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Advisory: Sportsmen Call on Senator Martinez

WASHINGTON, DC - A coalition of 121 hunting and fishing clubs and businesses, representing more than 200,000 Floridian sportsmen and women are calling on Senator Martinez to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revisit its flawed regulation on mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Alarmed by the U.S. EPA's action to allow Florida's power plants to increase their mercury air pollution 28.3% above current levels until 2017, sportsmen from across the state are enlisting the help of Florida's U.S. Senators. In a letter sent to Florida's Senators this week, the sportsmen state, "Your leadership is needed to make the U.S. EPA follow the law and do what is right and necessary to protect Florida's people, wildlife, and economy from toxic pollution."

"Few experiences in life are better than witnessing the excitement of a child who reels in his or her first fish, then proudly takes it home for dinner. How do we explain to them that they cannot safely eat what they catch," the sportsmen wrote in their letter.

"Sportsmen and women are concerned about mercury pollution for a simple reason: We want to be able to eat the fish that we catch," says Manley Fuller, Executive Director of the Florida Wildlife Federation. "This letter is a call to action: Reduce mercury pollution. Keep our rivers and lakes clean. Protect the health of people and wildlife. Enact tough mercury pollution standards."

"Sportsmen are an important and powerful voice in this debate," says Jerry Karnas with the National Wildlife Federation. "For years, hunters and anglers across the nation have worked to reduce mercury pollution and protect the health of wildlife. Now they are sending a clear message that they want Senator Martinez to help strengthen the mercury rule so that it protects the future of fishing for generations to come."

In September, the U.S. Senate is expected to take up a measure that would overturn the flawed EPA mercury rule. A resolution introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) would disapprove a part of the rule that removes power plants as one of the sources required by law to reduce their toxic air pollution by the maximum amount possible.

Coal-burning power plants remain the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States, spewing 48 tons of mercury into the air each year, contributing more than 40 percent of all mercury emissions in the United States. A statewide fish consumption advisory in Florida warns people to limit consumption of many fish including popular species like bass, grouper, snapper, redfish, sea trout, pompano, flounder and snook due to the high levels of mercury found in these species. People in Florida consume about 85 percent more locally caught fish and shellfish than the national average.

Mercury contamination can affect the health and populations of fish and wildlife, as it harms their central nervous and reproductive systems. People who eat fish contaminated with mercury, especially children, can suffer from a myriad of health and developmental problems.

Sportsmen purchase millions of fishing and hunting licenses every year - providing funds that support wildlife management and conservation efforts. In Florida, sportfishing contributes $4 billion to local economies and supports more than 80,000 jobs.

Protecting wildlife through education and action since 1936, the National Wildlife Federation is America's conservation organization creating solutions that balance the needs of people and wildlife now and for future generations.

Contacts: Jerry Karnas, NWF, 850-597-2748

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