http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1:./temp/~c107ABECGv:e30125:
 

                                          S.1875

                  Omnibus Mercury Emission Reduction Act of 2001 (Introduced in the Senate)
 

SEC. 5. REDUCTION OF MERCURY EMISSIONS FROM SOLID WASTE INCINERATION
UNITS.

     (a) SEPARATION OF MERCURY-CONTAINING ITEMS- Section 3002 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6922) is
     amended by adding at the end the following:

     `(c) SEPARATION OF MERCURY-CONTAINING ITEMS-

         `(1) PUBLICATION OF LIST-

              `(A) IN GENERAL- Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall
              publish a list of mercury-containing items that shall be required to be separated and removed from the waste streams
              that feed solid waste management facilities.

              `(B) REQUIRED ITEMS- The list shall include mercury-containing items such as fluorescent light bulbs and tubes,
              batteries, pharmaceuticals, laboratory chemicals and reagents, electrical devices such as thermostats, relays, and
              switches, and medical and scientific instruments.



http://www.epa.gov/mercury/information.htm#fact_sheets

What are the biggest sources of mercury air emissions?

          According to EPA's 1997 Mercury Study Report to Congress, coal-fired electric utilities are the
          largest source of human-caused mercury air emissions in the U.S. Utilities are followed by:

               1. Municipal waste combustors (19 percent);
               2. Medical waste incinerators (10 percent);
               3. Hazardous waste combustors (4+ percent).

          How does mercury move through the environment?

          In the atmosphere, mercury is transported by wind either as a vapor or as particles. Mercury reaches
          waters either through direct deposition or as run-off from soil after rain. In the water, biological
          processes can transform mercury into methylmercury - a highly toxic form, which can accumulate in
          fish.

          How does mercury from power plants wind up in fish?

          When mercury is deposited into the water, microorganisms help convert it to methylmercury, a
          highly toxic form of mercury. Small organisms and plants take up the mercury as they feed. As
          animals higher up the food chain eat those plants and organisms, they, too, take in methylmercury.
          The process continues, with levels of mercury increasing, up the food chain. This process is known
          as bioaccumulation. Fish higher in the food chain, such as sharks and swordfish, have much higher
          mercury concentrations than fish lower on the food chain.


http://www.fe.doe.gov/coal_power/existingplants/mercurycontrol_fs.shtml

On Dec, 14, 2000 EPA determined there is sufficient cause to require coal-fired utilities to
                control mercury emissions, but it is unclear how much mercury is to be removed. According
                to this determination, a proposed rule, which would include the required mercury-removal
                levels, must be completed by December of 2003 with the final version due the following
                December. Utilities would have until December of 2007 to come into compliance with the
                new rule according to the current timeframe.

....
 

                But the effectiveness of mercury capture at individual plants can vary, a problem made
                especially difficult because mercury can be released in both elemental and oxidized forms.
                Oxidized mercury typically ranges from 30 to 70 percent of the total mercury in flue gas,
                depending upon the amount of mercury in coal and the way the coal is burned.

                Existing pollution control devices such as electrostatic precipitators (which remove solid
                particles) can be effective in removing elemental and in some cases, oxidized mercury.
                Typically, removals range between zero and 30%, but can be as high as 60% for elemental
                mercury. Wet scrubbers are effective in removing oxidized mercury ranging from 75 to 99%,
                with overall total mercury removals of 55%. Dry flue gas desulfurization scrubbers can
                remove both oxidized and elemental with total mercury removals as high as 90% when
                coupled with a baghouse. Baghouses also remove both forms of mercury, but their
                effectiveness depends on the type of filter and other power plant specifics (mainly fly ash
                properties and temperature).

                In short, pollution control systems can be effective in removing as high as 90 percent of the
                incoming coal's mercury levels in a few cases while in others, very little mercury is removed.


http://www.powerscorecard.org/issue_detail.cfm?issue=Mercury

How does electricity production contribute to increased levels of mercury and other air toxics?

                    The smokestacks of power plants spew a broad range of toxic substances into the air. Included among these chemical
                    vapors are known carcinogens such as mercury, heavy metals (arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, nickel), dioxin, furans and
                    PCBs. Based on a recent national inventory of hazardous air pollutants released into the air by electric power plants, EPA
                    found that coal and oil fired generating units represent a major source of several major hazardous air pollutants. Other
                    generating technologies - especially waste-to-energy facilities (municipal solid waste, tire burning and wood waste) also
                    contribute to the nation's inventory of listed hazardous air pollutants. By contrast, natural gas plants and facilities relying on
                    renewable energy sources have negligible, or no toxic emissions, respectively.

                    Electric power plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions. An inventory of mercury emissions conducted by
                    EPA found that one-third of all mercury air emissions come from coal burning electric power plants. Mercury is present in
                    the coal used as feedstock in the utility boiler. As the coal is combusted in the utility boiler, mercury is vaporized and
                    released as a gas. Pollution controls employed by utilities to curb other pollutants are not effective in removing mercury. At
                    present, there are no commercially viable control technologies for mercury. As a consequence, this highly toxic form of air
                    pollution continues to go largely unabated.