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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Moms Oppose Changes to EPA Mercury Rule

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019   

AUGUSTA, Maine - Do your job, protect our kids. That's the message dozens of mothers from 15 states took to Washington, D.C., this week.

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rolling back the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS, that limit hazardous pollution emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Shauna Watt with Moms Clean Air Force, and her 12-year-old son, Donovan, traveled from South Portland to testify at the only public hearing on the proposal. She said wind-borne pollution from power plants in other states has turned Maine into the "tailpipe of the nation," and the MATS rule is vital to the health of the state.

"About $170 million in health benefits are being saved by Mainers each year that they would otherwise be spending on asthma and other treatments from the adverse effects of mercury poisoning and toxic air," she said.

The EPA has claimed the cost of implementing MATS outweighs the benefits, but experts have pointed out that most of the industry already has implemented the rules at lower cost than expected.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that affects brain development, especially in infants and children. Watt said breathing contaminated air isn't the only problem. The mercury ends up in rivers, streams and lakes, where it enters the food chain.

"There's 14 bodies of water in Maine that have fish advisories against mercury contamination," she said, "so we really want to make sure that that doesn't increase."

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is co-sponsoring legislation that would establish a national mercury-monitoring network to protect human health and safeguard fisheries.

Watt said her son testified at the hearing Monday. She noted that young people are acutely aware that they will inherit the environmental legacy left by mercury and other pollutants.

"They're experiencing firsthand the effects of climate change," she said, "and are making their voice heard right now to try to get everyone else to pay attention and care about this thing that we should all be taking action against."

The EPA will accept public comments on the proposed changes to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards until April 17 online at epa.gov.


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