FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Multiple Organizations
Contact: Levi Teitel, levi@progressmichigan.org
February 15, 2024
When it Hits Home: Two Active Contamination Sites Spur Residents to Demand Action on Polluter Pay
TRENTON, Mich. – Residents, local officials, and advocates from across Southeast Michigan held a press conference today to shine a light on two ongoing contamination concerns at industrial facilities and to call on legislators in Lansing to act. At stake is the health of communities in harm’s way.
Reports of active contamination over the past week from the former McLouth Steel site in Trenton and Bear Creek in Warren highlight the need for polluter accountability. Sounding the alarm on public health threats to communities, local officials and advocates met at Meyer Ellias Park in Trenton to call on the Michigan Legislature to adopt strong “Polluter Pay” bills so taxpayers won’t be on the hook for the cost of cleaning up legacy toxic waste. The Polluter Pay bill package, led by Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), will increase transparency for contaminated site cleanup and put in place accountability measures so that polluting corporations are held responsible for paying to clean it up, not taxpayers.
“From Macomb County to Downriver, the pollution that our communities are facing is just the latest proof point for how corporate polluters have evaded accountability for too long,” said Henry Newnan, Warren City Council member (District 5). “The fact that in Warren we’re dealing with 580,000 gallons of toxic waste dumped into Bear Creek should set off an alarm at the highest levels. Lansing lawmakers must step up and pass the Polluter Pay package, because the status quo is unacceptable. This was preventable, and Michiganders deserve better.”
The active Trenton and Warren contamination sites are unfortunately not the only places in need of cleanup from environmental regulators and lawmakers. There are over 24,000 contaminated sites across the state of Michigan. Between both peninsulas, Michigan communities are suffering from the health and environmental impacts of legacy pollution while bearing the brunt of cleanup fees. For example, taxpayers in the city of Ann Arbor are doling out $900,000 a year to get PFAS out of their drinking water all because a corporate polluter is dumping these forever chemicals affecting the Huron River. It remains to be seen how much taxpayers will have to pay for these two ongoing incidents.
“It’s been over nine months since Downriver residents raised the alarm on increased caustic leaks caused by Riverview Trenton Railroad’s recent construction on the northern portion of the former McLouth site,” said Kyle de Beausset, Grosse Ile Twp. Trustee. “Someday, if we get accountability, the Moroun family will do enough to stop this caustic pollution on their property from threatening our health and our waterways. The system is rigged for polluters and we need better laws to both encourage cleanup and hold polluters accountable when they hurt our communities like this. Thankfully, our local state lawmakers are champions of better Polluter Pay laws, and I’m hopeful they’ll lead our state government to act quickly and better protect communities like ours from pollution like this.”
“For years, our community has been vocal about the public health concerns at McClouth Steel,” said Ryan Stewart of McLouth Waterfront Alliance. “Now, something that we predicted would happen has happened: a ‘mysterious’ corrosive liquid is seeping into our waterways. Our demands have remained the same – the McClouth site must be fully remediated and cleaned up with transparency. Michiganders deserve accountability from industry, and passing Polluter Pay should be a top priority for our lawmakers.”
There is near-unanimous agreement among Michigan voters that Polluter Pay legislation is worth passing. Polling from the Lake Effect newsletter demonstrates this strong support: in May and August of 2023, by an overwhelming margin of 93 and 92 percent respectively, supported requiring corporations who cause contamination to pay to clean up their pollution rather than having taxpayers foot the bill.
“It’s a concept that most folks should have learned in preschool: if you make a mess, you should be responsible for cleaning it up,” said Christy McGillivray, political and legislative director for Michigan Sierra Club. “Corporate polluters and their allies in Lansing have their eye on shareholder profits and their campaign coffers instead of the health of Michiganders. Polluter Pay is a slam-dunk win for lawmakers that prioritizes voters over campaign contributions, and we hope passing these bills will be a priority in Lansing this year. ”
“Michigan once had the strongest Polluter Pay law in the country until former Republican Gov. John Engler led its repeal,” said Bentley Johnson, federal government affairs director for Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Unaccountable polluters have put profits over people for too long, and communities like Warren and Trenton are suffering. We’ve been through this before and it will keep happening until we enact strong Polluter Pay laws. We need lasting, commonsense safeguards to discourage this kind of toxic activity from spilling over into our homes and neighborhoods. We must pass Polluter Pay legislation.”
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