The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Dear Illinois PIRG supporter,

As you may know, Illinois PIRG is working to protect children and pregnant women from the health problems caused by exposure to toxic mercury pollution. We're grateful to the hundreds of you who took action last month when U.S. EPA held a hearing on mercury here in Chicago. Thank you to those who e-mailed the Bush Administration or came to the hearing!

While the Bush Administration appears to be letting the polluters off the hook, Governor Blagojevich has the authority to clean up mercury and other pollutants from Illinois power plants. This year the Illinois EPA will be setting emission standards for the state's power plants. The industry has the technology to eliminate more than 90 percent of the mercury from power plant smokestacks in the next 4 years, while significantly reducing soot and smog.

Please take a minute to send a letter to Governor Blagojevich urging him to protect public health by cleaning up the state's power plants. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://illinoispirg.org/IL.asp?id=15&id3=IL&id4=ES&


Background:

Scientists estimate that one out of every six children born in the U.S. already have mercury levels in their blood high enough to cause serious neurological damage that can lead to learning disabilities and loss of motor skills. The leading source of mercury pollution is the electric power industry, which burns mercury-containing coal in power plants throughout the state.

Old, coal-burning power plants in Illinois emit millions of tons of pollution per year, including toxic mercury, and the pollutants that cause formation of soot and smog, threatening the health of people across the state.

The mercury that comes from these smokestacks ends up in our lakes and streams, and contaminates fish tissue. Moms and kids are exposed when they eat fish. Fetuses and young children are exposed in the womb and through breast milk. These same power plants are also the biggest source of the smog and soot pollution that causes asthma attacks and other respiratory illness throughout the state.

The state of Illinois has issued consumption advisories for every lake and river in the state and the Great Lakes, warning people, especially women and children, to avoid or limit eating fish.

This year, the Illinois EPA will be considering new standards for power plants in Illinois. Power plant emissions of mercury, soot and smog can be addressed by requiring old, dirty power plants to install modern pollution control technologies.

The U.S. EPA's engineers reported in 2001 that current technologies could eliminate 90 percent of the mercury from power plants smokestacks by 2008. In fact, the states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts have already adopted or are in the process of adopting such standards.

We're asking Governor Blagojevich to direct his state regulators to set tough standards for power plant emissions in Illinois.

Please take a minute to send a letter to Governor Blagojevich urging him to protect public health by cleaning up the state's power plants. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://illinoispirg.org/IL.asp?id=15&id3=IL&id4=ES&

Sincerely,

Diane E. Brown
Illinois PIRG Executive Director
DianeB@illinoispirg.org
http://www.IllinoisPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.