Use Your Voice for Good!

There is so much going on nationally that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of important things happening locally. But this is something near and dear to everyone’s heart: protecting Lake Michigan. Read on to learn about what’s happening, and how you can help. 

WHAT’S THE ISSUE? Consumers Energy has requested approval from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to drill TWO deep injection waste wells on the J.H. Campbell Plant property, very close to Lake Michigan, in order to dispose of “nonhazardous” leachate from the coal ash landfills.

WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED? “Nonhazardous” does not mean “uncontaminated.” It only means that the contamination is not at levels high enough to be labeled “hazardous.”

The leachate will be untreated and likely contaminated with the same contaminants that are in the coal ash: arsenic, selenium, and vanadium, to name a few. It will be injected thousands of feet into the earth, where it cannot be monitored, and where, as you know, it will be in proximity to Lake Michigan. 

U.S.EPA and Consumers will state that migration of the waste into the geology below the lake—or into the lake itself—is unlikely. But the reality is, it’s thousands of feet underground. It’s impossible to know, over time, with seismic activity, where it goes. And within ten years, it’s likely that Consumers will legally “abandon” the wells, after plugging them, meaning that there will be little or no monitoring or maintenance of them.

Furthermore, operation of injection wells requires well-trained, conscientious people. Poor well operation and maintenance are where most injection-well contamination occurs. Consumers has wound down its operations at the Campbell Plant. A facility on the verge of closure is not the place to site a waste well that requires skilled, conscientious employees. 

Also, Consumers has an uneven track record of compliance with environmental regulations at the Campbell Plant. They have had to execute Consent Agreement and Remedial Action Plan documents, as well as place Restrictive Covenants on the use of their property, due to the widespread and significant contamination. 

Injection wells themselves have an uneven track record of safety. Given the fact that Consumers wants to close this plant, given the types of contaminants involved, Consumers’ lackluster performance on addressing contamination, and these wells’ proximity to one of the largest freshwater lakes on the planet, these are all reasons to ask U.S.EPA for a public hearing—the first step to hopefully stopping this from happening. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO? U.S.EPA sent a communication to neighbors of the plant stating that it “plans to approve” these permits.  Our only chance to slow, affect, or stop these permits is to WRITE to U.S. EPA before May 4, requesting that they hold a public hearing. U.S. EPA is NOT required to do this. It is at their discretion. That’s why your involvement is crucial. 

1. Write to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, asking them to approve a Resolution asking U.S.EPA to conduct a public hearing. If the largest governmental unit affected by this asks U.S.EPA for a public hearing, they will almost certainly have to hold one. Commissioners’ email addresses can be found here: Commissioners | Ottawa County, MI  
2. Write to U.S.EPA online and ask for a public hearing. Use the information above under “Why Should We Be Concerned?” to state why. Here’s the link. PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LATER THAN MAY 4. 
3. Make public comment at the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners’ Planning and Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 10:30 a.m., and/or at the Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Thursday, April 30, 9:00 a.m., encouraging the board to take leadership to protect Lake Michigan and pass a Resolution asking U.S.EPA for a public hearing.