St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
has announced a new rule that will protect public health by reducing mercury
emissions from taconite processing. The work to reduce mercury began under Governor
Tim Pawlenty in 2007 and over the last seven years the MPCA has worked closely
with the mining industry to develop the final rule. This rule will safeguard
public health and the environment, while giving the mining industry long-term
certainty and the time it needs to develop mercury reduction technology and
strategies.
“In Minnesota, we
have always found a way to support a thriving mining economy, while protecting
the health of our citizens,” said MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine. “This rule to reduce mercury is an important step forward in safeguarding
public health and working to meet our longstanding mercury-reduction goals.
Mercury gets into the fish we eat, and affects brain function. Babies and young
children are particularly impacted by the negative effects of mercury.”
The rule
requires a few specific industries (including taconite) to define how they can
reduce or eliminate mercury emissions from their processes. Specifically, iron
mining companies will need to submit plans by 2018 that outline how they intend
to achieve reductions by 2025. The rule also sets forth a consistent reporting
requirement for all other major mercury-emitting industrial facilities (those emitting at least 3 lbs
per year).
Minnesota already is a national leader in reducing mercury emissions
from coal fired power utilities, currently on track toward reducing mercury 95
percent by 2016. Electric utilities are
doing this by installing controls and reducing or eliminating the use of coal.
For the taconite industry, reducing mercury will take new technologies because
mercury is released when the rock that is mined and crushed for taconite
production is heated in the furnaces.
The new rule acknowledges that the mining industry needs time to develop
mercury-reduction technology and strategies, and gives the industry great flexibility as to how they
meet goals for reductions. The MPCA agreed that if by 2018 the mercury goals
are impractical or unachievable, taconite facilities will be allowed
to submit alternative approaches to reduce mercury emissions that are
practical and feasible for their operations.
Commissioner
Stine emphasized that Minnesota’s work serves as a model for how to limit the
harmful effects of mercury. Stine said that Governor Dayton is directing MPCA
leaders and pressing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement
similar rules in other states around the U.S to reduce non-Minnesota sources of
mercury in Minnesota waterways and fish.
“This rule is the
first of its kind in the nation and demonstrates Minnesota’s leadership on an
issue that directly impacts the health of our citizens and environment," said Stine. "But we
should not have to act alone.”
Broadcast version
The
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency unveiled a new rule to help protect public
health from mercury released into the air from mining operations. The
rule requires iron mining companies, including the taconite industry, to
complete, by 2018, a plan for reducing mercury emissions by 2025.
The new
rule acknowledges that the mining industry needs time to develop mercury control
technologies and gives them flexibility on how to make the needed cuts, said
MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine.
“In
Minnesota, we have always found a way to support a thriving mining economy
while protecting the health of our citizens,” Stine said. “This rule to reduce
mercury is an important step forward in safeguarding public health.”
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The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
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