The EPA's guidelines might make Jacksonville's situation even worse

Thank you to mayoral candidate Jackie Brown for her thoughts on mercury emissions. But Mercury Falling believes that adhering to the EPA's guidelines simply isn't enough. In fact, the EPA's guidelines might even worsen our plight here in Jacksonville. Here's why. The EPA's Clean Air Mercury Rule, which would go into effect in 2010, is a cap-and-trade, market-based approach to lowering mercury emissions. That is, utilities who emit less mercury can sell credits to utilities who emit more mercury. Where do you think JEA will fall? So, if we don't clean up our mercury pollution now, not only will we have the health effects of that pollution, but we might actually find ourselves paying cleaner utilities for the right to pollute. And what do you think that will do to your electric bill every month?

Also, according to a recent Washington Post article, "Under the Clean Air Mercury Rule, power plants in some regions may emit more mercury than others, which has prompted some to question whether the new system will result in mercury hot spots across the country." What areas are in danger of becoming hotspots? According to a researcher in the article, "A coal-burning plant in a wetland area would have far greater impact on human health and wildlife than a coal-burning plant in a dry, grassy area." Have you seen where JEA's plants are located?