Mercury Pollution Reduction Act

Bill: 111-hr-2190
Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
Introduced: 2009-04-30 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Business records
Child health
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental health
Government information and archives
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Industrial facilities
Manufacturing
Solid waste and recycling
Trade restrictions
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2009-04-30
text: 
Mercury Pollution Reduction Act - Declares that the United States should develop policies and programs that will reduce: (1) mercury use and emissions; (2) mercury releases from the reservoir of mercury currently in use or circulation; and (3) exposures to mercury, particularly of women of childbearing age and young children.
 
Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit: (1) the manufacture of chlorine or caustic soda using mercury cells; and (2) the export of any mercury, mercury cells, mercury compounds, and mixtures containing mercury by the owner or operator of a chlor-alkali facility. 
 
Requires the owner or operator of each chlor-alkali facility to report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator and the state in which the facility is located on mercury waste, emissions, and content in products.
 
Requires the Administrator to: (1) conduct a comprehensive mercury inventory covering the life and closure of chlor-alkali facilities that cease operations on or after January 1, 2009; and (2) obtain mercury purchase records and such other information from each such facility as are necessary to determine the magnitude and nature of mercury releases from the facility into air and other environmental media.
 

action_date: 2009-12-16
text: 
Mercury Pollution Reduction Act - Declares that the United States should develop policies and programs that will reduce: (1) mercury use and emissions; (2) mercury releases from the reservoir of mercury currently in use or circulation; and (3) exposures to mercury, particularly of women of childbearing age and young children.
 
Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to prohibit: (1) the manufacture of chlorine or caustic soda using mercury cells at any facility in the United States; and (2) the export of any elemental mercury or the sale of elemental mercury for purposes of export, including compounds and mixtures containing elemental mercury, by the owner or operator of a chlor-alkali facility. 
 
Requires the owner or operator of any existing chlor-alkali facility to notify the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) no later than June 30, 2012, on whether the owner or operator will replace its chlor-alkali facility with a new manufacturing facility that does not use mercury or cease operations. Requires a chlor-alkali facility for which a closure notice is filed to cease manufacturing chlorine or caustic soda using mercury cells no later than June 30, 2013. Authorizes a chlor-alkali facility for which a replacement notice is filed to continue to manufacture chlorine or caustic soda using mercury cells until all of the permitting, financing, engineering, and construction of a non-mercury replacement facility is complete or June 30, 2015, whichever is earlier.
 
 
Provides that this Act does not affect the ability of the owner or operator of any chlor-alkali facility to store elemental mercury in accordance with the Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008.
 
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-12-16
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 222.
action_date: 2009-12-16
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 111-381.
action_date: 2009-12-16
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 111-381.
action_date: 2009-10-21
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 29 - 14.
action_date: 2009-10-21
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2009-06-03
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 16 - 10 .
action_date: 2009-06-03
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2009-05-12
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2009-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
action_date: 2009-04-30
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2009-04-30
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2009-04-30
text: Introduced in House