BUSH ADMINISTRATION WEIGHS CREATION OF NATIONAL MERCURY STOCKPILE

The Bush administration is considering creating a national stockpile to store mercury from federal and state governments and private sources, according to a draft U.S. government document obtained by Inside EPA. If approved, the stockpile would alleviate concerns that the mercury is sold into international commerce, where it could contaminate air and water. The plan comes as the United States is under increasing international pressure to support a ban on mercury sales, ahead of a United Nations conference on the...