New England governors join forces on mercury pollution, heating oil issues

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – New England’s governors endorsed proposals Friday to ease mercury pollution by reducing its use in consumer products.

At their annual gathering at the Eastern States Exposition, the governors also voted to create a joint energy task force to recommend measures the five states could take on their own to help ensure the availability and affordability of home heating oil.

“We have only about one-third the supply we had last winter and in February we came dangerously close to running out,” said Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, who chairs the governor’s group.

“We have asked Congress to establish a permanent New England reserve, but we also need to be looking for things we can do on our own,” said Cellucci, who has proposed using state-backed price guarantees to induce Massachusetts wholesalers to stockpile more oil.

Normally, wholesalers don’t want to hold large quantities of oil because they could lose money if prices drop.

At the urging of Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Almond, the governors also voted to urge the federal officials to speed up the review of dredging permits by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure New England ports can safely accommodate oil barges and tankers.

“We know we are going to have to dredge. The issue should be how best to do it,” said Almond, maintaining the Providence River has continued to silt, making shipping increasingly hazardous as Corps’ reviews have stretched on for more than a decade.

Among the anti-mercury measures sought by the governors are increased labeling of products, such as thermometers, batteries and high-intensity and fluorescent lights, that use mercury and promoting replacements for the metal.

The proposal also calls for stockpiling and permanently disposing of mercury collected from consumer products, said Christopher Recchia, an environmental aide to Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who proposed the measure.

“This is the opposite of recycling. Once we’ve collected it we don’t want it back in the environment,” said Recchia, who filled in for Dean at the meeting.

Mercury, which is a silver, odorless metal that is liquid at room temperatures, occurs naturally in New England and elsewhere.

The measures are aimed at reducing atmospheric levels that have increased sharply with emissions from coal-fired generating plants and its increased use in manufacturing, he said.

A recent study by National Academy of Sciences endorsed a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt more stringent levels of protection from mercury.

The academy found that while most people are not at high risk of health problems from low-dose mercury exposure, children of women who consume large amounts of fish and seafood during their pregnancy can develop neurological and learning problems.

In their resolution, the governors urged that the five states move ahead on their own to tighten mercury safety standards for consumption of saltwater as well as fresh water fish by pregnant women.

“It’s a subtle risk,” said Recchia, comparing the hazard to that of lead poisoning. However, he said, researchers have found that mercury “can be toxic in very tiny amounts.”

After the meeting, Gov. John Rowland of Connecticut, who will replace Cellucci as chairman of the group, and the Massachusetts governor announced a joint marketing effort aimed at attracting new industries and boosting tourism in the Connecticut River Valley.

The new effort will encompass communities from Amherst, Mass., the home of the University of Massachusetts, to Storrs, Conn., the home of the University of Connecticut, the governors said.