By Michael Hawthorne
Chicago Tribune staff reporter
Published January 5, 2006
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is making an election-year push to force Illinois' coal-fired power plants to dramatically curb mercury emissions within the next three years.
Citing a recent Tribune series on mercury contamination in fish, the governor will call for new state rules Thursday that are far more stringent than limits the Bush administration is proposing for power plants nationwide.
Utilities would be required to cut mercury emissions from Illinois plants by an average of 90 percent by July 2009.
The utility industry, an influential lobby that in the past has dodged tougher limits on air pollution, will fight the Blagojevich plan. Power companies prefer the less stringent federal proposal, which would require coal plants to cut emissions by 70 percent by 2018.
If adopted, Illinois' rules would be among the toughest in the U.S. aimed at reducing the leading source of mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults.
"I feel like we are doing the right thing," Blagojevich said Wednesday in an interview. "It's conclusive and clear that mercury poses a health risk to people, particularly for women who are pregnant and children who are more vulnerable."
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