Southeast Michigan residents, local officials, and advocates held a press conference on Thursday to call attention to ongoing contamination concerns at industrial facilities throughout the state, and the need for strong "Polluter Pay" laws in Michigan.
Officials say a burst pipe in a shuttered metal plating company was the source of chemicals contaminating the Bear Creek Drain in Macomb County. The contamination was discovered last week because it had turned the water in the drain bright blue-green.
A day later, in Wayne County, puddles of corrosive chemicals at the shuttered McLouth Steel plant were discovered on the site — the same chemicals that had contaminated a nearby stream last summer.
“From Macomb County to Downriver, the pollution that our communities are facing is just the latest proof point for how corporate polluters have evaded accountability for too long,” said Henry Newnan, a member of Warren's city council. “The fact that in Warren we’re dealing with 580,000 gallons of toxic waste dumped into Bear Creek should set off an alarm at the highest levels."
Ryan Stewart of the McLouth Waterfront Alliance said the community has been vocal about public health concerns from the shuttered steel plant for years.
“Now, something that we predicted would happen has happened: a ‘mysterious’ corrosive liquid is seeping into our waterways. Our demands have remained the same – the McClouth site must be fully remediated and cleaned up with transparency," Stewart said.
Environmental groups say there are over 24,000 contaminated sites across the state of Michigan. They say Michigan once had the strongest Polluter Pay law in the nation, and recently introduced bills in the state House and state Senate would restore some of the law's measures to hold polluters accountable.
The bills would enact stricter cleanup standards, and require pollution-prone industries to carry insurance in the event of a need for a cleanup.
“It’s a concept that most folks should have learned in preschool: If you make a mess, you should be responsible for cleaning it up,” said Christy McGillivray, political and legislative director for Michigan Sierra Club.
The bills were introduced last fall. So far, they have not been scheduled for a hearing.
Observers say that's due to opposition from Dow Chemical, which dumped toxic chemicals into the Tittabawassee River for decades. The company is still involved in some cleanups in the surrounding watershed.
In a statement, Dow said it "has been engaged with policymakers to discuss the benefits and risks associated with enacting these proposed bills. We support the structure of the current law, because of the certainty it provides for environmental cleanups and redevelopment."
