Senator Brownsberger submitted the following written testimony to the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.
TO: Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture
FROM: Senator William N. Brownsberger
RE: H802, An Act relative to mercury added thermostats
DATE: March 21, 2013
I am writing in support of H802, An Act relative to mercury added thermostats.
This bill establishes a thermostat recycling program in Massachusetts modeled after successful programs Maine and Vermont. The program includes a financial incentive for homeowners or contractors who return a mercury-added thermometer for recycling and a statewide goal of at least 65% of out-of-service mercury thermostats collected for recycling.
Mercury in even small quantities can cause serious health and ecological problems and I hope the Committee will report H802 favorably.