Despite President Bush's veto threat, the Senate appears poised to vote to overturn President Bush's regulations on mercury emissions. The AP's Jim Abrams reports.

Senators are challenging the Bush administration over its approach to reducing power plant emissions of mercury, a toxic metal that poses serious threats of neurological damage to newborn and young children.

The White House insists its market-based approach to curtailing mercury pollution is effective and founded on sound science, and warned that the president will veto any legislation that would overturn rules on mercury emissions finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency last March.

The Senate votes Tuesday on a measure that would repeal those rules, and the outcome is uncertain. At least three Republicans have said they will join Democrats in moving to strike down the regulations and force the administration to come up with stronger measures to combat the health hazard.

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The debate highlights two very different approach to environmental protection. The administration rules, backed by the utility industry, would set a nationwide cap on mercury emissions and put a ceiling on allowable pollution for each state. But individual plants, through a cap-and-trade system, can avoid cleanups by buying pollution credits from plants that are under allowable levels.

[...]

But opponents say the rules are too weak and would prolong a health risk that leaves newborns vulnerable to birth defects and mental retardation.

As in the case of stem-cell funding, President Bush would much rather have the ball in Congress' court than in his own. If the issue doesn't move because of Congress' propensity not to act, he cannot be blamed; however, if he vetoes the move, critics can genuinely place the onus on him.

[Update 11:55 AM Pacific]: The vote finished recently, failing by a 47-51 margin. Six Democrats voted against the measure, allowing nine Republicans to vote in the affirmative without forcing the President to follow through with his veto threat. If the Democrats indeed want the President to make tough decisions, they have to show a little more unanimity in their voting.