24th Annual Conference of the New England Governors and the Eastern Canadian Premiers

WHEREAS, the NEG-ECP Mercury Task Force has worked diligently since June 1998 to implement the Mercury Action Plan, and has contributed significantly to the goals of the Plan; and

WHEREAS, coal utility boilers are a major source of mercury emissions into the environment, and promising new technologies may exist to significantly and economically reduce the emissions of mercury from this source; and

WHEREAS, methods that reduce or eliminate the use of mercury at its source are recognized as the most effective means to virtually eliminate releases of mercury to the environment due to human activities; and

WHEREAS, mercury continues to be present in many schools in the New England and Eastern Canadian region and to be used in school science curriculums; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada have identified mercury as a persistent bio-accumulative toxin presenting a recognized health risk; and

   
• the NEG-ECP Mercury Action Plan is an important effort to reduce the release of anthropogenic mercury into the environment; and
   
• the NEG-ECP Mercury Action Plan received no direct federal financial assistance for program work during its first year (June 1998 – May 1999) of implementation; and

WHEREAS, the NEG-ECP Mercury Task Force has submitted a report on the status of the implementation of the Mercury Action Plan and priorities for the second year of the Plan to the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers commend the work of its Mercury Task Force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers asks its Mercury Task Force to complete its investigation of new technologies to reduce mercury emissions from coal utility boilers, to promote the development of pilot projects and studies to assess the technical and economic characteristics of these new technologies, and to recommend appropriate control options; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers directs its Mercury Task Force to develop model programs, both regulatory and voluntary, to reduce or eliminate the non-essential use of mercury in products and processes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers encourages its educational and environmental agencies to develop programs, including Memorandums of Understanding between appropriate agencies, to eliminate non-essential use of mercury in schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers calls on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, and other appropriate agencies to provide financial and resource assistance in the implementation of the Mercury Action Plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers accepts the first year report on the implementation of the Mercury Action Plan submitted by its Committee on the Environment, and adopts the Committee on the Environment's recommended priorities for the second year of the Plan, and asks that its Committee on the Environment report on its activities at the next meeting of the Conference.

Adopted at the 24th Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, October 3-5, 1999.

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