How large are out-of-state mercury emissions?
A number of critics of the EPA proposal argue that even if states reduce their in-state mercury emissions, they will still be subject to emissions coming from other states and therefore more rigorous EPA rules are needed. That is true in some places, but in many mercury “hot spots” (places with high levels of mercury accumulation) 50 to 80 percent is generated locally. Of the states with the highest deposition, 9 received more than half the mercury from in-state sources; 14 of the 16 received more than 40 percent from in-state sources.[18] Local emissions reductions can have a significant impact on local accumulations of mercury. Tighter regulations of medical and municipal waste incineration reduced Florida’s total estimated local mercury emissions by 91 percent from 1991 to 2000. Concentrations of mercury in Florida’s fish and wading birds decreased 60 to 75 percent from 1993 to 2000. “These data strongly suggest that local reductions of mercury yield reductions in mercury concentrat
