LANSING, Mich. (Sept. 5, 2024) — Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) has issued the following statement regarding the latest load of radioactive waste slated to be shipped from outside of the state and disposed of in Van Buren Township:
“Here in Wayne County, our backyards are quite literally the nation’s dumping grounds for hazardous waste and more. For too long, our residents have had to bear the consequences.
“The latest development in Van Buren Township regarding radioactive waste being shipped in and disposed of there is just the most recent example of the harm being caused by scant regulation and some of the lowest disposal fees in the United States.
“We must act at this moment to guarantee our neighbors are safe and protected from dangerous materials. I am committed to working in Lansing to ban new hazardous waste facilities across our state. We must also hold existing facilities to higher standards in terms of what materials they take in. Additionally, I am pursuing legislation to reform Michigan’s regulations and prevent harmful materials from being disposed of in our communities.
“I took action earlier this year by introducing SB 938, legislation making it far more difficult for hazardous waste to be disposed of in our community at the Republic Industrial and Energy Solutions deep injection well facility.
“But we need to go further.
“The time to stand up and say ‘enough is enough’ is right now — not after all of Michigan’s rivers, fields, neighborhoods and skies are too toxic for us to enjoy. It’s imperative we act in this moment to guarantee future generations can live in communities like Romulus and Van Buren Township without fearing the health repercussions they and their loved ones may experience because a dumping ground for out-of-state hazardous waste was built near their home — something that never should have happened.”