PRINTER'S NO. 836
No. 136 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY JOSEPHS, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, DePASQUALE, FABRIZIO,
FRANKEL, HERSHEY, KORTZ, PALLONE, SIPTROTH, THOMAS AND
YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 19, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY,
MARCH 19, 2007
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Urging the President and Congress of the United States to ban
2 exportation of elemental mercury.
3 WHEREAS, Mercury and mercury compounds are highly toxic to
4 humans, ecosystems and wildlife; and
5 WHEREAS, As many as 10% of women of childbearing age in the
6 United States have mercury in their blood at a level which could
7 put a baby at risk; and
8 WHEREAS, As many as 630,000 children born annually in the
9 United States are at risk of neurological problems related to
10 mercury; and
11 WHEREAS, The most significant source of human mercury
12 exposure in the United States is ingestion of mercury-
13 contaminated fish; and
14 WHEREAS, The Environmental Protection Agency reports that as
15 of 2004:
16 (1) 44 states have fish advisories covering more than 13
17 million lake acres and more than 750,000 river miles;
1 (2) freshwater advisories are statewide in 21 states;
2 (3) coastal advisories are statewide in 12 states;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, Since uncontaminated fish represent a critical and
5 healthy source of nutrition worldwide, the long-term solution to
6 mercury pollution is not to reduce fish consumption, but rather
7 to minimize global mercury use and releases and thereby
8 eventually achieve reduced contamination levels in the
9 environment; and
10 WHEREAS, Mercury pollution is a transboundary pollutant,
11 depositing locally, regionally and globally, and affects water
12 bodies (including Lake Champlain) near industrial sources and
13 remote areas (including the Arctic Circle); and
14 WHEREAS, The free trade of mercury and mercury compounds on
15 the world market at relatively low prices and in ready supply
16 encourages the continued use of mercury outside the United
17 States and often involves highly dispersive activities such as
18 small-scale gold mining in developing countries; and
19 WHEREAS, Although the intentional use of mercury is declining
20 in the United States as a consequence of process changes in the
21 manufacturing of products (including batteries, paints, switches
22 and measuring devices), those uses remain substantial in the
23 developing world, where releases from the products are extremely
24 likely due to limited pollution control and waste management
25 infrastructures in those countries; and
26 WHEREAS, The member countries of the European Union
27 collectively are the largest source of mercury exports globally;
28 and
29 WHEREAS, The European Union is in the process of enacting
30 legislation prohibiting mercury exports by not later than 2011;
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1 and
2 WHEREAS, According to the United States Geologic Survey, from
3 2000 through 2004 the United States exported 506 metric tons of
4 mercury more than it imported, making it a net exporter of
5 mercury; and
6 WHEREAS, The Environmental Council of States has adopted a
7 resolution requesting the President of the United States to
8 issue a directive to Federal agencies, including the Department
9 of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, involved in
10 the storage and management of mercury to work to recommend a
11 plan to manage the long-term storage of mercury; and
12 WHEREAS, Banning exports of mercury from the United States
13 will have a notable effect worldwide on the market availability
14 of mercury and will facilitate switching to affordable mercury
15 alternatives throughout the developing world; therefore be it
16 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
17 of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the
18 United States to enact legislation:
19 (1) Prohibiting the sale, distribution or transfer of
20 elemental mercury by the Department of Defense and the
21 Department of Energy to any other department or agency of the
22 Federal Government, any state or local government or any
23 private person or entity.
24 (2) Prohibiting the export of elemental mercury from the
25 United States.
26 (3) Authorizing the President, subject to notification
27 and justification requirements, to prohibit the export of any
28 mercury compound from the United States as necessary to avoid
29 subversion of the export ban.
30 (4) Requiring the President to establish storage
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1 capacity sufficient to safely store quantities of elemental
2 mercury and any mercury compounds covered by the prohibitions
3 in excess of quantities necessary for domestic consumption
4 and to establish necessary regulations with respect to the
5 establishment and operation of these storage facilities;
6 and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
8 the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
9 each house of Congress and to the members of Congress from
10 Pennsylvania.
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