Minn. gets $1.6M federal grant for mercury study
Minnesota has been awarded a $1.6 million federal grant to study mercury emissions from its taconite plants.
The two-year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will help test technologies for controlling atmospheric mercury emissions from the iron ore processing plants.
Another $400,000 is being provided by the mining industry and the state Department of Natural Resources. The research budget will total $2 million.
The DNR says the industry is striving to reach its eventual goal of a 75 percent reduction in atmospheric mercury emissions.
The agency says the taconite industry now accounts for around 20 percent of the total atmospheric mercury emitted in Minnesota, and about half of the mercury emitted from companies in the Lake Superior Basin.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.