Omnibus Mercury Emission Reduction Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-484
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2003-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Agriculture and Food
Air pollution control
Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Building materials
Canada
Chemicals
Chesapeake Bay
Child health
Coal
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
Drugs
Electric appliances
Electric batteries
Electric power production
Electric utilities
Emissions trading
Energy
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental health
Environmental monitoring
Environmental research
Environmental technology
Estuaries
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Fetus
Fishes
Fishing
Florida
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Great Lakes
Groundwater
Hazardous wastes
Health
Health surveys
Health warnings
Incineration
Industrial pollution
International Affairs
International environmental cooperation
Labeling
Lakes
Latin America
Law
Licenses
Lighting
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Maternal health services
Medical supplies
Medical wastes
Mercury
Mexico
Military bases
Municipal solid waste
New York State
North America
Packaging
Petroleum
Pregnant women
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Recycling of waste products
Rivers
Science, Technology, Communications
Scientific instruments and apparatus
Sedimentation
Soil pollution
Sports and Recreation
Standards
Transboundary pollution
Vermont
Water Resources Development
Water pollution control
Watersheds
Women
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2003-02-27
text: Omnibus Mercury Emission Reduction Act of 2003 - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate regulations to establish standards for mercury and mercury compound emissions applicable to: (1) electric utility steam generating units; (2) coal- and oil-fired boiler units of a specified capacity; (3) chlor-alkali plants that use the mercury cell production process; and (4) dust from Portland cement plants. Sets forth permit requirements.
Requires the Administrator to authorize methods of emissions control.
Establishes mercury emission baselines for electric utility and coal- and oil-fired boiler units.
Requires the regulations to ensure that recovered mercury is disposed of in a manner that ensures that: (1) mercury hazards are not transferred between environmental media; and (2) there is no release of mercury into the environment.
Directs the Administrator to establish a program of long-term disposal research and publicize emission data for each facility.
Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator to publish a list of mercury-containing items to be separated and removed from the waste streams that feed solid waste facilities.
Requires mercury-content labeling by manufacturers.
Requires persons that transfer solid waste that may contain a listed mercury-containing item to submit separation and removal plans.
Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations concerning measurement of mercury emissions from solid waste combustion flue gases.
Requires permits for solid waste incineration units to specify inspection, entry, monitoring, compliance certification, and reporting requirements. Directs the Administrator to require incineration units that exceed the maximum emission rate to install measures that will result, within three years, in a rate below the specified maximum.
Prohibits, three years after this Act's enactment, the sale of mercury-containing products unless the manufacturer has been granted an exemption.
Requires reports on reductions of mercury emissions from medical and hazardous waste incinerators, military uses of mercury, the sources and extent of emissions in North America, sedimentation trends in water bodies of concern, and fish consumption advisories.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator to establish an advisory committee to report on the progress made in complying with this Act's amendments.
Requires a study of mercury stockpiles and retirement. Increases funding for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program Mercury Deposition Network.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2003-02-27
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2941-2942)
action_date: 2003-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate