VOLUME 85, NO. 29
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 2009
What are you drinking? Bill to increase selenium levels in Tenn. water falls short in House
“I am very concerned about the water quality and the long-term effect this could have on our environment.” - Kent Coleman
Tenn. Representative
By Ben UNDERWOOD Staff Writer
The Tennessee State House of Representatives narrowly voted down a controversial bill, 49-42, concerning selenium levels in Tennessee water sources, last Wednesday. Selenium is a trace mineral that acts as an antioxidant similar to vitamin A, but can be toxic in large doses. John Divincenzo, the director of Environmental Science and Technology at MTSU, said humans require selenium as part of a healthy diet and usually absorb it from grains and vegetables. He said the effect of selenium ona aquatic life depends on the level of concentration in the water. “With a high enough concentration acute affects could develop in all levels of the food chain,” Divincenzo said. “Selenium does mobilize when you dredge the rivers.” Rep. Kent Coleman, D-Murfreesboro, said this bill could harm fish and wildlife in his district and the entire state. “I am very concerned about the water quality and the long-term effect this could have on our environment,” Coleman said. “The standards proposed are quite a bit more than the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] guidelines.” Roxanne Reyley, research director for the Tennessee Mining Association, said the bill would replace the EPA’s current guidelines from 1987 with standards based on more recent scientific data. Photo Illustration by Erin O’Leary, photography editor
Reyley said it is unfair to the coal mining industry to add the older standards to current permits. “We are heavily regulated,” Reyley said. “We’re OK with regulation, but it seems only right to regulate based on new science.” Rep. Joe McCord, R-Maryville, sponsored the bill, which was supported by the TMA, based in Knoxville, Tenn. The bill passed with a majority through both the Senate and House environmental committees before failing to pass in the House. Reyley said she fears the bill’s defeat was “more of a partisan issue” for lawmakers rather than a vote for the “merits” of such a bill. The legislation stopped at the House of Representatives, but the vote was close enough that McCord has the option to reintroduce it for vote at any time. Reyley said the TMA is currently considering the future of the bill. “It is a complicated technical issue,” Reyley said. “There are still a lot of options and we have to evaluate these options.” Coleman said state voters should learn the facts of this issue and have a voice in the future of this legislation. Hear more from Ben online at MTSUSidelines.com/podcasts