To: Kirstin Safakas, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator and Steve Kaiser, EPA Regional Counsel
Tell the EPA: Don't Let Billionaire Matty Moroun Keep Polluting the Detroit River
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We were disturbed to learn during the EPA-led hearing on the settlement with billionaire Matty Moroun's Crown Enterprises that the tearing down of buildings at the former McLouth Steel site was prioritized over toxic chemicals running off into the river, including PCBs and heavy metals. If the EPA is going to settle with Matty Moroun in the public's name, we demand that pollution of the Detroit River be treated as the emergency that it is.
Specifically, we demand that action is taken much sooner than the 18 months required to produce a "stormwater management report" currently cited in the settlement agreement in Appendix D, Section 5, Part (b). 18 months is an inappropriate amount of time to wait until actions are taken to stop this pollution, and inadequately addresses the risks to downriver residents that this pollution poses.
Work on that report required in the agreement should begin immediately, taking no longer than six months, and there should be action taken ideally before the report is done, or if necessary right after, to stop toxic chemicals from going into the Detroit River that many of us rely on for our livelihood and well-being.
Why is this important?
With over 100 local residents, I attended the public meeting this week where the EPA discussed its proposed settlement with billionaire Matty Moroun's Crown Enterprises over the former McLouth Steel site along the Detroit River.
While I'm thankful something is being done to finally clean up the site, and I'm fully supportive of a local group of residents who are pushing that the site be cleaned up to federal residential standards rather than industry standards, at least one thing came to light during the hearing that I believe we all need to push harder on, and we only have until September 13th when the comment period closes to do it.
The EPA itself acknowledges that highly toxic chemicals, including PCBs and heavy metals, are currently leaching into the Trenton Channel from the McLouth Steel site. Under the proposed settlement and "covenant not to sue" the EPA is giving Crown Enterprises a full 18 months to "assess and report" on what to do about the pollution that's currently going into the river, let alone doing anything about it. Knowing billionaire Matty Moroun, we'll be lucky if anything is ever done about it.
Pressed at the hearing about this chief negotiator for the EPA Steve Kaiser admitted that he prioritized the tearing down of the former McLouth Steel buildings over pollution into the river. 18 months is too long to wait before action is taken to stop toxic chemicals from going into the river. The downriver area relies on this river for so much of our livelihood and well-being, toxic chemicals polluting the river from the McLouth steel site should be treated like the emergency that it is.
We still have until September 13th to put our comments in. Sign, share, and write a note on this petition before then and I'll make sure your comment gets in before the deadline.