Boise-The Idaho Board of Environmental Quality has voted against a proposal to strengthen rules regulating mercury pollution, rejecting a motion that would have asked industries to voluntarily install the best technology to remove mercury from their smokestacks. The best technology proposal was opposed by the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry and Monsanto Corp., which runs an elemental phosphorus plant in Southeast Idaho’s Caribou County. The plant is the single largest source of mercury in Idaho, emitting about 600 pounds of mercury annually. Environmentalists petitioned for the rule change, contending mercury should be better regulated in Idaho because it can accumulate in fish and pose health risks to babies and children. But a researcher hired by opponents told the board that scientific data does not make a clear link between Monsanto’s plant and high mercury levels in nearby waters. Environmentalists also questioned the amount of mercury that might be discharged from Southeast Idaho Energy’s fertilizer plant in Power County west of Pocatello that recently was approved by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Justin Hayes, an Idaho Conservation League spokesman, said the ICL is deciding whether to return to the environmental quality board with a new petition or instead go to federal court. The Obama administration has signed an agreement with 140 countries to draft a treaty that uses “a combination of legally binding and voluntary commitments” to halt mercury emissions into the environment worldwide. The Washington Post reports the treaty will be legally binding.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain