The Policy Team will:

• answer the guiding questions listed below;
• prepare and deliver a five minute presentation to the hearing

reviewing existing mercury pollution policies in other states and in the US.

During the presentation the speaker(s) should focus on the most important concerns of the groups that have hired them. After each presentation members of the Congressional Committee can ask a maximum of THREE QUESTIONS.

Guiding Questions

1. What is mercury? Include the dictionary definition with examples. Give the scientific explanation of why the chemical is harmful and how the common understanding differs from the scientific understanding of the contaminant.

2. What are the known concentrations of mercury in the air, surface and ground water, soil, and other media in Ramford?  Where are the high concentrations of mercury found in Ramford?  What are the reasons for the relative concentrations?  What are the sources of mercury (e.g. point, non-point, historical) nationally and internationally?  Are there changes in concentration over time?  What is the mercury effect based on activity and concentration in Ramford?

3. Explain the timeline for the human use of mercury, the discovery of its effects and the policy concerning mercury both in Ramford County and elsewhere. Cite case studies concerning policy.

4. What is the cost of mitigating the contaminant?  How do these costs compare to the benefits?  What are the reasons for the relative costs?

5. Who is responsible for the cleanup in Ramford County?  Who has the financial responsibility for cleanup?  Why?  How would you recommend enforcing the responsibility as you have assigned it?  Who has enforced the cleanup in other mercury cases?  To what extent has the legal/judicial systems been involved in these processes in other areas nationally and internationally?

6.  What is the potential economic impact on the different stakeholders in Ramford County?  Will it affect one group more than another?  How would cleanup change the economic impact on each group?  What are the priorities based on the relative impact?

 

Resources