Conservation Groups Sue EPA Over Mercury Emissions

Three conservation organizations have sued the federal government to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require maximum achievable

reductions in mercury and other toxic air pollutants emitted by coal- and oil-fired power plants. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA’s deadline for issuing these standards was December 20, 2002. The suit comes as EPA closes its public comment period on a cap-and-trade plan to limit mercury and nickel emissions. EPA’s proposal, according to the plaintiffs, does not comply with the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit was brought against the EPA by the Izaak Walton League of America, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine; it was filed April 28, 2004 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. “Our lawsuit simply asks the court to require the Bush administration to obey the law,” said Jon Hinck, toxics project director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Details are online at www.nwf.org.