EPA Wording Found to Mirror Industry’s; Influence on Mercury Proposal Probed

Washington Post, Sept. 21, 2004
by Juliet Eilperin

For the third time, environmental advocates have discovered passages in the Bush administration’s proposal for regulating mercury pollution from power plants that mirror almost word-for-word portions of memos written by a law firm representing coal-fired power plants.

The passages state that the Environmental Protection Agency is not required to regulate other hazardous toxins emitted by power plants, such as lead and arsenic. Several attorneys general, as well as some environmental groups, have argued that the Clean Air Act compels the EPA to regulate these emissions as well as mercury…

"The Bush administration continues to let industry write the rules on pollution, and this is just one more example of how they abuse the public trust," (Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.)), said.