The Sierra Club took steps in October to join the City of Manistee in fighting a huge lawsuit that puts residents of West Michigan at risk from the dangerous effects such as mercury pollution of a proposed coal-fired power plant in Manistee.

"The Bush Administration has failed to protect Lake Michigan and its communities from mercury pollution," said Monica Evans, chair of the Sierra Club's Traverse Group. "Towns like Manistee must stand up for themselves because the Administration is not protecting communities at risk."

Texas-based Tondu Corporation planned to fuel the facility with coal shipped into Michigan from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, as proposed by Vice President Cheney's energy policy, even though Michigan has excess power capacity, and pollution produced by the power plant would aggravate health concerns and increase the exposure of anglers and their families throughout the state to mercury contamination in fish.

The city, however, took action to protect itself by denying approval for Tondu's new power plant. Tondu Corporation then filed a lawsuit against the City of Manistee, seeking damages against the city of $100 million if it is not allowed to construct its new polluting facility. The Sierra Club, represented by the Chicago law firm of Jenner & Block, LLP, filed a motion September 15 to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of the city.

The proposed plant would be a step back from Manistee's plans to remake itself into a tourist resort and retirement haven. If built, the plant would expose Manistee residents and tourists to enormous amounts of toxic pollution: eight million pounds of sulfur dioxide, four million pounds of nitrogen oxide and dangerous amounts of toxic mercury.

Many Manistee residents oppose the plant because of the health risks posed by mercury pollution. According to a recent U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency report, coal-burning power plants are the single largest source of mercury pollution in the U.S. One in six women of childbearing age has mercury levels in her blood high enough to put her baby at risk.

An increase in mercury pollution isn't residents' only concern. While the increase in mercury can be expected to harm the region's lucrative sport-fishing industry, so will the expected fish kills resulting from the proposed plant.