Mercury and Midwest Power Plants

The document argues that coal-fired power plants are the largest unregulated source of mercury in the U.S., contributing significantly to the contamination of fish in the Midwest. It details how mercury bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains, posing severe risks to the central nervous system of fetuses and children, as well as harming wildlife like common loons and otters. The report highlights the economic threat to the regional fishing industry and advocates for stringent federal and state emission limits and better regulation of coal combustion waste.

• Coal-fired power plants are the largest uncontrolled source of industrial mercury emissions in the United States, emitting nearly 50 tons to the air and an estimated 33 tons in waste annually.
• In the U.S. Midwest, coal-fired power plants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin emit approximately 24,787 pounds of mercury to the air each year, representing 23 percent of all U.S. coal-fired power plant mercury emissions.
• Mercury is highly bioaccumulative and biomagnifies up the food chain, meaning concentrations in fish tissue can be over a million times higher than in the surrounding water.
• Mercury contamination in fish is widespread in the Midwest, with 100% of lake acres under advisory in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and 100% of river miles under advisory in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
• The National Academy of Science estimates that over 60,000 children born annually in the U.S. are at risk for nervous system development issues due to prenatal exposure to methylmercury.
• Mercury pollution threatens the regional economy; in 2001, more than 7.87 million anglers in the Midwest states spent over $5 billion on fishing-related expenditures.
• Existing technologies, such as fabric filters combined with SO2 controls, can capture more than 90% of mercury at some power plants, and sorbent injection is identified as an effective retrofit option.

APA

Keating, M. (2003). Mercury and Midwest Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093530/Midwest_Mercury.pdf

Chicago

Keating, Martha. Mercury and Midwest Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force, 2003. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093530/Midwest_Mercury.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keating |first1=Martha |title=Mercury and Midwest Power Plants |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=February 2003 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093530/Midwest_Mercury.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keating2003mercury, author = {Keating, Martha}, title = {{Mercury and Midwest Power Plants}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2003}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093530/Midwest_Mercury.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }