Thursday, December 4, 2008
The General Assembly is not in session.
Tracking Virginia’s General Assembly
since 2007.
HJ698: Power plants; Dept. of Health to study public health effects of using trona to mitigate emissions.
WHEREAS, the Migrant Corporation has recently begun using trona, a mineral with properties similar to baking soda, to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at its Potomac River Generating Station; and
WHEREAS, since the introduction of the trona injection process, local residents have complained of respiratory problems, eye watering, and skin irritations; and
WHEREAS, there have been no studies on the effects of using trona in power plants near residential neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, while reducing emissions is an important goal, innovative processes such as this must be evaluated to ensure that public health and safety are not compromised; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Health be requested to study the public health effects of using trona to mitigate emissions in power plants.
In conducting its study, the Department shall, in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Quality, examine possible effects the trona injection process may have on nearby residential areas.
All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department for this study, upon request.
The Department shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2007, and for the second year by November 30, 2008, and the Department shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
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