LANSING – New rules will help reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent from Michigan's 20 coal-fired power plants by 2015, experts say.


The state rules are tougher than federal regulations that call for a nearly 70 percent reduction, said Jim Sygo, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Quality.


According to Clean the Air, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental advocacy group, there are adverse health effects from mercury, including birth defects and cognitive disorders.


John Austerberry, a representative of DTE Energy, said his company is now adding $800 million worth of emissions controls at its Monroe Power Plant - its largest coal powered plant and one of the largest coal-fired plants in the country.


"We can make the largest reduction in emissions with a single installation," Austerberry said.


The regulations will require utility companies to come up with different ways to reduce emissions, such as new technology.


Mike Shriberg, director of Environment Michigan, said his group played an important role in letting Gov. Jennifer Granholm know over the last three years how citizens felt regarding mercury emissions.


Its members sent postcards and other messages to the governor, telling her they don't want mercury in the atmosphere.


Michigan is one of four other states calling for a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions.


Despite the hazards mercury can pose for the environment, Shriberg said, utility companies are trying to ease the restrictions required under the new rules.


Some companies argue that the costs are too high and that the technology used to reduce emissions is ineffective.
Shriberg said the technology has been proven effective in other states.


Costs should not be an issue for power companies, he added. To add new emission reduction technology would cost consumers only an extra $1 per month on their average electric bill, he said.


Michigan power companies are also considering building several new coal-fired power plants, he said.


Mercury emissions come from the coal used to power the plants. When the coal is burned, mercury is released into the air.


Rain causes mercury in the atmosphere to fall, and it can enter waterways, causing problems for aquatic life, which can ingest the mercury that then builds up in fatty tissues of fish.


That poses a health hazard for people eating the fish.


The Department of Community Health has issued a mercury warning for all Michigan fish. It recommends that people eat only one serving of Michigan fish per week.


It also recommends that children, nursing mothers and expectant mothers not eat more than one meal of fish per month.


Michigan is one of 40 states that have advisories for fish consumption.


According to the Department of Natural Resources, symptoms of acute mercury poisoning include severe abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.


Chronic mercury poisoning can degrade the nervous system and may result in blindness, weakness and coma.