Reversing Bush era policy, U.S. now supports mandatory global mercury caps

U.S. Agrees to Negotiate Global Mercury Emissions Treaty

By GreenBiz Staff

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The United States reversed its policy on mandatory mercury emissions reductions last week and joined roughly 140 countries in agreeing to treaty negotiations.
The reversal in U.S. policy prompted other countries, including China and India, to consent to talks that will begin later this year and conclude by 2013. The Bush administration, critical of the negotiation process, reportedly opposed mandatory emissions cuts in favor of voluntary reductions.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the largest source of human-caused mercury emissions in the U.S. is coal-fired power plants, but less than half of all mercury deposits in the U.S. originate in the country. Crude oil refining is also a significant but less publicized source of mercury emissions, said Greg Karras, senior scientist for Communities for a Better Environment. "There's sort of a history of cover-ups on the sources, and therefore, the solutions to the problem," Karras said.

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