Legislature Restricts Mercury: John Edwards Mildly Against Coal-Fired Plants

All parties, including the Nevada Conservation League and the Great Basin Mining Watch, are behind AB 115 which would require more monitoring of the mercury Nevada mines can spew. (NA, RGJ, AP) State Assemblyperson Sheila Leslie had to drop a provision requiring mines to cut mercury emissions by 25% before 2012 because our Mining Overlords threatened to kill the bill otherwise.

You know, I think there is a special spot in Hell for our Mining Overlords where they’ll be force fed mercury-laden Nevada Fish and Utah fowl for all eternity. Thems good eatin’.

According to the AP story, some of the poisoned testified: "The proposal also was endorsed by Leonard Hawk and John Malden, who
both testified that they were suffering from mercury poisoning from
eating fish."

And you know why Russ Fields, weyoun for the the Nevada Mining Association, can say that Nevada’s mercury emissions programs are "unique and probably the best in
the nation?" Because our Governor, lest we forget, helped dilute federal attempts to restrict mercury emissions when back East playing vorta for the Miners. (Seed)

John Edwards has come out against coal-fired plants. Sorta, anyways:

John Edwards has outlined an aggressive plan to use energy efficiency
and renewable sources of energy to reduce American reliance on foreign
oil and cut greenhouse gas pollution. However, because coal will play a
major role in meeting U.S. and worldwide energy needs for decades to
come, Edwards believes that the U.S. must take the lead in finding ways
to use coal without warming the planet. He will:

• Ban the Construction of Coal Plants that Cannot Capture
  Carbon: Edwards will require that all new coal-fired plants be built
  with technology needed to capture carbon dioxide emissions. Plants can
  use integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology or other
  effective approaches. As a result, the plants built today will be able
  to permanently and safely store their carbon emissions tomorrow. In
  addition, Edwards will explore ways to address the carbon dioxide
  emitted by current power plants.
• Make a Historic
  Commitment to Safe Carbon Storage: Although the underground storage of
  carbon dioxide holds great promise, more research and experience is
  needed in large-scale projects. By investing $1 billion a year from his
  New Energy Economy Fund, Edwards will accelerate the technology’s
  progress and reduce its cost. He will test at least three large-scale
  efforts to capture, transport, and store carbon dioxide. He will also
  provide clarity for businesses by setting rules for capturing,
  transporting and storing carbon dioxide. (Campaign Site)

So at least Edwards would invest some money in making coal cleaner, assuming that’s possible. However, there isn’t a peep about what he’s going to do about the heavy metals spewing from those stacks. And those cynics over at ABC think he’s just pandering to Californians with their new early primary. (ABC)

Of course, here in Nevada you could probably open up a successful Hookah lounge using smoke from those Ely coal plants. Say, that’s not such a bad idea! I oughta pitch that to Adelson or Wynn!