The gathering was a public hearing about the state's proposed plan to reduce the mercury emissions of four coal-burning power plants around Massachusetts, including Mount Tom, a power plant in Holyoke. The Department of Environmental Protection held the meeting in order to allow local residents to express their opinions about the proposal.
The plan, which is currently up for debate, requires power plants to reduce 85 percent of their current mercury emissions by the year 2006 and 95 percent of their mercury emissions by the year 2012. However, it also offers power plants the alternative of either reducing mercury emissions from a site other than the power plant or recycling mercury. Both of these options would give the power plants more time to control their own mercury emissions, but would do nothing to help the residents of surrounding neighborhoods who are at the greatest risk of suffering the harmful effects of mercury.
Currently, all of the fresh water in Massachusetts is to some degree contaminated by mercury. The mercury precipitates into streams and rivers, where it can easily be consumed by the fish that live in these waters. Unfortunately, once mercury enters the body of any animal, it dissipates extremely slowly leaving the fish contaminated for a long time. If a pregnant woman then consumes the fish, she passes on the mercury to her unborn child. Since the effects of mercury are most dangerous to humans during development, it often leads to birth defects.
For this reason, the state health department has issued a mercury advisory for all waterways which warns all children and women of childbearing age against eating any fish caught in Massachusetts. Mercury is so potent that only a small amount can contaminate large bodies of water. Mercury pollution is now so widespread that even canned tuna may have elevated levels of mercury.
As unfortunate as it is that the quality of fish can't be trusted, what's worse is that many people don't know the danger that a mercury-infected fish poses. In a state with so many out of state college students and a thriving tourism industry, how are those who have just arrived, or will soon leave, to protect themselves from these environmental dangers?
With a federal government that has shown a complete lack of concern for environmental problems and the potential health problems they cause, it is more important than ever for individual states to lead the way to create cleaner air and water. Massachusetts needs a mercury reduction plan that will end the current contamination of our air and water without allowing power plants to negotiate their way into delaying reductions. If we wish to protect ourselves, our environment and future generations, there can be no alternatives.