Lawsuit Filed Against EPA Over Mercury
Nine U.S. states and several environmental groups plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for putting into place a rule that refuses to regulate mercury emissions and other toxins from cement plancts. The petition has been signed by Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York and was filed on February 16 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Sierra Club, Downwinders at Risk, Desert Citizens against Pollution, and Monatanans against Toxic Burning support the lawsuit.
In the United States, cement plants are the main source of mercury emissions. In December 2006, the EPA announced new limits on mercury emissions but allowed loosened rules for plants built prior to December 2005. James Pew, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, says that the relaxed rules are unacceptable because "the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to limit mercury from all cement plants, not just the new ones."
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