The federal government is considering the Savannah River Site near Augusta, along with six other sites, for the storage of more than 10,000 metric tons of mercury.
Officials are searching for a site to store the mercury, as federal law will ban the sale or export of the element by 2013, and require the federal government to store it.
Mercury is produced in the manufacturing of caustic soda and chlorine at a handful of plants in the U.S. It's also a by-product in gold mining, and in recycling and waste recovery.
Mercury is controversial, since it causes developmental disabilities in children, and also harm fetal development.
It's already a sore spot in Augusta, where environmental groups have been calling for the Olin Corporation to stop using the element in the manufacture of chlorine. A bill in Congress also seeks to eliminate mercury from the few chlorine plants that still use it. Olin, meanwhile, has maintained that is mercury use its safe.
The Savannah River Site is a massive federal entity that processes nuclear materials near Augusta.
The U.S. Department of Energy, meanwhile, will hold a public comment period on the proposal to store mercury. There will be a public meeting in North Augusta, South Carolina on July 30.
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Monday, July 6, 2009
Federal Government Considers Savannah River Site Near Augusta for Mercury Storage
