Scientists, states, and Congress point out that mercury is bad

Mercury is not a problem. Mercury is not a problem. (Psst: hey readers, it’s us. We interrupt this federal brainwashing to let you know that researchers who sampled more than 2,700 fish from 626 rivers and streams in 12 Western states found mercury in every one of them.) Mercury is not a problem. (The team, from the U.S. EPA and Oregon State University, said most levels were low, but the widespread contamination was a surprise.) Mercury is not a problem. (Three other recent studies found mercury hotspots in the U.S. and Canada, suggesting that the neurotoxin’s tendency to accumulate locally means EPA’s national cap-and-trade program won’t be a sufficient solution.) Pas de probleme. (Ooh, French! Fancy! But it doesn’t hide the fact that 16 states have sued EPA to challenge the agency’s plan, and several congressfolk are drafting bills to do the same.) “I think the beneficial effects of eating fish outweigh the hazard potential,” said an EPA researcher in Oregon. (Uh-oh, another convert.)