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Folks: While I have no interest in defending
failed efforts to stop or clean up pollution anywhere in -
the DEQ
has lost 75% of its annual General Fund appropriation since 2002. -
In
addition, with the unwillingness of the Legislature to take up a proposed bond
issue for this year that would put funding into clean up of contaminated sites
among other things, the DEQ’s funding through dedicated funds for these
kinds of activities is on a fast decline. -
Lastly,
many of the fees currently charged for permits of various sorts are set to
expire within the next few years as well. That doesn’t excuse failures to
protect and clean up, and as those of you who read my rants will know I expect
this agency to do its job. But I am deeply and increasingly concerned
that the anti-enviros have done their best to convince legislators and the
public that the DEQ isn’t worth funding, or supporting -- their motives
are clear -- they want to gut the agency even more than the last decade has
seen. I urge specific complaints about DEQ’s
activities to be spelled out, pointed at the agency and pressure put on them to
respond -- this is something we have been doing on the CAFO issues, for
example, for almost a decade and result has been to see improvements even
without funds. But broad swipes at the agency don’t help, and feed
into the goals of those who want to get away with not following environmental
laws -- Sorry for the lecture, but I fear
unintentionally bolstering the intentional assault on the DEQ that has been
carried for a decade or more -- if we don’t have a functioning DEQ, we
might as well all pack it in now and write off our air, water, land, and
communities. Anne Woiwode, State Director Sierra Club (517) 484-2372 From:
owner-enviro-mich@great-lakes.net [mailto:owner-enviro-mich@great-lakes.net] On Behalf Of James Lang Decades of
pollution, waivers and 'studies' -- and more excuses, more
rationalization.
Lone Tree Council
P.O. 1251,
(Fighting for environmental justice since 1978) For Immediate Release
Contact:
Terry Miller, (989)686-6386 Thursday, October 30,
2008
Merri
DeSanto, (989) 894-0617
ARSENIC AND MERCURY FLOW FROM KARN / WEADOCK FACILITY
Ash Landfills Source of Contamination to Bay According to DEQ Documents Documents
obtained from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) through
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the watchdog group Lone Tree Council,
indicate that Consumers Energy’s Karn and Weadock ash landfills in
The Weadock Disposal area consists of a 292 acre landfill. The adjacent Karn
Disposal area is a 172 acre site. Both are filled with fly ash and bottom
ash, and both border the
The landfills were originally supposed to be isolated from the bay by clay
walls keyed into the clay bedrock, but according to the DEQ, the utility failed
to create a sealed barrier. Testing ordered by the DEQ in 2002
showed levels of arsenic leaching into
Moreover, the facility uses
“We are supposed to be excited about an expanded coal-fired complex
and we discover that the company has been historically negligent about its
wastes,” said Lone Tree Council chairman, Terry Miller. “Here
is one of the two largest utilities in the state showing an incredible level of
irresponsibility – how many decades have seen arsenic leaching into the
bay, the source of our drinking water?”
The group also discovered that in 1992, the waste sites were given a
total of fourteen (14) variances that would normally be required by this type
landfill. These exempted Consumers
Power (now Consumers Energy)
from among other items, staying 100 feet from the shoreline, four feet
clearance from groundwater, continuous supervision of unloading, and the
requirement to cover.
Also, because the ash was in a liquid form and had access to groundwater, the
Company in 1986 was exempted from getting a State groundwater discharge
permit. As the Water Resources Commission, an oversight body at the time,
noted: “The discharge is to an unusable aquifer which vents to
“It is not a secret that our group opposes the expansion of coal fired
plants – it is what prompted the inquiries,” said Miller,
“but this adds an additional level of concern, and brings a whole host of
questions to the table – how does the utility plan on remediating this
legacy of neglect? What additional provisions have been made for the ash
from an expanded facility? What levels of arsenic reach drinking water intakes?
And will the ratepayer be held responsible for a cleanup?”
“This news on arsenic and ash is another reason ‘clean coal’
is just a promotional phrase used by utility lobbyists,” added Merri
DeSanto, spokesperson for Citizens Exploring Clean Energy (CECE), a
The DEQ’s Water Bureau and Waste and Hazardous Materials Division, have
indicated that they have been in regular discussions with the utility and that
the Company has agreed to construct a slurry wall at the Weadock ash
landfill. Remediation of the Karn ash landfill is still under discussion.
The Lone Tree Council has requested that the MDEQ conduct a public meeting
to more fully address the issues at the site.
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