Introduced legislation

H.R. 141, the Acid Rain and Mercury Control Act was introduced by John McHugh [R-NY].

The act calls for cuts in powerplant sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide of 75% by 2012.

McHugh is from a region in the northeast affected by acid rain, which explains his interest in the issue.  

The reason this is a noteworthy introduction is that further reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions would ultimately come down on the coal industry.  It will be interesting if this bill does actually go anywhere, as that could be informative as to the political status of coal.

Coming up:  a glance at how the story so far looks, and how it's been represented in the media.