Judge blocks radioactive waste dumping in Van Buren Township

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A Wayne County judge temporarily blocked shipments of radioactive waste to a hazardous waste landfill in Van Buren Township on Wednesday, amid a battle in the state legislature to ban radioactive waste disposal in Michigan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to dispose of 6,000 tons of radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project, currently located at the Niagra Falls Storage Site in Lewiston, New York, at the Wayne Disposal facility located in Belleville, Michigan, according to publicly available slides available through the USACE website.

Under the plan, Wayne Disposal would receive approximately 25 trucks of radioactive waste a week.

The first shipment of radioactive waste to Wayne Disposal was expected later this month.

However, on Monday, Van Buren Township, the Van Buren Township Fire Chief, the City of Romulus, the City of Belleville and Canton Township filed a civil suit against Wayne Disposal to stop the shipments out of a concern for the safety of the local community and environment.

It was in response to this suit that Wayne County Judge Kevin Cox filed a temporary injunction to block the shipments.

Democratic Michigan Representative Reggie Miller, who represents Van Buren Township and who introduced legislation to ban radioactive waste disposal in the state, claims that the judge’s temporary order aligns with the will of the people.

“The people of Wayne County have spoken loud and clear: Our hometown will not be the dumping ground for toxic, radioactive waste,” said Miller. “The battle to keep waste out of our community’s backyard is far from over.”

A hearing on this case is scheduled for Sept. 26.

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