Senators Mary Jo White (R-Venango) and Ray Musto (D-Luzerne), Majority and Minority Chairs of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, sent a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection this week saying the Committee will not be taking action to disapprove the final mercury emission reduction regulation.

As a result, the mercury regulation will be “deemed approved” on February 10.

The letter said that when the committee voted to extend its review of the regulation, it did so with the understanding that they would work to achieve a consensus on the issue. However, the letter continued, there is “not a desire from the Administration to reach an acceptable compromise at this time.”

The Senators said, however, that they intend to introduce and advance legislation that will: require a 90 percent mercury emission reduction from each electric generating unit (just as DEP has proposed), establish a 2015 compliance deadline (just like DEP proposed), but allow power plants to use the federal allowance trading program to achieve reductions over 90 percent that may be required to meet the federal mercury emissions budget for Pennsylvania.

2/9/2007