Frank Lautenberg: “the time is short but certainly the alarm is real. As I look at this, I am bewildered. I have three daughters. I have…”

“the time is short but certainly the alarm is real. As I look at this, I am bewildered. I have three daughters. I have been fortunate enough to have 10 grandchildren. I have one son. The most precious assets I have in this world are these 10 little kids. I cannot believe that any Member here, in a face-to-face discussion, would say, We have to protect the ability of the coal powerplant to continue to emit more mercury into the atmosphere. I cannot believe anyone would take that as a fair exchange. Would you rather make sure our coal-fired powerplants have the right to increase the emissions of mercury or would you rather know that this child who may be in utero has a lesser chance of being affected by the scourge of mercury? Stated in a publication put out by the National Education Association, small doses of mercury can impair the brain and the developing nervous system. Infants who appear normal during the first few months of life may later display subtle effects, shorter attention span, poorer motor skills, slow language development, problems with visual-spatial ability such as drawing and memory. These children will likely need extra help to keep up in school, possibly remedial classes or special education.…”