Wayne County Calls on MDEQ to Protect Health and Safety of Communities
Wayne Couty asks MDEQ to consider impact of waste pollution on communities when issuing permits to increase emissions.
Wayne County officials are calling on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to reject a proposal to increase the amount of hazardous waste accepted into the state. The waste management company US Ecology accepts fracking waste from out of state which is dumped in Detroit.
Doctor Mouhanad Hammami s the director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Veterans, and Community Wellness. He says allowing more waste to enter a community already burdened by pollution is adding insult to injury.
“We know for example in Marathon Oil, this is the most polluted neighborhoods in the city of Detroit. WE know for example where the US Ecology water treatment side it is bordering two of the mostly under-served and overburdened city’s in Wayne County, specifically the city of Hamtramck.” Hammami says.
The Marathon refinery is expected to increase the amount of sulfur dioxide released in the air. Hammami says the department should address current level of environment pollution before allowing and permits to increase pollution.
