LANSING, Mich. (October 24, 2024) — Yesterday, Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) introduced comprehensive legislation to modernize Michigan’s hazardous waste management system and strengthen environmental protections for communities across the state. Senate Bill 1052 comes as Michigan communities face increasing concerns about hazardous waste management, including recent controversies over toxic waste disposal in Romulus and radioactive material in Van Buren Township — both located in Sen. Camilleri’s district.
The legislation includes several landmark provisions:
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Establishes a five-year moratorium planning period during which treatment and storage facilities would not be permitted to be built or expanded. Permanently bans the creation of new hazardous and radioactive waste injection wells.
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Requires the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to develop a new comprehensive hazardous and radioactive waste management plan within the five-year moratorium planning period.
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Establishes a statewide capacity limit based on Michigan’s own contributions to national hazardous waste generation. Restricts new hazardous waste facilities from being sited in densely populated or overburdened communities or within 100 miles of an existing facility.
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Significantly strengthens financial assurance requirements to protect taxpayers from footing the bill of cleanups.
“Michigan’s environmental legacy and the health of our communities deserve the strongest possible protections,” said Sen. Camilleri. “The trust of residents in my district and in districts across our state has been repeatedly shaken when hazardous or radioactive waste is dumped and pumped into our densely populated communities. I’ve worked closely with stakeholders to craft legislation that is within the bounds of the law and that would have an immediate impact on the amount of current and future waste that can be disposed of in Michigan. This legislation modernizes our decades-old waste management framework to reflect current science and puts safeguards in place to ensure facilities operate at appropriate scales and locations. We need a waste management system that prioritizes public health and environmental protection while respecting constitutional requirements. SB 1052 takes us much closer toward accomplishing that goal.”
“Michigan has become a primary destination for hazardous waste from across the country, with our most vulnerable communities shouldering an unfair burden as companies profit from a patchwork of outdated regulations,” said Andrew Bashi, Staff Attorney at the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. “Senator Camilleri’s bill offers an opportunity for our state to finally prioritize public health, environmental justice, and taxpayer protection when it comes to how we handle these materials. It creates the tools to finally build a hazardous waste management system that works for everyone. This is exactly the kind of bold and forward-thinking policy we need to protect our communities and precious resources for generations to come.”
“This legislation is a direct result of community advocacy,” said Jennifer Fassbender of the Detroit Hamtramck Coalition for Advancing Healthy Environments. “After years of fighting permits that bring hazardous waste into our communities facility by facility, we finally have a bill that looks at the bigger picture. The siting provisions combined with new capacity limits mean our communities won’t have to keep battling the same fights over and over. This gives Michigan the chance to reset and create a waste management system that actually protects public health.”
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