Missouri and Kansas are among “Dirty Dozen” for mercury pollution

Ameren’s Labadie power plant

By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI

Environmentalists in Missouri celebrated earlier this month when a ballot initiative requiring investor-owned utilities to produce more renewable power faced no organized opposition and passed with a resounding 66 percent of the vote.

Last year, the administration of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius denied the permit for a massive new coal-fired power plant, even though the political fallout virtually paralyzed the 2008 legislative session.

Both developments bode well for a greener future. For now, though, Missouri and Kansas are belching more than their fair share of dangerous toxins.

According to a report released today by the Environmental Integrity Project, both states are among the Dirty Dozen when it comes to mercury pollution.