ACC Urges White House to Sign Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2008 into Law

Today legislation (S. 906) passed Congress that prohibits the export of elemental mercury from the United States and provides for its long-term storage and management, effective January 1, 2013.  The legislation, first introduced in March 2007 (H.R. 1534), will now be sent to the White House.

ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley issued the following statement:

“Today, Congress passed an important piece of legislation, the Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2008, by working in a bipartisan manner and with broad-based stakeholder input,” said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley.  “We thank Congress, Committee leadership, and the original sponsors of this legislation for   producing a balanced solution.”

“ACC, working with a unique coalition of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Council of the States, the Chlorine Institute, Inc., and the National Mining Association, successfully negotiated and secured passage, in both the House and Senate, of this bill, which bans export from the United States of elemental mercury by January 1, 2013.  Importantly, the bill also directs the Department of Energy to begin operating a long-term storage and management facility for excess mercury by January 1, 2013.  We believe that long-term storage  is a necessary component of an export ban.”

“Our industry has worked aggressively and voluntarily to reduce mercury use and releases, achieving a 94 percent reduction rate since 1996.  This reduction exceeds all federal, state, and local standards as well as industry’s own targets.   The ACC through the World Chlorine Council is also an active supporter of the United Nations Global Mercury Program, which includes a partnership focused on helping mercury-based chlor-alkali producers around the world implement best practices for reducing use and releases.”

“We strongly encourage President Bush to sign this overwhelmingly bi-partisan bill into law.”