By John Fuller,Guest columnist

I am currently away from my home in Auburn serving in the United States Army. After completing my enlistment, it is my goal to return home, work with my parents at our family’s small business and, God willing, raise a family of my own.

L.D. 1664, filed by Maine Sen. Scott Cowger, now threatens my dreams. My family’s business is a crematory, and Sen. Cowger’s legislation would cripple us if it is passed. As the Sun Journal has reported, L.D. 1664 would require crematory operators to either remove dental amalgam fillings from corpses or install hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment to capture mercury emissions.

The first option is disrespectful, unprofessional and barbaric. Pulling the teeth out of corpses is simply the desecration of the dead. Crematories, cemeteries and funeral homes all make it a priority to be professional and respectful and to preserve the sanctity of the funeral process. Ripping the teeth from corpses will violate the principles and ethics the death care industry holds dear.

The second option is just not economically feasible for any crematory in this state. Our small, family-run business simply cannot afford the nearly $1 million worth of new equipment needed to bring our facility into compliance with Sen. Cowger’s proposed legislation. The filters called for by L.D. 1664 would be too expensive for us, and we would face a very real possibility of going out of business.

Looking on his official Web site, I see that Sen. Cowger is very proud of his efforts and voting record to help small businesses in Maine. I am confused, then, why he is introducing new legislation that will severely hurt, if not eliminate, several small businesses around the state. Dozens of Maine workers and their families will be adversely affected if this bill passes.

Also on the Web site, Sen. Cowger is proud of his past efforts in reducing harmful mercury released into Maine’s environment.While eliminating a possible harmful pollutant is a noble cause, it should not be at the expense of hard workers and their families. If the mercury emissions were a dire threat to the health of Maine’s population, this legislation would be worthwhile, but Sen. Cowger may not realize how minuscule the amount of mercury released by crematories really is.

In a study released by the Environmental Protection Agency on mercury emissions, the amount of mercury released by cremations is among the lowest of mercury emitting activities. The study shows the amount of mercury released during cremations annually is comparable to the amount released by recycling fluorescent light bulbs each year.

While I’ve been away serving my country, I’ve heard of too many small businesses in Maine closing down and too many families moving out of state to find better jobs. Sen. Cowger’s L.D. 1664 will only cause more businesses to shut their doors and more families to move away. When I finish my time in the Army, I want both my family and my business to stay where they are. I want to come home to Maine.

Spec. John Fuller is a satellite communication network controller in the U.S. Army. He’s currently stationed at Fort Detrick, Md.

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