Much like lead, mercury can impair, even destroy functioning nerve tissue. Small doses can impair the brain and the developing nervous system of a fetus whose mother has been exposed to high levels of mercury. The U.S. loses $8.7 billion annually due to the impact of mercury on children's brain development, according to a study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Center for Children's Health and the Environment published recently in Environmental Health Perspectives. Unlike lead, the mercury problem is getting worse in Michigan.

Reducing mercury should be a part of Governor Granholm's Jobs Today Initiative and another link in Michigan's economic recovery chain. The Governor has the power to independently issue an administrative rule that would reduce mercury poisoning in Michigan babies, diminish the burden of educating learning disabled children, clean up our mercury polluted lakes, make the fish we catch safe to eat again-and create needed jobs.

The Governor would be wise to include mercury pollution prevention in her jobs initiative. But she has to act on her own. She'll never get the power industry or the politicians it controls to bless her 2002 campaign promise to issue a practical, protective rule that will reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants 90% by 2010.

For 20 months, MEC and other environmental groups have participated with a work group Granholm appointed to recommend reductions in mercury emissions. At the last meeting, after endless hours of discussions, the electric power industry laid down its ultimatum: go with President Bush's shamefully inadequate mercury plan, which will subject Michigan's lakes, fish and another generation of children to life-long damage from this dangerous neurotoxin.

Dirty old coal fired power plants-like the kind that produce two-thirds of Michigan's electricity-are the country's last big unregulated source of mercury pollution. Having been successful in getting the Bush Administration to gut the previous administration's mercury prevention plan, the industry is now pulling out all the stops to keep governors in the heaviest polluting states like Michigan from ordering affordable, effective mercury controls.

The mercury pollution prevention program promised by Granholm more than three years ago would boost electricity bills by no more than 1.2% and stimulate Michigan's economy in several ways. First, there would be jobs associated with the installation and operation of these controls. Second, Michigan's leadership in cutting mercury emissions would encourage the pollution prevention and energy technology sector to make investments in our state rather than somewhere more hospitable to their technologies and products. Third, it would give us cleaner lakes and a more robust recreational and tourism economy. Finally, it would announce to highly-sought-after workers that this is a state that cares about its children's health.

Governor Granholm has been a leader in protecting Michigan's children from the ravages of lead poisoning, and she should do the same to protect them from mercury damage. We need to write and call her in the next few weeks to ask her to fulfill her campaign promise with a new rule to reduce mercury emissions 90% by 2010. Remind her that this is a winner for everyone who is concerned about jobs, the environment and Michigan's children.