On June 4, 2012, Dr. Donald Barnes was invited to give a seminar. His speech topic is MERCURY, COAL, and POWER--How Environmental Policy Evolves in the United States and in the World. The US and the world became aware of the environmental problem of mercury as a result of a tragic episode of mercury pollution that was discovered and slowly unfolded in Minamata, Japan in 1956. In 1990, the US Congress granted the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) authority to regulate industrial sources of air-borne mercury that contribute significantly to anthropogenic mercury in the US environment. This lecture examined the pathway leading to the final regulation, highlighting the interconnected roles of law, science, and power – electrical and political – in the process. He focused on what has been accomplished so far and what remains to be done in order to fully confront the global challenge of mercury pollution. Teachers and students are interested in the report and have a lively discussion.

The Biosketch of the reporter:

Dr. Donald Barnes is retired after more than 20 years of service at the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in Washington, DC, where he was a member of the Senior Executive Service serving most recently as the Director of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) of USEPA. Under his leadership, the SAB produced hundreds of reports and conducted hundreds of public meetings examining the scientific and technical underpinnings of USEPA regulations designed to protect public health and the environment. Prior to leading the SAB, Dr. Barnes enjoyed ten years as Senior Science Advisor to the Assistant Administrator for Pesticides and Toxic Substances. During his career, he was three times award the Gold Medal for Outstanding Service, the USEPA’s highest award, for a range of accomplishments in scientific risk assessment and the scientific basis for regulation of dioxin compounds.

Prior to joining USEPA, Dr. Barnes taught at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, for ten years, where he rose to become the Chair of the Division of Mathematical, Natural, and Health Sciences.

He received a PhD in chemistry (with a chemical physics focus) from Florida State University for research conducted at the University’s Institute of Molecular Biophysics.