By Erica Peterson
Kentucky – Thursday is the deadline for public comment on a proposal to waive some pollution requirements for mercury discharge into the Ohio River. As Kentucky Public Radio's Erica Peterson reports, the waiver is being sought by a chemical plant in West Virginia.
PPG Industries is seeking a variance from new mercury limits which will go into effect in October 2013 for the Ohio River. The company says it won't be discharging any more mercury from its plant in Natrium, West Virginia than it currently does. But the current limit doesn't meet the new stricter standards scheduled by ORSANCO, the regional compact that regulates pollution in the Ohio River. The proposal is opposed by environmental groups, including the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. President Judy Petersen says because mercury bioaccumulates, which means as smaller fish are eaten by bigger fish the amount of mercury in the bigger fish accumulates. Even a small amount of mercury could cause problems later on.
"Their continuing to discharge over and above the legal standard that we're going to be holding everybody else to, certainly could cause the river, and likely would cause the river eventually, to be impaired for mercury."
In a statement, PPG stressed its commitment to the environment and said it has substantially reduced its mercury emissions over the past several years.