As the new home of WISPIRG's environmental work, Wisconsin Environment can be contacted with any questions regarding this testimony.
WISPIRG is a statewide public
interest advocacy organization that has been working with citizens and students
in Wisconsin for over 15 years on environmental, consumer, and good government
issues.
WISPIRG very much appreciates
the leadership that Governor Doyle is taking by demanding that the federal government
have stronger protections against mercury. It is a travesty that states like
Wisconsin, where all our instate waters have health advisories for mercury,
have to sue the federal government because they are not doing enough to protect
public health. The absurdity is that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
own data shows the nature of the health threat mercury poses. A key EPA fish
tissue study released last summer found that 100 percent of the fish samples
collected in Wisconsin contained mercury levels that exceed EPA's "safe"
limit for women of average weight who eat fish twice per week.
The public understands the
danger and has already made their feelings on this issue known. Over 600,000
Americans submitted comments opposing the Bush Administration's mercury plan-this
is almost twice the highest number of comments that EPA has received on a rulemaking.
In addition, over 670 local officials, public health experts and citizens attended
four hearings to object to this rule.
But, while it is important
and necessary that Wisconsin be on record about the need to reduce mercury at
the federal level, the bigger question is how we in Wisconsin keep mercury from
getting into our waters and our bodies in the first place.
The only way that Wisconsin
can ever hope to be truly mercury free is to move from depending on fossil fuels
for our energy to promoting greater energy efficiency and renewable energy.
And so, today, WISPIRG would also like to thank the Governor for the leadership
he has shown by creating the Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables
to explore the ways that Wisconsin can be moving towards a cleaner, healthier
energy future.
