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Iowa Health Freedom Coalition
| © 2008 by Iowa Health Freedom Coalition. All rights reserved. |
Two groups file mercury poisoning suit against EPA
By BRETT TROXLER
btroxler@wbrz.com
2theadvocate.com staff
From a report by WBRZ's Peter Marshall
The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club have filed a lawsuit against the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the agency is not doing enough to protect south Louisiana
residents from mercury poisoning.
The Sierra Club claimed in an appeal filed in a Washington federal court that the EPA is too lax in policing
plants like Pioneer America’s LLC.
A spokesman for Pioneer America’s admits the company’s St. Gabriel operation, along with the one in Lake
Charles, releases more than 2,400 pounds of mercury into the environment ever year. Louisiana ranks
second in the nation behind Florida in the amount of mercury released into the environment, according to the
Department of Environmental Quality.
“As little as one teaspoon of mercury in a water body can be enough to contaminate it,” said Maura Wood of
the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club claims mercury emissions are responsible for poisoning 29 Louisiana waterways, including
fishing hotspots like the Atchafalaya Basin. And that, according to Tulane professor Barry Kohl, is the problem.
“That should be the concern to everybody who enjoys fishing, that they can never be sure that the fish they’re
catching are poisoned and whether or not they can feed those fish to their family,” Kohl said.
While many plants have stopped using mercury for the production of chlorine gas, Pioneer America’s two
plants still do things the old fashioned way, according to the Sierra Club. But a spokesman for Pioneer
America’s said the mercury-based manufacturing process they use is not outdated and should remain that
way for another 12 years.
“This is still a very viable technology,” said St. Gabriel Plant Manager Dave Gasper. “We’ve recently invested
over $13 million over the last few years not to become more in compliance with regulatory requirements, but
as voluntary measures to continue to reduce those emissions.”
Despite the mercury emissions, Pioneer America’s St. Gabriel plant has not broken the law. And according to
the Sierra Club, that is exactly why the law needs to be changed.
Pioneer America's is not named in the suit, and the EPA refused to comment on the matter.
As reported Jan. 19 on WBRZ’s 6 p.m. telecast. If you have information or comments related to this story,
email news@wbrz.com.
If you came to this page from outside of the Talk International.com web site, CLICK HERE to enter our main
site for more related news and information.
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This page was last updated 02/29/2004
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ch are widely respected at the Statehouse.
By BRETT TROXLER
btroxler@wbrz.com
2theadvocate.com staff
From a report by WBRZ's Peter Marshall
The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club have filed a lawsuit against the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the agency is not doing enough to protect south Louisiana
residents from mercury poisoning.
The Sierra Club claimed in an appeal filed in a Washington federal court that the EPA is too lax in policing
plants like Pioneer America’s LLC.
A spokesman for Pioneer America’s admits the company’s St. Gabriel operation, along with the one in Lake
Charles, releases more than 2,400 pounds of mercury into the environment ever year. Louisiana ranks
second in the nation behind Florida in the amount of mercury released into the environment, according to the
Department of Environmental Quality.
“As little as one teaspoon of mercury in a water body can be enough to contaminate it,” said Maura Wood of
the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club claims mercury emissions are responsible for poisoning 29 Louisiana waterways, including
fishing hotspots like the Atchafalaya Basin. And that, according to Tulane professor Barry Kohl, is the problem.
“That should be the concern to everybody who enjoys fishing, that they can never be sure that the fish they’re
catching are poisoned and whether or not they can feed those fish to their family,” Kohl said.
While many plants have stopped using mercury for the production of chlorine gas, Pioneer America’s two
plants still do things the old fashioned way, according to the Sierra Club. But a spokesman for Pioneer
America’s said the mercury-based manufacturing process they use is not outdated and should remain that
way for another 12 years.
“This is still a very viable technology,” said St. Gabriel Plant Manager Dave Gasper. “We’ve recently invested
over $13 million over the last few years not to become more in compliance with regulatory requirements, but
as voluntary measures to continue to reduce those emissions.”
Despite the mercury emissions, Pioneer America’s St. Gabriel plant has not broken the law. And according to
the Sierra Club, that is exactly why the law needs to be changed.
Pioneer America's is not named in the suit, and the EPA refused to comment on the matter.
As reported Jan. 19 on WBRZ’s 6 p.m. telecast. If you have information or comments related to this story,
email news@wbrz.com.
If you came to this page from outside of the Talk International.com web site, CLICK HERE to enter our main
site for more related news and information.
Comment on this at">: ENVIRO TALK |"> TALK ON-LINE ">| TALK DENTAL |"> QUACKBUSTERS |
* Please post to appropriate group. Do not cross post. Post message only to one group. Membership Req'd.
Membership and all postings are subject to group policies.
This page was last updated 02/29/2004
Copyright © 1996-2004, Talk International.com. All rights reserved.
Privacy Statement Notice & Disclaimer
ch are widely respected at the Statehouse.
MERCURY POISONING