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116H7621

..................................................................... (Original Signature of Member)

117

TH

CONGRESS 1

ST

S

ESSION

H. R.

ll

To establish a national mercury monitoring program, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. C

ARTWRIGHT

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on

llllllllllllll

A BILL

To establish a national mercury monitoring program, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-

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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Comprehensive Na-

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tional Mercury Monitoring Act’’.

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SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

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Congress finds that—

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(1) mercury is a potent neurotoxin of signifi-

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cant ecological and public health concern;

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2 (2) it is estimated that approximately 200,000

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children born each year in the United States are ex-

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posed to levels of mercury in the womb that are high

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enough to impair neurological development;

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(3) based on estimates from the Centers for

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Disease Control and Prevention, between 2000 and

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2010, between 2 and 6 percent of women in the

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United States of childbearing age have exceeded

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blood mercury levels determined to be safe by the

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Environmental Protection Agency;

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(4) exposure to mercury occurs largely by the

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consumption of contaminated fish, but fish and

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shellfish are important sources of dietary protein

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and micronutrients, and a healthy fishing resource is

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important to the economy of the United States;

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(5) in many locations, the primary route for

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mercury input to aquatic ecosystems is atmospheric

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emissions, transport, and deposition;

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(6) existing broad-scale data sets are important

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but insufficient to track changes in mercury levels in

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the environment over time, test model predictions,

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and assess the impact of changing mercury emis-

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sions and deposition; and

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(7) a comprehensive national mercury moni-

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toring network to accurately quantify regional and

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3 national changes in atmospheric mercury deposition,

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ecosystem contamination, and bioaccumulation of

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mercury in fish and wildlife in response to changes

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in mercury emissions would help policy makers, sci-

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entists, and the public to better understand the

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sources, consequences, and trends of mercury pollu-

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tion in the United States.

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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

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In this Act:

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(1) A

DMINISTRATOR

.—The term ‘‘Adminis-

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trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-

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mental Protection Agency.

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(2) A

DVISORY COMMITTEE

.—The term ‘‘Advi-

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sory Committee’’ means the Mercury Monitoring Ad-

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visory Committee established under section 5(a).

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(3) A

NCILLARY MEASURE

.—The term ‘‘ancillary

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measure’’ means a measure that is used to under-

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stand the impact and interpret results of measure-

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ments under the program.

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(4) E

COREGION

.—The term ‘‘ecoregion’’ means

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a large area of land and water that contains a geo-

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graphically distinct assemblage of natural commu-

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nities, including similar land forms, climate, ecologi-

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cal processes, and vegetation.

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