Great to see Governor Blagojevich announcing today that he plans to work with Attorney General Madigan to sue over the proposal by the Bush Administration to weaken limits on mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued a statewide warning about the dangers of eating large fish from every water in the state. The biggest risk is to unborn children, so women of child-bearing age are warned to limit their consumption of large predator fish like bass, walleye, etc. Mercury is toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 1 in 6 babies born in America now are believed to suffer some damage due to mercury exposure.
Illinois EPA disappointed clean air advocates last year by passing on an opportunity to set strong state limits on coal plant pollution, saying they needed to wait to see where the federal government was going. In his State of the State address, Blagojevich announced that he would be urging other Midwest governors to join him in adopting proposals stronger than the Bush administration. Hopefully today's announcement is a strong indication that stronger health safeguards are on the way to better protect Illinoisans, and especially children.
The Governor's release is at:
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=3889
No comments:
Post a Comment