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EPA to Celebrate One Millionth Mercury Auto Switch Collection Milestone at Pull-A-Part in Conley, GA

Release Date: 02/25/2008
Contact Information: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353, niles.laura@epa.gov

(Atlanta, Ga. – February 25, 2008) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson will congratulate participants in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (NVMSRP) for their collaborative work in collecting the one millionth mercury auto switch on Friday, February 29, 2008 at Pull-A-Part in Conley, Ga. This milestone highlights the NVMSRP partnership's progress toward reducing the amount of toxic mercury released into the air, water and land from scrap vehicles before they are flattened, shredded and melted to make new steel.

Mercury-containing convenience light switches were used in domestic cars built before 2003. The goal of the NVMSRP is to capture 80 to 90 percent of available vehicle mercury switches by 2017, when most pre-2003 vehicles are expected to be off the road and the program is scheduled to end. EPA estimates that about 8 tons per year of mercury are emitted from electric arc furnaces that melt scrap metal from retired cars. The NVMSRP began in 2006 and is a collaboration between EPA, states, automakers, auto dismantlers, auto scrap recyclers, steelmakers and environmental groups.

Detailed information about the NVMSRP can be found at https://www.epa.gov/mercury/switch.htm.


WHO: Stephen L. Johnson, EPA Administrator; Susan Bodine, EPA Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response; Jimmy Palmer, EPA Regional Administrator; Steve Levetan, Senior Vice President of Pull-A-Part, LLC; John Gilkeson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, representing the NVMSRP

WHAT: The celebration and recognition of NVMSRP's significant achievement in collection of the one millionth mercury auto switch.

WHEN: Friday, February 29, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Pull-A-Part
1540 Henrico Rd.
Conley, GA 30288