EPA deluged by state (Wisconsin) on mercury rule

[sybylla]

From the Wisconsin State Journal
http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/local/73705.php

Wisconsin has provided thousands of comments about the proposed federal rule to reduce mercury emissions, from single postcards to a 2-inch thick document from one of the state's tribes. <

The Environmental Protection Agency has likely received a record number of comments on the proposal, more than 500,000 from across the nation, according to records from a coalition of environmental groups fighting the rule. <

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The proposed mercury cleanup plan has attracted notice from a broad range of people in Wisconsin - from utility officials who think it goes too far to an angler in the village of Coleman who doesn't think it is strict enough. <

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Caryl Terrell, state director of the Sierra Club, attributed the Wisconsin response to the state's passion for its lakes and for fishing. According to data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin residents catch more than 50 million fish a year and fishing brings $1.2 billion to the state each year. <

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I'd like to think that public comment will matter but I'm not holding my breath.