Lawmaker seeks to block radioactive waste dumping in Southeast Michigan

Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Twp.) hosted a press conference on Sept. 11, 2024 discussing her bill to ban radioactive waste dumping in Michigan. | Kyle Davidson

In a move to keep contaminated soil and water from the Manhattan project from being deposited in a Wayne County landfill, state Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Twp.) has introduced legislation barring radioactive waste dumping in Michigan.

The decision to move waste from New York to Michigan came as a surprise to Wayne County residents, who learned of the decision last month. However, there is no notification process or requirement to inform local officials of individual shipments of radioactive material, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) spokesperson Hugh McDiarmid told Planet Detroit in August . The U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers (USACE) informed Van Buren Township that the shipments were incoming.

According to a statement from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, 6,000 cubic yards of soil and 4,000 gallons of groundwater contaminated with radiation will be transported to the area for disposal.

These shipments are expected to begin at the end of September and continue through January, Miller told reporters at a Wednesday press conference.

The revelation has sparked concern among those living in Van Buren Twp. and nearby communities, with Allen Wilson, a City Council member for the neighboring city of Romulus telling reporters the council had crafted a resolution requesting federal officials overseeing the transportation of the waste to find an alternative solution to dispose of the waste.

While responding to a number of questions submitted by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), the USACE said the decision to deposit the waste at Wayne Disposal, Inc. was made because the facility is authorized to receive low-activity radioactive waste, with the federal government successfully shipping and disposing of similar waste to the facility over many years past.

Although USACE officials assured community members at a Sept. 4 town hall that measures were being taken to protect the public, residents remained skeptical, with Planet Detroit reporting concerns of potential health risks, water quality issues and damage to property values.

State Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City), whose district neighbors where the waste will be stored,  pointed to the decision to dispose of the waste in Van Buren Twp. as an issue of environmental justice.

“You would never see this type of waste stored near Martha’s Vineyard, Beverly Hills or other wealthy communities and we don’t want it, either,” Wegela said.

“If you look across our country, hazardous waste sites are disproportionately located in working class communities and communities of color. Communities that may not have the resources or political connections to fight back. Well, today, we are fighting back, and we are fighting back for Michiganders across the state,” Wegela said.

Miller’s House Bill 5923 would block the disposal of nuclear waste within the state, but Miller said she is looking at additional legislation to raise Michigan’s waste tipping fee as a Plan B.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested an increase in the state’s waste tipping fee in her state budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025, with a briefing on the proposal stating, “Michigan has become a destination for a substantial volume of out-of-state waste” with this waste accounting for 25% of the state’s yearly waste.

To discourage other states from disposing of their waste in Michigan, Whitmer proposed raising the waste tipping fee from $.36 per ton to $5 a ton, comparative to neighboring states like Ohio, which charges $4.75 a ton, and Wisconsin, which charges $13 a ton.

While the revenue generated from the increased fee was initially included in the Senate’s draft of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, it was ultimately excluded, as the Legislature would have needed another law to enact the fee increase.

State Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) introduced legislation near the end of June to increase the fee for hazardous waste disposal, however the bill has yet to receive a hearing after being referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment.

Miller also introduced a bill in 2023 requesting a tipping fee increase, though the bill has languished in the House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee.

Miller told reporters she was cautiously optimistic her bill to ban radioactive waste dumping would receive bipartisan support, calling it a common-sense issue.

When asked if there was any concern if the bill would conflict with the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution which prevents communities from blocking waste from entering their state , Miller said the bill has to proceed through the legislative process.

“Will it hit snags? We hope not, but I’m positive that we have enough support this time. That’s what makes the difference. I have a wave of support to move this. And yes, we will have to negotiate, we’ll have to talk and have discussions. That’s a given,” Miller said.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX