WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- Members of the U.S. Congress criticized the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday for failing to set adequate rules to reduce mercury levels.
In a letter to the EPA, 180 members of the House of Representatives told the agency to come up with better standards to reduce airborne mercury emissions in order to protect Americans better from the dangers of the pollution.
Current proposed regulations state the EPA would reduce mercury emissions from coal-powered plants by 29 percent in 2010, then later make more reductions in 2018.
However, the proposed rules have met much criticism, with more than 500,000 people reportedly submitting comments to the FDA, the largest response in the agency's history.
"We are disappointed by the EPA's continuing failure to take into account both its own analyses and the potential presented by existing technology" to make mercury reductions, the letter stated.
Representatives from 38 states signed the letter, including members from those most affected by mercury pollution: Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Tennessee.
