skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

Critics: D-N-R Mercury Rule Won’t Make the Cut

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 8, 2008   

Madison, WI – A proposed Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources rule aims to cut mercury emissions from power plants in the state, but critics say it doesn't go far enough. The plan would require large power plants to cut mercury emissions by 90 percent by the year 2015.

Jennifer Feyerherm with the Sierra Club in Wisconsin says there are two major loopholes, however. Many smaller power plants are exempt from the rule, and larger plants can do trade-offs of other types of pollution to avoid the 90 percent target. She says Illinois and Minnesota both have strong mercury reduction rules in place, and Wisconsin should follow their lead.

"We know how to reduce mercury by 90 percent and more; we've got the technologies to do it; we're seeing them used across the country; there is no reason we shouldn't require those kinds of technologies here in Wisconsin."

Feyerherm says all Wisconsin lakes, rivers and streams have mercury warning advisories for fish, and cutting down on mercury emissions from power plants is the best way to start turning things around.

"It's not rocket science. If we stop the pollution, we cut it off at the source; it's not there to cycle through the ecosystem and build up in our bodies. We know how to remove this pollution, we need to do it to protect Wisconsin families and kids."

Mercury is a neurotoxin linked to health problems including birth defects and developmental disabilities.

The DNR is taking public comments through next Monday.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021