72nd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2003 Regular Session
 
NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
 { +  braces and plus signs + } .
 
LC 2756
 
                         Senate Bill 701
 
Sponsored by Senator GEORGE (at the request of Don Fell)
 
 
                             SUMMARY
 
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
 
  Directs Department of Environmental Quality to conduct study of
methods that may be used to chemically treat solid waste that
contains mercury. Allows department to contract with state
institution of higher education to conduct study.
  Appropriates moneys to department for purpose of conducting
study.
 
                        A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to mercury; and appropriating money.
  Whereas the citizens of Oregon pride themselves on the beauty
of Oregon and on efforts to protect the environment; and
  Whereas there is now widespread concern regarding chemical
wastes discharged into the environment that affect the health of
Oregon's citizens; and
  Whereas some news reports have placed Oregon as the state with
the highest per capita rate of Parkinson's disease and the third
highest per capita rate of Alzheimer's disease; and
  Whereas toxicologists and immunologists point to mercury as a
cause of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease; and
  Whereas mercury is a toxin that accumulates in the human body
and has serious detrimental health effects; and
  Whereas there is no known method or treatment that will reduce
levels of mercury in the human body; and
  Whereas the increased use of compact fluorescent light bulbs, a
development that dramatically reduces energy consumption,
increases the need to address current methods of disposal of
compact fluorescent light bulbs that release mercury into the
environment; and
  Whereas there are methods to treat mercury that chemically bond
elemental mercury to other substances so that the mercury is
rendered nontoxic; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
  SECTION 1.  { + (1) The Department of Environmental Quality
shall conduct a study of methods that may be used to chemically
treat solid waste that contains mercury. The methods studied
shall include a process through which elemental mercury is
permanently chemically bonded to other chemicals.
  (2) The department may contract with a state institution of
higher education to conduct the study specified in subsection (1)
of this section. + }
 
  SECTION 2.  { + In addition to and not in lieu of any other
appropriation, there is appropriated to the Department of
Environmental Quality, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2003,
out of the General Fund, the amount of $400,000, which may be
expended for conducting the study specified in section 1 of this
2003 Act. + }
                         ----------