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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Court Ruling Could “Lower the Mercury” in Ohio

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Monday, February 11, 2008   

Columbus, OH – A new court ruling could "lower the mercury" in Ohio. A federal appeals court has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is violating the Clean Air Act by not enforcing mercury pollution limits at all coal-fired power plants, and calls on the agency to impose stronger controls.

It's big news for Ohio, says Teresa McHugh of the Sierra Club, because the state relies heavily on coal for its electricity, and mercury from those plants ends up in Ohio rivers, lakes, and fish.

"Calling the EPA to account on this is going to make a huge difference for power plants in our state. This court determination makes it clear that, as we consider energy sources to meet future demand, we really need to be looking at cleaner and healthier alternatives, like energy efficiency and renewable energies."

The court struck down an EPA rule that had allowed power plants to trade emissions credits on mercury. The agency had argued that the rule provided an incentive for plants to cut pollution, but 14 states and a number of health and environmental groups sued the EPA in response, saying all coal plants need mercury controls. Mercury exposure is linked to numerous health problems, including birth defects that result in permanent neurological disorders.

While supporters of coal power argue that it's a cheap way to meet energy demand, McHugh notes the damage caused by coal pollution, and the costs of preventing that pollution, show the need for alternatives. She also would like the state to make tougher mercury standards a priority.




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