| Dow Chemical
submitted their Remedial Investigation work plans to the DEQ for
Midland soils and the Tittabawassee River and floodplain. Dow
was granted an extension until March 1 for submittal of plans on
the first five miles of the Saginaw River starting at the
confluence.
The data collected on the T- River floodplain and T- river sediments confirms, supports and reaffirms DEQ's previous findings and scientific assumptions on the extent of the contamination. Dioxin is pervasive and concentrated in the frequently flooded areas the of the Tittabawassee River. No surprise there. PLEASE look at those numbers within the 100 year and 8 year floodplain. DEQ Dow Meeting Discussion of these work plans will be the main topic of the next quarterly Midland/Saginaw/Bay City Tri-Cities Dioxin Community Meeting hosted by the DEQ and Dow on Thursday, February 9, 2006, at the Horizons Conference Center in Saginaw. The meeting is open to the public and will run from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Staff from the DEQ and Dow will be available one-half hour before and after the meeting for individual discussion with the public. Background information and supporting materials for the Community Meetings can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/deqdioxin, then click on the "DEQ/Dow Community Involvement" Quick Link. The information is overwhelming but worth reviewing. Please put your questions and comments together and take advantage of the opportunity.
EPA OK with Dow not telling us about their releases
A proposal by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce the
reporting requirements from industrial polluters will
weaken the effectiveness of a database that monitors
industrial pollution in communities across the country.
Reducing the information and paper work because it has
become " burdensome"( according to EPA) for industry
will only make it more difficult for communities to
fight industrial polluters. It is a major affront to
community right to know. 156 Michigan companies,
including Dow Chemical, would no longer be required to
fully report toxic chemical discharges to the public if
the Bush administration moves forward with a plan to cut
back on reporting rules for business.
Earlier
this month , Attorney Generals from 12 states submitted
comments to the EPA opposing these drastic changes to
the Toxic Release Inventory, and they defended the
importance of the pubic information database that
provides citizens with some of the most comprehensive
information on toxic releases in their communities.
(To see what is released in your neighborhood, go to
http://www.scorecard.org and type in your zip code.
The Michigan Attorney General did not file in
opposition to the change.
Zilwaukee Twp and the DMDF
There is just not
enough time to tell you everything ongoing and happening
with the Saginaw River Dredge Materials Disposal Facility
which will condemn hundreds of acres of wetland/farmland to
a slurry pit for dioxin contaminated sediments from the
Saginaw River. The two contested cases filed by the Twp and
Lone Tree Council ( with the Administrative Law Judge at DEQ
) were recently bolstered when Frankenlust Twp weighed in on
the contested cases because of disregard for local zoning
violations. Saginaw County Public Works director moved
ahead with plans to place contaminated sediments on
properties in these two townships without asking permission.
The land was taken under threats of condemnation.
The DEQ, EPA and
US Fish and Wildlife have all submitted pages of concerns
and out right criticism of the plan but it remains on course
with contested cases pending and the party responsible for
the dioxin, Dow Chemical, being granted the luxury of
sitting back and watching how this all plays out.
Saginaw County taxpayers at the end of 20 years will be
responsible for this site and Dow's dioxin in perpetuity
unless things change. These sediments belong out of
the floodplain in a secured site with monitoring
capabilities and collection systems. This site is not
practical, environmentally feasible or financially sound in
the long run.
The disagreement
between Zilwaukee Twp and the Public Works Director, Jim
Koski, digressed further when Mr. Koski took it upon himself
to file, in essence a SLAPP suit, against Zilwuakee Twp for
not responding to FOIA request. A request the twp says they
never received and Mr. Koski cannot prove he sent. If it
were that important Mr. Koski should have sent it
certified. SLAPP suits (Strategic Law Suits against Public
Participation) are initiated in an attempt to
intimidate citizens from taking aggressive actions ( like
the contested case). They usually are around environmental
and development issues. Talk about Goliath trying to kick
David's butt. Mr. Koski said he would drop the suit if
Zilwuakee Twp dropped their contested case at the DEQ. As a
county employee and elected officials Mr. Koski should not
be making this personal or wasting taxpayers money to seek
revenge.
Early on the Army
Corp of Engineers stated this project was going to be done
as cheap as possible. Well you get what you pay for. Only
this time the taxpayers and the watershed may end up paying
the price for this do it on the cheap
project! We are not far away from site preparation and have
yet to see a finalized Operational Management Plan for these
sediments. You can bet once the site is prepped the dredging
will begin.
Lansing State
Journal January 15 2006
snips That's too bad, because the Great Lakes together hold 95 percent of our nation's fresh water. They are an enormous economic driver to the region, supporting something like 250,000 jobs in the region. Boating alone is a $35 billion-a-year industry, while fishing, hunting and wildlife account for $18 billion. More to the point, the Great Lakes — one of the few landmarks on earth visible from space — define Michigan's environmental present and represent our economic future as does nothing else. Unlike manufacturing jobs or the
auto industry, you can't move the Great Lakes offshore to China.
They are going to be there essentially forever, and if we let
them be ruined it will be our forever-lasting sin. And we don't
have much time to save them. Best Regards, Michelle Hurd Riddick Lone Tree Council " Here is your country----do not let anyone take it or its glory away from you. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skim your country of its beauty, its riches, or its romance. The world and the future and your very children shall judge you according to how you deal with this sacred trust." --------------Teddy Roosevelt |
Source: one Tree Council / TRW
For additional articles like this one, go to the Tittabawassee River Watch web site www.trwnews.net. for complete coverage of the Tittabawassee River Dow Chemical dioxin contamination saga.. The source organization's web site link is listed above. The Newspaper / Media page of our site contains an extensive archive of media articles dating back to January 2002. The Newspaper / Media page may be accessed by scrolling down to the bottom of the CONTENTS section and clicking on the Newspaper/Media link.