VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — At an emotional town hall meeting in Van Buren Township Wednesday, officials with EGLE, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed the move of radioactive waste heading from New York to the Wayne Disposal Facility.
Hundreds of residents gathered at the Wayne County Community College District, furious about the move.
“We don’t want it — story closed. Nobody wants it. They should’ve left it where it was," Van Buren Township resident Sonia Devias said.
Last month, we reported that low-radiation atomic bomb byproduct waste from the Manhattan Project in the 1940s was making its way to Michigan.
State and local officials and residents were caught off guard and demanded answers. Rep. Debbie Dingell called a town hall meeting with the help of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
“Our community just wants to feel safe. They just want to be safe," Rep. Rashida Tlaib said at the meeting.
Wayne Disposal Facility is run by Republic Services but is under federal regulations. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had five options on where to dump the material, making the decision to transfer the waste to Wayne County.
“We want to be transparent," Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District Lt. Col. Robert Burnham said. “We follow all Department of Transportation and EPA rules."
Watch our previous coverage before the town hall in the video player below:
During public comment, concerned residents said the only reason they found out about the waste being moved to their area is in news report. EGLE says they are not required to report these moves if they are safe but wanted to make sure the community knew details at the town hall meeting, highlighting the Wayne Disposal Facility's capability to take this material in.
“I know a lot of the concern is about notifications, there is no notification required to move this material," EGLE Director of the Material Management Division Liz Browne said. “It’s the only hazardous waste commercial waste facility in Michigan.”
Officials at the meeting highlighted that in New York, it is illegal to dispose of hazardous waste but legal and cheap to do so in Michigan.
Previous story: 'I'm concerned.' Interview with Van Buren Public Schools superintendent on radioactive waste coming to Wayne County
“Michigan has made itself the hazardous waste dumping grounds," Tlaib said. “Our state laws need to change. We need to ban these types of facilities.”
The waste will begin to move in via semitrucks starting this month and the transfer will continue until January 2025.
