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U.S. NEWS Thursday 6 april 2023
EPA tightens mercury emissions limits at coal power plants

By MATTHEW DALY via exposure in a mother’s
Associated Press womb.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental and public
Environmental Protection health groups praised the
Agency is tightening rules EPA proposal, saying it pro-
that limit emissions of mer- tects Americans, especially
cury and other harmful children, from some of the
pollutants from coal-fired most dangerous forms of air
power plants, updating pollution.
standards imposed more “There is no safe level of
than a decade ago. mercury exposure, and
The rules proposed while we have made signif-
Wednesday would lower icant progress advancing
emissions of mercury and clean energy, coal-fired
other toxic pollutants that power plants remain one of
can harm brain develop- the largest sources of mer-
ment of young children cury pollution,’’ said Holly
and contribute to heart Bender, senior director of
attacks and other health energy campaigns for the
problems in adults. Sierra Club.
The move follows a legal “It’s alarming to think that
finding by EPA in February toxic pollutants from coal
that regulating toxic emis- plants can build up in plac-
sions under the Clean Air Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan testifies before the Senate es like Lake Michigan,’’
Act is “appropriate and Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to examine President Joe Biden’s proposed where many Americans
necessary” to protect the budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the Environmental Protection Agency, on Capitol Hill, March camp and swim during the
public health. 22, 2023, in Washington. Associated Press summer, “and where peo-
The Feb. 17 finding reversed ple fish to feed their fami-
a move by former President emissions-reduction mea- and our vulnerable popu- environmental reviews for lies,’’ Bender said. “Our kids
Donald Trump’s administra- sures available at reason- lations,” Regan said. large infrastructure proj- deserve to live and play
tion to weaken the legal able costs and encourag- The new rule aims to elimi- ects, protecting thousands in a healthy, safe environ-
basis for limiting mercury ing new, advanced con- nate up to 70% of mercury of waterways and preserv- ment.’’
emissions. trol technologies, we can emissions and other toxic ing endangered species. The Edison Electric Institute,
The proposed rule will sup- reduce hazardous pollu- pollutants such as lead, Coal-fired power plants which represents U.S. inves-
port and strengthen EPA’s tion from coal-fired power nickel and arsenic, while are the largest single man- tor-owned electric compa-
Mercury and Air Toxics plants protecting our plan- also reducing fine dust from made source of mercury nies, said it was reviewing
Standards, which have et and improving public coal plant emissions. pollutants, which enter details of the EPA proposal,
delivered a 90% reduction health for all,” Regan said The proposal is in line with a the food chain through but added that its members
in mercury emissions from in a statement. larger push by the EPA un- fish and other items that “have fully and successfully
power plants since they The proposed rule is ex- der President Joe Biden to people consume. Mercury implemented the Mercury
were adopted in 2012 un- pected to become final restore dozens of federal can affect the nervous and Air Toxics Standards”
der former President Barack next year, “ensuring his- environmental protections system and kidneys; the for 11 years, “resulting in
Obama, EPA Administrator toric protections for com- that were rolled back by World Health Organization dramatically reduced mer-
Michael Regan said. munities across the nation, Trump’s administration, in- says fetuses are especially cury and related emissions”
“By leveraging proven, especially for our children cluding reinstating rigorous vulnerable to birth defects from U.S. power plants.q

Bob Lee, Cash App founder and MobileCoin exec, slain at 43

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — confirmed Lee’s death in that will last far beyond his further information,” Of- public information officer,
Bob Lee, a technology response to an email from short time on earth,” he ficer Niccole Pacchetti, a said in an email. q
executive who created The Associated Press on said.
Cash App and was cur- Wednesday. Lee came to MobileCoin
rently chief product officer “Our dear friend and col- as an early stage investor
of MobileCoin, was fatally league, Bob Lee passed and advisor, then became
stabbed in San Francisco away yesterday at the age chief product officer and
early Tuesday, accord- of 43, survived by a loving helped launch the Moby
ing to the cryptocurrency family and collection of app, Goldbard said. Lee
platform and police. The close friends and collabo- was the chief technology
San Francisco Police De- rators,” MobileCoin CEO officer at digital payments
partment said in a press Josh Goldbard said in a company Square in 2013
release that officers re- statement. Lee was “made when it launched a money
sponded to a report of a for the new world,” Gold- transfer application now
stabbing on Main Street bard wrote. known as Cash App.
at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday and “From large contributions The police statement did
found a 43-year-old man to Android at google, not provide any details on
suffering from apparent to being the first CTO of the circumstances of the
stab wounds. The victim Square, in that time creat- stabbing. Shown is the scene outside an apartment building below the San
died at a hospital. ing CashApp, and working “This is an open and active Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge where a technology executive
Police did not identify the with us here at Mobilecoin, investigation. For that rea- was fatally stabbed in San Francisco, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
victim but MobileCoin Bob surely had an impact son we are not releasing Associated Press