Robert F. Kennedy
I recieved a letter from Robert F Kennedy Jr. today and he had some things to tell me about the environment. First off I would like to say how excited I was to get anything from a Kennedy, except Maria Shriver, that would suck.
Robert mentioned in this letter that, "45 of the American States post warnings about mercury contamination in lakes and streams." Will we be soon to follow? What is to be gained by the Republican mind set that it is more important to make a buck than be able to have your water mercury free? What are we as Montanan's willing to do to make sure that we are not 46?
posted by Montana Fem @ 4:33 PM
5 Comments:
I think we're already in that group. According to the MDEQ, Montana has 418,836.80 acres of lakes, and 1,280 miles of streams and rivers that are contamintated with mercury. In 2003 the EPA issued a statewide mercury advisory for northern pike, lake trout, and walleye in all of Montana's rivers and streams. Bighorn Lake, Flathead Lake, Lake Frances, and the Tiber Reservoir all have walley with over 0.78 micrograms of mercury per gram of fish. Also, the cutthroat trout in Silver Creek near Helena have tested to show over 3.0 micrograms of mercury in trout and they are not allowed to be harvested. With six new proposed coal burning power plants in Montana, it's estimated that those could double the states mercury pollution.
So, more than likey, we are one of the 45 States with the high mercury levels in our waters but our EPA just does not bother to post it.
I don't know. From the brief research i did yesterday, it sure looked like the EPA and MDEQ have stated as much. In RFK Jr's mailing, did it have the states listed by name, or did it just say 45?
Unfortunately for us they were not listed. I am sure I can get that information from the Natural Resources Defense Council though and will post it.
If we are it would be great to start a grass roots movement to get them posted and make a big stink about it. You in?
sure
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