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Home  ISRI News ISRI Calls on GM
to Not Abandon Its Responsibilities in Letter to
Obama
August 21, 2009
ISRI Calls on GM to Not Abandon Its
Responsibilities in Letter to Obama
GM Turns Its Back on Environmental
Protections by Withdrawing from Mercury Switch
Removal Program
ISRI sent a letter to President Obama on Friday,
August 21, requesting his help with the recent
decision by General Motors ("GM") to withdraw from
participation in the End of Life Vehicle Solutions
("ELVS") program which is fundamental to the
National Vehicle Mercury Switch Removal Program
(NVMSRP). American taxpayers own a significant
portion of General Motors. It is for this reason
that ISRI sent the letter to President Obama
highlighting the risk to the environment posed by
GM's action. GM is hiding behind technical
bankruptcy issues to undercut the Obama
Administration's environmental and health
concerns.
ELVS was given responsibility in 2006 under the
EPA-facilitated National Vehicle Mercury Switch
Removal Program (NVMSRP) to lead and coordinate the
efforts of the auto manufacturers (including GM) to
collect, transport, and properly recycle mercury
switches removed from end-of-life vehicles by auto
dismantlers and scrap recyclers. Auto dismantlers
and scrap recyclers have been voluntarily removing
these switches since 2006 under the NVMSRP program,
which requires that the switches be sent to ELVS for
recycling. Further, the NVMSRP established an
incentive payment (currently $4/switch) which is
sent by ELVS to the auto dismantler or scrap
recycler. The incentive is intended to help defray
the cost of removing and handling the switches. It
has been shown to be necessary to ensure high switch
recovery rates, thus significantly reducing the
amount of mercury released into the environment.
"GM contributes over half of the funds to operate
ELVS (based upon GM's share, which is 53% of the
mercury switches in vehicles that remain in commerce
today)," ISRI President Robin Wiener points out in
the letter. "It is critical that GM continue
to fund ELVS if the thousands of small- to
medium-sized businesses that comprise the auto
dismantling and scrap recycling industries are to
have a safe, responsible, and cost-effective option
to which the mercury switches removed from
end-of-life vehicles can be sent," the letter
states. "Second, the incentives referred to above
have been paid through an EPA-facilitated Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) detailing the elements of the
NVMSRP and signed on August 11, 2006 by the
automotive scrap recycling, dismantling, and steel
industries, as well as the states and several
environmental organizations."
"Given the current state of the economy, the
NVMSRP is in danger unless it is adequately funded
going forward. Discussions are currently under
way in the Congress to address the future funding of
the NVMSRP but with no certainty as to the
result. As such, we ask your support to ensure
that these proven incentives continue," the letter
concludes. "The scrap recycling industry
respectfully requests that your administration take
the necessary steps to keep GM's support of ELVS in
place. ISRI also respectfully requests that
your administration consider providing the necessary
funding to replenish the NVMSRP incentive fund that
supports the small businesses that are tasked with
ensuring the mercury is properly removed from these
old cars, and that it is also a necessary part of
the CARS program."
In the early 1990s, GM heard from the scrap
recycling industry and others that the continued use
of mercury convenience light switches would lead to
environmental problems. Despite the ready
availability of suitable alternatives, GM continued
installing mercury convenience light switches until
2002. Then a coalition, including the scrap
recycling industry, the environmental community and
others, forced GM to stop by supporting legislation
in the states mandating that GM pay for the removal
of these switches before recycling. Subsequently, GM
and other automakers voluntarily established ELVS
and committed to the NVMSRP. "We think it is
crucial that GM, which has taken approximately $25
billion in bail-out funds from the public coffers,
step forward and renew its $1 million per year
commitment to removing mercury, a proven health
threat to children and pregnant women, from its
end-of-life cars ," states ISRI President Robin
Wiener. "This is really a matter of principle
and GM should do the right thing by renewing its
participation in the ELVS program."
News Release
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