Oklahoma Mercury Emissions Discussion Juxtaposed to Study Findings

Two articles in last weeks Muskogee Phoenix caught my attention. In one article the Oklahoma DEQ is attempting to finalize the States mercury emissions rules. The debate is between environmentalists who would like to see tougher limits than those in the Federal EPA CAMR and the utility industry folks who would like to keep Federal standards including the cap-and-trade provision.

An excerpt from the June 17th Phoenix article follow.

The EPA’s Clean Air Mercury Rule, which is being challenged in court, adopts a standard that falls short of what the Clean Air Act requires. The present rule would require a 70-percent reduction in mercury emissions by 2018 and includes a cap-and-trade system.

Some fear the cap-and-trade provisions under the federal rules would allow power plants to exceed emissions standards by purchasing credits from cleaner plants — most of which would be located outside the state. That system, some fear, could lead to mercury “hot spots.”

“Those opposing the federal rule believe that trading of emission credits would not be protective enough of the public health primarily because of the possibility of hot spots from local emissions,” McElhaney said. “Those who support the federal rule state that the hot spot issue has not been substantiated, and that additional, more stringent controls would be too costly.”

Nothing new there, we see the same discussion in state after state. But what caught my attention was another article in the Phoenix the same day. This article is about mercury levels in Stilwell, OK rainfall. Could it possibly be local "hotspots" discovered and reported the very same day?

An excerpt from the other Phoenix article follows.

Environmental researchers found that rainfall samples collected in northeastern Oklahoma contain mercury concentrations at levels exceeding all but one other U.S. locale.

According to the Mercury Deposition Network, the average level of elemental mercury in rainfall in the nation is about 7 nanograms per liter. Rainfall samples collected at an air quality station located near Stilwell revealed mercury concentrations of 15.4 nanograms per liter, more than double the national average.

While it is unclear why mercury levels at the Stilwell air quality monitoring site are so high, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified coal-fired power plants as the main source of atmospheric mercury. There are four such facilities in close proximity of Stilwell — one each in Muskogee, Mayes and Rogers counties in Oklahoma and a fourth in Benton County, Ark.

What are the chances of that happening? What a coincidence! LOL