More Resources

Back to Top

Related News

Search News    

Last Revised: Thursday, August 28, 2008