Nevada Mines Mercury Emissions Testing Continues

From the Nevada Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources. Full article here.

The initial phase of mercury emissions testing at Nevada’s largest precious metal mines is nearing completion, and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) reports that the program is on schedule and working as expected.
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“The initial testing results do indeed show that the units are emitting different forms of mercury,” said Colleen Cripps, Ph.D., deputy administrator of NDEP in charge of air programs. “We have not seen any unexpected events, considering the high level of sophisticated testing involving a complex industrial process. In short, the regulatory program is working as we expected.”

This is unique as these are the only mines in the country to perform this type of testing. The preliminary results are interesting and tend to support the early concerns. The issue is discussed in greater detail in the Las Vegas Sun article here. Excerpt follows.

Tests found the presence of an oxidized, vaporous form of mercury, but further tests are needed to determine how much.

"The oxidized form is the most reactive form, the form that is deposited more locally. That's the one that could potentially make it into Nevada waterways," Pistone said.

The Assembly this week unanimously approved AB115, which would require higher fees of mining companies to pay for two new positions at NDEP to regulate mercury emissions. The proposal has support from Gov. Jim Gibbons, Pistone said.