STATES' STUDY ON MERCURY CONTROL BENEFITS MAY TIGHTEN EPA UTILITY RULE

A draft analysis conducted for Northeast states on the benefits of mercury controls for power plants could pressure the Bush administration to tighten its controversial proposed mercury rules because it increases the estimated health benefits of regulating mercury emissions over previous government and industry assessments, sources say. Increasing the estimated health benefits of reducing mercury makes it easier to justify the higher costs of imposing stricter controls. "If these new values are considered credible they would significantly boost the benefits...