MADISON HEIGHTS — Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) has issued the following statement following the public briefing that took place in Madison Heights this evening — and that was attended by nearly 350 concerned area residents — about the emergency response to the I-696 hazardous waste situation caused by Electro-Plating Services:
“We planned this public briefing to make sure that Madison Heights residents could talk to every elected official and every state and federal agency involved in this cleanup in the same room, at the same time, to answer their questions regarding this serious issue.
“I listened to the concerns that Madison Heights residents expressed tonight, and I’ll be delivering their thoughts with me tomorrow before an oversight hearing in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on this contamination.
“It’s been my top priority during my tenure in the Legislature to increase transparency in state government. We’ve seen what happens when government officials act with no accountability, particularly when it comes to environmental concerns, and the damage it can cause within a community. There are so many problems that led us up to this point and there are legislative solutions my colleagues and I must work on together.
“If this can happen in Madison Heights, it can happen anywhere in any district in the state. We cannot wait another 20 years for an incident like this to be addressed, and there is much more work to be done to get tougher on polluters and require better cleanup standards.”
Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), Rep. Jim Ellison (D-Royal Oak), Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash, Oakland County Commissioner Gary McGillivray, City of Madison Heights personnel, and representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy; and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services were all in attendance and participated in the briefing.
Community remembers can remain informed of updates on the Electro-Plating Services situation by following these websites dedicated to the issue:
- The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) webpage;
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage; or,
- By signing up for Sen. Moss’ e-newsletter at SenatorMoss.com.
Sen. Moss’s office is available to answer any questions, concerns or to help identify resources for constituents. He and his staff can be reached at (517) 373-7888, toll-free at 855-DIST011 (855-347-8011), or by email at SenJMoss@senate.michigan.gov.
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