Local officials said Thursday that they're pleased that radioactive waste from New York will not be coming to a hazardous waste site in Wayne County.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to ship low-level radioactive waste from the World War II-era Manhattan Project to a site in Texas, instead of Wayne Disposal.
State Representative Reggie Miller, a Democrat whose district includes the Wayne County waste facility, pushed the corps to find another place for the material.
Even after the corps' new decision, she warned the fight is far from over, and said the federal government was acting to avoid a costly lawsuit.
“Them trying to showcase a rescheduled hazardous materials training session and holding some meetings does not equate out to being good stewards. It’s because they’re scared, plain and simple.”
The Army corps said its decision was made based on a "collaborative effort" in Wayne County that included citizen engagement and a temporary restraining order against the waste shipment by a circuit court judge.
Miller said residents and communities need to keep up the fight against importing hazardous materials into Michigan.
“I fear that the public will drop their guard and think ‘Oh, gosh this is great news’ and it is and it’s really not about one shipment. It’s about the pattern of importing radioactive waste into Michigan without proper safeguards.”
Canton Township supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak said the state Legislature should raise fees that make Michigan a magnet for out-of-state refuse.
"We are basically a dumping ground," she said. "Canada comes in, all these other states come in, and when this all fills up we will all be looking for a place to take our trash. We really need people to take care of their trash in their own state."
