North Carolina plants lower mercury emissions

NORTH CAROLINA - The nations electric utilities reduced emissions of mercury nearly 5 percent between 2007 and 2008, as the recession slowed economic activity and decreased demand for electricity and other forms of energy.

The decreases in North Carolina were much more dramatic, according to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that settles in rivers and waterways, contaminates fish and can cause birth defects in people.

No power companies in this state rank among the nations top 50 mercury emitters, the report says. And the states mercury emissions in 2008, the last year for which data is available, were the lowest since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began tracking the data in 2000.

Nearly all coalburning power plants operated by Progress Energy and Duke Energy showed reductions, ranging from a 4.17 percent drop at Progresss Mayo plant in Person County to an 85.83 percent drop at Progresss Asheville plant in Buncombe County.

Mercury emissions at Progresss Sutton plant in New Hanover County increased by 3.7 percent. However, Progress plans to shut down that coalburning plant in 2014 as the company shifts to natural gas, a cleanburning fossil fuel that emits virtually no mercury.

One major exception was a plant operated by Epcor Power in Person County, which increased emissions by 81.62 percent. But this increase reflected a relatively small amount of mercury, rising from 4.19 pounds to 7.61 pounds, whereas some Progress and Duke plants spew several hundred pounds of mercury each year.

Power plants account for about 40 percent of the nations mercury emissions. The EPA and environmental groups say the power companies could cut mercury emissions by as much as 90 percent, but the industry balks at the potential costs involved.

The nonprofit groups report showed that the nations top 50 mercury emitters reduced emissions by just 0.26 percent.