EPA must keep the mercury standards in place for TN rivers
Tennessee has incredibly scenic rivers and streams along with some of the best fishing around. As a full-time fly fishing guide I love sharing these tremendous natural resources.
It’s a privilege to live in the Great Smoky Mountains and make a living wading in clear water, helping others catch beautiful wild trout. I have countless memories of trout rising to a fly on the Little River, Abrams Creek and other special places. More importantly, my children love swimming in these same waters as well as learning the skills to catch fish and spending time in creation’s splendor.
For decades coal-fired power plants contributed to the degradation of water quality in the Smokies as well as mercury in fish in the Tennessee River system. As unbelievable as it may seem, mercury has even been found in smallmouth bass swimming in rivers
“Thousands of lakes and rivers around the country have seen warnings because of high levels of mercury found in fish. This has been a source of frustration for fishermen and is part of a larger national health issue involving mercury pollution.”
flowing through the foothills of the Smokies. So it was good to see the dramatic improvements that were made thanks to Clean Air Act safeguards, such as the mercury and air toxics standards. Tennessee’s skies are clearer and our rivers and streams have become cleaner, but that progress is at risk of going backwards.
Thousands of lakes and rivers around the country have seen warnings because of high levels of mercury found in fish. This has been a source of frustration for fishermen and is part of a larger national health issue involving mercury pollution, which damages the brains of young children. Fishermen urged the Environmental Protection Agency to limit toxic mercury pollution. Fortunately, that advocacy worked.
In 2011, the EPA finalized the firstever national standards to reduce toxic air pollutants from coal-fired power plants. The power sector was the largest source of mercury as well as other toxic pollutants in the U.S. when these standards were issued.
Now those warnings about pollutants are diminishing because the EPA limited toxic mercury pollution from coal power plants. Utilities like TVA switched to cleaner and cheaper sources of energy such as solar or they installed scrubbers that keep mercury and other toxins from reaching our air. The standards reduced mercury pollution from the power plants by more than 80 percent while also reducing emissions of other toxic pollution like arsenic, chromium and lead. The EPA estimates that every year these standards prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths.
That’s good for the 826,000 Tennesseans who fish.
You would think the EPA would celebrate this success story, but Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler — who lobbied for coal companies and is now nominated to permanently lead the agency—has proposed to eliminate the foundation for these standards, needlessly placing these existing safeguards in legal jeopardy. This attack is opposed by fishermen, faith groups and families who value the quality of life our shared outdoor heritage provides. Even power companies have opposed this move, many of which have already implemented the rule and raised concerns that this step will destabilize existing protections.
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has taken a stand for Tennessean’s health and called on the EPA to keep the existing mercury standard, writing, “Keeping the current rule in place will provide much-needed certainty for the electric power industry and help protect the health of all Americans.”
We need Alexander to withhold his support from Wheeler’s nomination until the EPA withdraws its reckless rollback of the mercury standards. That is the only way we can ensure our families and treasured outdoors are protected from toxic mercury pollution.
Ian Rutter operates R&R Fly Fishing Guide Service with his wife, Charity, in Townsend.