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Congressman Tom Allen Press Release

"Maine has enacted strict state standards to curb mercury emissions, but poisonous mercury pollution continues to drift from Midwestern plants to Maine and the other northeastern states," Representative Allen said. "The bill I introduced in 1999 provided incentives to remove mercury from consumer products like thermometers as key element of a comprehensive effort to eliminate these sources of mercury and to protect people at risk, especially children and women during their child-bearing years. The new mercury thermometer 'trade in' program will expand that effort to safely retrieve one source of mercury still widely prevalent nationwide."

Representative Allen introduced two bills in the 106th Congress which address mercury pollution. H.R.2667, The Omnibus Mercury Emissions Reduction Act of 1999 would require a 95 percent reduction in mercury emissions from all oil and coal burning boilers. H.R. 2980, The Clean Power Plant Act of 1999, closes a loophole in the Clean Air Act which allows old power plants to continue to violate clean air standards.

"My legislation requires a phased elimination of mercury from products including thermometers, flourescent tubes, batteries, electrical thermostats and switches, and certain pharmaceutical and agricultural products with an exception for essential products," Representative Allen said. "The recent ordinance passed in Freeport and a proposal to ban the sale of mercury thermometers statewide pending in the Maine legislature demonstrate the importance Maine people place on the elimination of the public health threat posed by mercury emissions. The new 'trade-in' program I will include in the bill this year takes their initiative nationwide by providing an additional incentive to replace mercury thermometers with a safer alternative."

Representative Allen also plans to introduce legislation directing the Department of Defense to temporarily accept waste mercury, like that left after the closure of the Holtra Chem plant in Bucksport. The bill also would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop and implement a program for long term storage and recycling or safe disposal.

With no available facility in this country willing to accept mercury wastes, companies have attempted to export their wastes to countries, especially those in the Third World, with less stringent environmental standards than the United States.

"By directing the Defense Department to accept waste mercury on an interim basis, my initiative will provide companies with an environmentally sound alternative to overseas export," Representative Allen said. "It will also give that EPA a clear mandate to ensure that these potentially harmful mercury wastes are recycled or disposed of under strict standards that will prevent their emission into the environment."

contact: Mark Sullivan, (202)225-6116 or (207)671-0542