...was guest columnist in The Saginaw News yesterday.
Clearing river will take combined efforts
Friday, February 29, 2008
KENNETH B. HORN, GUEST COLUMNIST
If we learned nothing else in 2007, it's that we should work side by side in a nonpolitical way to get things done for our community. However, in recent weeks I've repeatedly been bemused by frequent letters to the editor from defenders of the Environmental Protection Agency sit-down strike, most recently on Feb. 15.
Letters of the defense speak of this federal agency quitting discussions after an ''unacceptable offer'' by a local company. It is remarkable that EPA supporters are so intimate with the confidential dioxin negotiations. The offer, whatever it was, remains unknown to all residents of Michigan with the obvious exception, of course, of these select few champions of the EPA's environmental monarchy.
For the record, and to the chagrin of some extremists, readers should recall that my office did not have the Department of Environmental Quality removed from the river project. The EPA muscled in after years of DEQ involvement and unilaterally chose to yank our state agency out of the loop. An uninformed EPA then leaked information about the case and is currently under investigation by the U.S. inspector general. Rather coincidentally, and nearly the same day, the EPA walked away from the clean-up talks and halted its vaunted river projects. If you are not aware of this yet, at a recent gathering the EPA demonstrated satisfaction in a couple of clean-ups along our river. Here's what they accomplished at just one site: More than 300 majestic 100-year-old oak trees were ripped from the ground, root and limb, and hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of our riverbanks were carted away and replaced with sterile soil, likely to be washed away as silt next spring.
I toured the site and could not believe the government sanctioned the destruction I witnessed. The EPA insipidly referred to this thoughtless obliteration simply as the ''removal of vegetation.''
Guess what they found? With this show of unbridled brute force, the EPA recovered less than a thimbleful of non-toxic furans. Doubt it? The EPA cannot tell the difference between the furans and dioxins in the river -- it said so. Worst of all, it scorns both the world-renowned University of Michigan and Michigan State University studies on the effects of human and wildlife eco-systems in our region.
I remember when several trees wrongly were chopped down by the Road Commission in Saginaw Township not too long ago. The neighbors were so outraged over the destruction of their trees that their voices quivered in anger. We should be equally incensed over the EPA's hard-handed tactics because if you live on the river, prepare yourself, your trees are next on the EPA chopping block. It's their bold plan. It's what they call ''progress.''
That is why I'm fighting the EPA and the DEQ.
I strongly support the health and safety of our residents. Without a moment of hesitation, I encourage honest efforts to clean up our rivers. In light of all that we know through the U-M and MSU studies, I support doing this in a way that does the least damage to our extraordinary surroundings.
There should be a reasonable plan that includes green spaces, new plantings, some river digging and lots of rip-rap to keep banks from eroding. The DEQ and the EPA need to work candidly with the community to develop a vision and share it with the public. Government needs to get back to the table and then work toward that vision. It seems only reasonable, if they're the experts.
So, while we wait on their expertise, please check out this quote:
"What happens next is anyone's guess. Hopefully EPA and DEQ will continue to work together to resolve this long-standing issue. It is imperative for the agencies to now come forward with a collective and coherent strategy and engage the public. What are your next steps Director Chester and Administrator Gade? Please do not assume we know." The Dioxin Update, Lone Tree Council.
Apparently, I am not the only one disappointed in the bureaucracy of this project. As a legislator, a big part of my job is to watch over departmental operations. This problem needs to come to some resolution. I consider myself a conservationist and will join with ecologists to solve this logjam. My only caveat is that we will not destroy this river valley environment in the name of saving it. The cure should not be worse than the illness.
I'd like to thank the advocates of the EPA for writing their letters to the editor, though you should know that your neighbors likely are disappointed in the condescending tone. It shouldn't be that only those ''in the pocket'' of the EPA are allowed to pursue accountability and transparency in government.
Just as we need to work in a bipartisan manner in Lansing, we need to work together locally. I will continue to represent the people of the 94th District and will stand up for our precious river forest. And I will fight against out-of-control, politically motivated bureaucracies that are funded by tax dollars, paid for by you and me.
As always, you are welcome to write me directly at kennethhorn@house.mi.gov or call me at (866) horn-094 (1-866-467-6094). I'd be glad to chat with you about these issues.
Kenneth B. Horn represents Michigan's 94th state House district. He lives in Frankenmuth.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Ann Doyle Letter to the Editor, Saginaw News
I just today read the following letter to the editor in Saturday's Saginaw News. I must say Thank You, Ann Doyle for saying what the majority of us living along the Tittabawassee River feel about the dioxin saga!!! It is great to hear our elected representatives speak up for us... once again proving we made a wise choice!
From The Saginaw News
Saturday, February 25, 2008
Adjust dioxin studies, clean-up
Editor, The News:
I chose not to attend the Dec. 7 Department of Environmental Quality/Dow Chemical Co. meeting. I was still disappointed with the Environmental Protection Agency from last fall's meeting when the representative was asked by University of Michigan's Dr. Garabrant if they had read his research regarding dioxin/furan exposure in the Tittabawassee River. The reply was ''no'' and therefore not incorporated into their moving-forward plans.
When I heard the EPA had ended discussions with Dow, I was bewildered. Why would discussions be terminated at this stage? Even if the EPA and Dow don't agree with what should be done, negotiations cannot take place if there is no communication. Residents, no matter what side of the issue, want communication between the EPA, DEQ and Dow.
Dow did not participate in the Feb. 7 meeting due to lack of new information. The EPA did not come because of the weather, which is understandable. That left the DEQ. I was happy to read that the DEQ wants to move ahead with less invasive procedures than what we saw last fall. They, too, must have been shocked when they saw the land stripped of trees and vegetation. True, it grows back, but in the meantime it upsets the natural balance of wildlife. There's also the question of whether dioxins and furans are more of a danger by being exposed rather than staying buried.
I've attended these meetings since they started. I still have not heard evidence of dioxins or furans getting into anyone's bloodstream as a result of the Tittabawassee flooding or from activities on the river. Nor have I heard of someone being ill as a result of exposure to the river. While I feel bad for anyone who is ill, and I understand the need to be able to determine the cause, it seems premature to blame the dioxins and furans.
Until there is factual data showing that the Tittabawassee is harming residents, the DEQ needs to remove the facility designation. Dow must continue to clean ''hotspots'' that have consistently tested high. The community needs to be more careful with our land and water as we move forward.
And, our legislators must review the new research and the 90 parts per trillion level and make adjustments if supported. Just like other areas in our lives, we revise how we do things as we grow older because we learn new and better ways based on past experience and new findings.
Ann Doyle
From The Saginaw News
Saturday, February 25, 2008
Adjust dioxin studies, clean-up
Editor, The News:
I chose not to attend the Dec. 7 Department of Environmental Quality/Dow Chemical Co. meeting. I was still disappointed with the Environmental Protection Agency from last fall's meeting when the representative was asked by University of Michigan's Dr. Garabrant if they had read his research regarding dioxin/furan exposure in the Tittabawassee River. The reply was ''no'' and therefore not incorporated into their moving-forward plans.
When I heard the EPA had ended discussions with Dow, I was bewildered. Why would discussions be terminated at this stage? Even if the EPA and Dow don't agree with what should be done, negotiations cannot take place if there is no communication. Residents, no matter what side of the issue, want communication between the EPA, DEQ and Dow.
Dow did not participate in the Feb. 7 meeting due to lack of new information. The EPA did not come because of the weather, which is understandable. That left the DEQ. I was happy to read that the DEQ wants to move ahead with less invasive procedures than what we saw last fall. They, too, must have been shocked when they saw the land stripped of trees and vegetation. True, it grows back, but in the meantime it upsets the natural balance of wildlife. There's also the question of whether dioxins and furans are more of a danger by being exposed rather than staying buried.
I've attended these meetings since they started. I still have not heard evidence of dioxins or furans getting into anyone's bloodstream as a result of the Tittabawassee flooding or from activities on the river. Nor have I heard of someone being ill as a result of exposure to the river. While I feel bad for anyone who is ill, and I understand the need to be able to determine the cause, it seems premature to blame the dioxins and furans.
Until there is factual data showing that the Tittabawassee is harming residents, the DEQ needs to remove the facility designation. Dow must continue to clean ''hotspots'' that have consistently tested high. The community needs to be more careful with our land and water as we move forward.
And, our legislators must review the new research and the 90 parts per trillion level and make adjustments if supported. Just like other areas in our lives, we revise how we do things as we grow older because we learn new and better ways based on past experience and new findings.
Ann Doyle
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
from Midland Daily News///
Dow appeals plan for dioxin cleanup
By Tony Lascari
02/26/2008
The Dow Chemical Co. is appealing a plan for dioxin cleanup that it says extends past the Saginaw Bay into Lake Huron.
The company is required by the state to investigate contamination in the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay, but not Lake Huron, Dow spokesman John Musser said.
The company appealed modifications to its latest scope of work document made by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, mainly because the changes add about 300 square miles to be tested in Lake Huron, Musser said.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said that Dow's assertion is "absolutely wrong."
"We're not making them go out there because we already have samples that show we don't have contamination out there," MDEQ spokesman Bob McCann said.
Dow might be confusing sampling done previously in Lake Huron, McCann said. He said the state is only requiring investigation to show where the contamination went to that came from Dow's property.
Musser said the company has worked on substantial cleanup in the Tittabawassee River and is prepared to do remedial cleanup actions in the first six miles of the Saginaw River if necessary. Dow completed some sampling in 2007 to get ahead on finding solutions to the contamination, Musser said.
Beyond that stretch of the river, Dow hoped to take a more restorative approach to the work. Musser said the company is not the only contributor to contamination of the Saginaw River and should not be solely responsible for its cleanup.
When the MDEQ approved the scope of work plan, it added modifications that go beyond what legitimately would be called the Saginaw Bay, Musser said.
"As it turns out the modifications are just not acceptable," he said. "The modifications were unilaterally made and beyond the scope of DEQ's legal authority."
Musser said about 300 square miles of Lake Huron were added to the required sampling area, which would go beyond the state's authority to require Dow to investigate Saginaw Bay.
"The modifications would require Dow to take on an endless and pointless series of studies which will clearly distract from the important work we thought ought to be addressed and what the public really cares about," Musser said. "What they're putting out here is that there's no real end in sight in what they expect us to do."
That's why Dow filed an appeal to the plan on Thursday.
"Our hope would be that the result of this would be for DEQ to withdraw the modified scope of work and for us to get back together and look at the data that is there and the data that's coming March 1, and make our decisions based on that," Musser said.
"Hopefully it's something we can work through and put behind us quickly so important work isn't delayed," McCann said, adding he thinks the issue is simply a matter of misunderstanding.
©Midland Daily News 2008
http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19332193&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
By Tony Lascari
02/26/2008
The Dow Chemical Co. is appealing a plan for dioxin cleanup that it says extends past the Saginaw Bay into Lake Huron.
The company is required by the state to investigate contamination in the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay, but not Lake Huron, Dow spokesman John Musser said.
The company appealed modifications to its latest scope of work document made by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, mainly because the changes add about 300 square miles to be tested in Lake Huron, Musser said.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said that Dow's assertion is "absolutely wrong."
"We're not making them go out there because we already have samples that show we don't have contamination out there," MDEQ spokesman Bob McCann said.
Dow might be confusing sampling done previously in Lake Huron, McCann said. He said the state is only requiring investigation to show where the contamination went to that came from Dow's property.
Musser said the company has worked on substantial cleanup in the Tittabawassee River and is prepared to do remedial cleanup actions in the first six miles of the Saginaw River if necessary. Dow completed some sampling in 2007 to get ahead on finding solutions to the contamination, Musser said.
Beyond that stretch of the river, Dow hoped to take a more restorative approach to the work. Musser said the company is not the only contributor to contamination of the Saginaw River and should not be solely responsible for its cleanup.
When the MDEQ approved the scope of work plan, it added modifications that go beyond what legitimately would be called the Saginaw Bay, Musser said.
"As it turns out the modifications are just not acceptable," he said. "The modifications were unilaterally made and beyond the scope of DEQ's legal authority."
Musser said about 300 square miles of Lake Huron were added to the required sampling area, which would go beyond the state's authority to require Dow to investigate Saginaw Bay.
"The modifications would require Dow to take on an endless and pointless series of studies which will clearly distract from the important work we thought ought to be addressed and what the public really cares about," Musser said. "What they're putting out here is that there's no real end in sight in what they expect us to do."
That's why Dow filed an appeal to the plan on Thursday.
"Our hope would be that the result of this would be for DEQ to withdraw the modified scope of work and for us to get back together and look at the data that is there and the data that's coming March 1, and make our decisions based on that," Musser said.
"Hopefully it's something we can work through and put behind us quickly so important work isn't delayed," McCann said, adding he thinks the issue is simply a matter of misunderstanding.
©Midland Daily News 2008
http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19332193&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Len's Excellent Commentary on EPA/MDEQ Meeting at SVSU
The bureaucrats were out in force at EPA's Great Lakes National Program Presentation at Saginaw Valley State University. While I applaud their efforts concerning cleanup of the Great Lakes due to pollution, invasive species and bringing together involved parties, there is a major hiccup in one area. This area is dioxin and how it is being approached.
After listening to a very sanctimonious presentation concerning corporate responsibility in the area of environmental cleanup, the EPA leaves one wondering. In the face of scientists who pioneered dioxin research, and refute the so-called dangers in the area of dioxin, the EPA and MDEQ continue in their quest to force cleanup in our area. Even though evidence is abundantly available that dioxin has never harmed any population, and there is no scientific proof to the contrary.
We are still subject to the bureaucratic mindset. It was very sad to listen to the biased presentation of a Mr. Dollhopf from the EPA, but stereotypical when considering EPA's past comments. While The Dow Chemical Co. has been forthright in their efforts to supply cleanup monies and data concerning this subject, they still have an obligation to not throw money away needlessly. This concept does not connect with the EPA. It has to be very frustrating for Dow to continue this process when the EPA has inserted a moving target for them to complete the cleanup issue.
We have generated an enormous amount of undeniable, statistically sound scientific data that proves dioxin is not entering the human system through dust or soil. The U of M human blood serum study is irrefutable in this area. The MSU wildlife study proves that our ecosystem is healthy and vibrant. This is contrary to the outdated information the EPA and MDEQ use in their extrapolations to determine cleanup numbers. Why are the EPA and MDEQ so reluctant to embrace this data and use it? Our area is suffering from the effects of dioxin but it is not from health issues. It is the continuing diatribe we hear from the EPA and MDEQ that is harming us economically while disparaging the image of our community.
While I support the EPA in all other areas, I feel they should revisit their efforts in the dioxin area. Their continuing push in this area has the potential to alienate our largest employer to the point that the pubic stands to suffer greatly. A corporate expansion, freeze or downsizing would not be out of the question when facing the irresponsible demands the EPA and MDEQ have put upon them. When the cure outweighs the benefits of an issue, then it is time for listening and caution before moving forward.
Leonard Heinzman Freeland
After listening to a very sanctimonious presentation concerning corporate responsibility in the area of environmental cleanup, the EPA leaves one wondering. In the face of scientists who pioneered dioxin research, and refute the so-called dangers in the area of dioxin, the EPA and MDEQ continue in their quest to force cleanup in our area. Even though evidence is abundantly available that dioxin has never harmed any population, and there is no scientific proof to the contrary.
We are still subject to the bureaucratic mindset. It was very sad to listen to the biased presentation of a Mr. Dollhopf from the EPA, but stereotypical when considering EPA's past comments. While The Dow Chemical Co. has been forthright in their efforts to supply cleanup monies and data concerning this subject, they still have an obligation to not throw money away needlessly. This concept does not connect with the EPA. It has to be very frustrating for Dow to continue this process when the EPA has inserted a moving target for them to complete the cleanup issue.
We have generated an enormous amount of undeniable, statistically sound scientific data that proves dioxin is not entering the human system through dust or soil. The U of M human blood serum study is irrefutable in this area. The MSU wildlife study proves that our ecosystem is healthy and vibrant. This is contrary to the outdated information the EPA and MDEQ use in their extrapolations to determine cleanup numbers. Why are the EPA and MDEQ so reluctant to embrace this data and use it? Our area is suffering from the effects of dioxin but it is not from health issues. It is the continuing diatribe we hear from the EPA and MDEQ that is harming us economically while disparaging the image of our community.
While I support the EPA in all other areas, I feel they should revisit their efforts in the dioxin area. Their continuing push in this area has the potential to alienate our largest employer to the point that the pubic stands to suffer greatly. A corporate expansion, freeze or downsizing would not be out of the question when facing the irresponsible demands the EPA and MDEQ have put upon them. When the cure outweighs the benefits of an issue, then it is time for listening and caution before moving forward.
Leonard Heinzman Freeland
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Where I Stand...
I stand in the middle of my backyard where we experience at least one flood per year, compliments of the dams further upstream that empty into the Tittabawassee River whenever the waters get too high... usually after the spring thaw. My property exists on one of the lowest areas along the Tittabawassee River floodplain.
I mow the lawn here - a whole acre. I still have asparagus we planted when we moved here 50 years ago. We had vegetable gardens for several years when my children were young..... and yes, this is also where our girls had their playground equipment.
Then... in the new millenium, a few environutz from a neighboring community started denigrating our property, saying it was contaminated by the big bad chemical company. They found a greedy few willing to sue Dow claiming their property is worthless because of the contamination.
In late 2003 or early 2004 I read in the newspapers that these Lonetree Council recruits were trying to sue Dow Chemical in a class action suit. This is the same bunch of weirdos that later told me to 'shut up' at a public meeting in June 2005! I guess they believe in freedom of speech for anybody who agrees with them.
These environutz DO NOT represent me nor my neighbors, many of whom have lived here even longer than I. We are the Tittabawassee River Voice and we are tired of special interest groups and bureaucrats defiling the environment along our river.
We DO NOT want to sue Dow. We want MDEQ and EPA to get out of our backyards! We want the environutz and bureaucrats to allow Dow Chemical to clean up their own mess!
I mow the lawn here - a whole acre. I still have asparagus we planted when we moved here 50 years ago. We had vegetable gardens for several years when my children were young..... and yes, this is also where our girls had their playground equipment.
Then... in the new millenium, a few environutz from a neighboring community started denigrating our property, saying it was contaminated by the big bad chemical company. They found a greedy few willing to sue Dow claiming their property is worthless because of the contamination.
In late 2003 or early 2004 I read in the newspapers that these Lonetree Council recruits were trying to sue Dow Chemical in a class action suit. This is the same bunch of weirdos that later told me to 'shut up' at a public meeting in June 2005! I guess they believe in freedom of speech for anybody who agrees with them.
These environutz DO NOT represent me nor my neighbors, many of whom have lived here even longer than I. We are the Tittabawassee River Voice and we are tired of special interest groups and bureaucrats defiling the environment along our river.
We DO NOT want to sue Dow. We want MDEQ and EPA to get out of our backyards! We want the environutz and bureaucrats to allow Dow Chemical to clean up their own mess!
Friday, February 01, 2008
Answer to Environutz... Where I Was in 2003
Some environutz have asked where I was in 2003 when the first dioxin/MDEQ meetings began.
It all started with a paper spitball blown across the room in a high school. That spitball resulted in an accusation by a Pakistani that one of my grandsons committed ethnic intimidation. The entire story is surreal, including police brutality and a misinformed district attorney.
My husband & I spent most of 2003 driving across the state to show our support. Some court appearances were cancelled without notice. We were convinced the delays were calculated for my grandson to plead guilty to something of which he was innocent.
Bottom line: In desperation my daughter sent a letter to her State Representative and I sent a letter to mine, explaining the problem. An assistant noted on my letter the incident was not within his district so he could do nothing. Wrong!
Rep. Moolenaar read my letter and responded that he would try to help. Finally our trial was not delayed again. The grandson was found not guilty.
Representative John Moolenaar may not even remember who I am but I will always remember him! He is my hero. His thoughtfulness taught me that there is such a thing as an honest politician.
Now the Lonetree Council and their little group of litigants in the dioxin case started catching my attention. They did not represent me and I knew most of my Freeland neighbors felt the same. I made noise at some of the Dow informational meetings... I started this blog... and I met Leonard & Cheryl Heinzman... kindred souls. They kicked things into high gear and the Tittabawassee River had a Voice.
It all started with a paper spitball blown across the room in a high school. That spitball resulted in an accusation by a Pakistani that one of my grandsons committed ethnic intimidation. The entire story is surreal, including police brutality and a misinformed district attorney.
My husband & I spent most of 2003 driving across the state to show our support. Some court appearances were cancelled without notice. We were convinced the delays were calculated for my grandson to plead guilty to something of which he was innocent.
Bottom line: In desperation my daughter sent a letter to her State Representative and I sent a letter to mine, explaining the problem. An assistant noted on my letter the incident was not within his district so he could do nothing. Wrong!
Rep. Moolenaar read my letter and responded that he would try to help. Finally our trial was not delayed again. The grandson was found not guilty.
Representative John Moolenaar may not even remember who I am but I will always remember him! He is my hero. His thoughtfulness taught me that there is such a thing as an honest politician.
Now the Lonetree Council and their little group of litigants in the dioxin case started catching my attention. They did not represent me and I knew most of my Freeland neighbors felt the same. I made noise at some of the Dow informational meetings... I started this blog... and I met Leonard & Cheryl Heinzman... kindred souls. They kicked things into high gear and the Tittabawassee River had a Voice.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Hey! Econutz...
...in case you haven't been up Midland Road lately - you may think you're getting the 'disease' out but unfortunately, you're KILLING the patient!
Love, your friendly neighborhood realist.
Love, your friendly neighborhood realist.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Government does NOT belong in our backyards...
Let them in your backyard & the next thing you know they will be invading your kitchens and bedrooms!
These days people are cooking up methamphetamines in their kitchens. It's a proven fact: Drugs Kill! Does that mean government should be allowed access to all of our kitchens?
What's going on in bedrooms around the country? Well, duh! How do you think AIDS is passed on? It's a proven fact: Aids Kills! Do you see the government even ATTEMPTING to isolate those who actually HAVE the disease and are passing it on indiscrimately to other people? Does this mean government should be allowed in our bedrooms?
Tiny bits of dioxin build up in crevices and corners of a few floodplain backyards. So what? A Russian leader was fed massive quantities of dioxin. It is a proven fact: Dioxin Does NOT kill! Does this mean we should allow the government to invade our backyards?
Does this mean we should allow the government to DEMAND that Dow MUST disrupt an entire riverfront wildlife habitat? Do you think we actually CAN replace 100 year old trees & many many lesser sized vegetations? Seems like it will take at least 100 years. Do you think we should continue to allow extreme environmental wackos with an agenda to tell our government what to do and destroy our environment along the Tittabawassee River in the name of environmental protection?
What do YOU think is more dangerous to the river floodplain - small quantities of dioxins that have NOT moved in over a century? ...or total destruction of a beautiful natural habitat for all sorts of God's creatures?
These days people are cooking up methamphetamines in their kitchens. It's a proven fact: Drugs Kill! Does that mean government should be allowed access to all of our kitchens?
What's going on in bedrooms around the country? Well, duh! How do you think AIDS is passed on? It's a proven fact: Aids Kills! Do you see the government even ATTEMPTING to isolate those who actually HAVE the disease and are passing it on indiscrimately to other people? Does this mean government should be allowed in our bedrooms?
Tiny bits of dioxin build up in crevices and corners of a few floodplain backyards. So what? A Russian leader was fed massive quantities of dioxin. It is a proven fact: Dioxin Does NOT kill! Does this mean we should allow the government to invade our backyards?
Does this mean we should allow the government to DEMAND that Dow MUST disrupt an entire riverfront wildlife habitat? Do you think we actually CAN replace 100 year old trees & many many lesser sized vegetations? Seems like it will take at least 100 years. Do you think we should continue to allow extreme environmental wackos with an agenda to tell our government what to do and destroy our environment along the Tittabawassee River in the name of environmental protection?
What do YOU think is more dangerous to the river floodplain - small quantities of dioxins that have NOT moved in over a century? ...or total destruction of a beautiful natural habitat for all sorts of God's creatures?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
the latest dow/deq meeting
Here is a well-written review of the Dow/MDEQ meeting Thursday at Horizons. Í did not attend this meeting but i actually have something to discuss about this topic & will do it soon.... but..... right now i'm busy!
Shirley
Dow expects work on dioxin hotspots to be done this year
By Tony Lascari
08/10/2007
The Dow Chemical Co. expects interim remedial action cleanup at three dioxin-contaminated sites along the Tittabawassee River to be completed by the end of the year. Work that began earlier this summer at one contamination hot spot adjacent to Dow's Michigan Operations site, which is a historic source of the contamination, is expected to be finished in December, Dow On-Site Remediation Leader Steve Lucas said.
Construction of a facility to remove water from dredged sediment could be finished this month. "We're going to start hydraulic dredging immediately after it's done, so we're targeting the beginning of September," Lucas said.
The next project, just upstream from the Caldwell boat launch, will include the removal of soils in about 1,700 feet of the riverbank.
"This is really driven by the potential for erosion and the concerns that the contamination could be spread further by the erosion process," said Todd Konechne, Dow's project leader.
The area labeled as "Reach J/K" also would have a cap placed on the upper terrace area of the river, and a portion containing wetlands would be fenced, Konechne said. Site preparations began this week and excavation on the riverbank could begin Monday.
He said the site will receive fresh topsoil and be replanted with natural vegetation to restore it.
"This is actually a very important part of this project," he said, and the work is expected to be completed in mid-October.
The third project is in "Reach O" of the river, about six miles downstream of the confluence of the Chippewa and Tittabawassee rivers. The plan is to remove sediments in the river through excavation after removing water from the area.
Site preparations, including temporary road construction, are expected to begin Monday.
Dow will place contaminated materials from all three sites in the Dow Salzburg Landfill.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Dow agreed to the work in July after the EPA issued three administrative orders in June requiring action by the company this year.
Jim Augustine, with the EPA, said while the agency knew Dow was planning to begin the work, it wanted projects completed this year.
"The reason that the EPA stepped in at this time and issued the three orders was simply to establish completion dates -- deadlines -- and ensure cleanup work began on all three regions this year," he said. "The U.S. EPA believed that these three cleanups needed to be expedited and moved forward as quickly as possible."
The Lone Tree Council's Terry Miller said he applauds the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Dow's efforts to remove the dioxin-tainted soils. He said the council was "ecstatic" when it heard the EPA was stepping in to require action this year.
"It sounds like an extremely elaborate process, and we've been hoping for these removals for the length of time that we became aware that they were in the river," he said.
He questioned what impact the removal activities would have on the river system.
Peter Simon, with Dow contractor Ann Arbor Technical Services, said there are tradeoffs any time humans begin to alter the river system.
"There are absolutely consequences for any type of removal, and that's why you can't just jump into them," he said.
He said in the long-term, removing the contamination is expected to help relieve stresses on the river.
Further study of contamination in the river is under way by ATS, which is using a GeoMorph system to map the riverbed.
"In general, this provides us with insight into what Mother Nature has been doing in terms of erosion and deposition," he said.
The results of the study in the first six miles of the river have led to the cleanup efforts under way.
©Midland Daily News 2007
Shirley
Dow expects work on dioxin hotspots to be done this year
By Tony Lascari
08/10/2007
The Dow Chemical Co. expects interim remedial action cleanup at three dioxin-contaminated sites along the Tittabawassee River to be completed by the end of the year. Work that began earlier this summer at one contamination hot spot adjacent to Dow's Michigan Operations site, which is a historic source of the contamination, is expected to be finished in December, Dow On-Site Remediation Leader Steve Lucas said.
Construction of a facility to remove water from dredged sediment could be finished this month. "We're going to start hydraulic dredging immediately after it's done, so we're targeting the beginning of September," Lucas said.
The next project, just upstream from the Caldwell boat launch, will include the removal of soils in about 1,700 feet of the riverbank.
"This is really driven by the potential for erosion and the concerns that the contamination could be spread further by the erosion process," said Todd Konechne, Dow's project leader.
The area labeled as "Reach J/K" also would have a cap placed on the upper terrace area of the river, and a portion containing wetlands would be fenced, Konechne said. Site preparations began this week and excavation on the riverbank could begin Monday.
He said the site will receive fresh topsoil and be replanted with natural vegetation to restore it.
"This is actually a very important part of this project," he said, and the work is expected to be completed in mid-October.
The third project is in "Reach O" of the river, about six miles downstream of the confluence of the Chippewa and Tittabawassee rivers. The plan is to remove sediments in the river through excavation after removing water from the area.
Site preparations, including temporary road construction, are expected to begin Monday.
Dow will place contaminated materials from all three sites in the Dow Salzburg Landfill.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Dow agreed to the work in July after the EPA issued three administrative orders in June requiring action by the company this year.
Jim Augustine, with the EPA, said while the agency knew Dow was planning to begin the work, it wanted projects completed this year.
"The reason that the EPA stepped in at this time and issued the three orders was simply to establish completion dates -- deadlines -- and ensure cleanup work began on all three regions this year," he said. "The U.S. EPA believed that these three cleanups needed to be expedited and moved forward as quickly as possible."
The Lone Tree Council's Terry Miller said he applauds the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Dow's efforts to remove the dioxin-tainted soils. He said the council was "ecstatic" when it heard the EPA was stepping in to require action this year.
"It sounds like an extremely elaborate process, and we've been hoping for these removals for the length of time that we became aware that they were in the river," he said.
He questioned what impact the removal activities would have on the river system.
Peter Simon, with Dow contractor Ann Arbor Technical Services, said there are tradeoffs any time humans begin to alter the river system.
"There are absolutely consequences for any type of removal, and that's why you can't just jump into them," he said.
He said in the long-term, removing the contamination is expected to help relieve stresses on the river.
Further study of contamination in the river is under way by ATS, which is using a GeoMorph system to map the riverbed.
"In general, this provides us with insight into what Mother Nature has been doing in terms of erosion and deposition," he said.
The results of the study in the first six miles of the river have led to the cleanup efforts under way.
©Midland Daily News 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Get the Latest Info on Dioxin/Body Burden...
...from one of our most prestigious professors Dr. David Garabrant, with one of the most prestigious medical training facilities in the world, the University of Michigan. Dr. Garabrant will bring us up to date on the study by the team he headed up. Here are meeting details:
- Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, in Saginaw Michigan
- Tuesday, June 5, 2007
- 6:00 pm -8:00 pm
Let's get over there and give him the full support he deserves. At the last public meeting presented by Dow Chemical and MDEQ on Thursday, May 3, the Lonetree Gang's own leader, Terry Miller, struck out at Dr. Garabrant verbally, showing an unexpected mean streak. Such behavior seems to be a recurring event with Lonetree Council and their pack mentality.
Click here to read the U/M Press Release in it's entirety.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
I went to a meeting Thursday...
My friends & I call them 'dioxin meetings'. The chemical company and the state government regulatory people are working together to clean up a chemical they couldn't even find in such tiny amounts a century ago when it all started. I don't attend those meetings to make sure they're doing it right. They know what they are doing. I attend because I find it therapeutic! I attend because there's a gang of bullies who want to get something for nothing from the giant company. I attend because those bullies want to drag me and my neighbors along with them by claiming they represent all of us. I attend to represent me and the majority of my neighbors who feel like I do although they prefer Len and I to represent them publicly.
Midland Daily News reporter, Kathie Marchlewski gives an accurate account of the May 3 quarterly meeting presented by Dow & MDEQ in her article - Prep for river cleanup to start. Read it to know all about the meeting.
Here's what I saw at that meeting:
I like to call it 'Watering the Asparagus'
Midland Daily News reporter, Kathie Marchlewski gives an accurate account of the May 3 quarterly meeting presented by Dow & MDEQ in her article - Prep for river cleanup to start. Read it to know all about the meeting.
Here's what I saw at that meeting:
- a fairly full room, mostly people directly involved in getting the work done,
- well done presentations - given by competent, well trained professionals,
- an angry extremist environmental activist who decided to be exceptionally rude that day, and as usual, making sure to monopolize the comments and questions portion of the agenda with his prewritten scripts in hand.
- the usual delicious cookies.
About the Tittabawassee River: Freeland's Walleye Festival, held annually on the last weekend of April, was once again a success! I'd like to share a couple of articles about fishing on the Tittabawassee from the Midland Daily News:
- Fine time fishing in Freeland by Steve Griffin - 04/30/2007
- and Photos: Easier from the shore - 05/03/2007
- and just for the fun of it, this photo taken from my back deck in March.
I like to call it 'Watering the Asparagus'Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Don't Forget - MDEQ/Dow Meeting...
... 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, 2007 at the Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, Saginaw. This meeting is open to the public. The press release and agenda for the meeting are available at:
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135--167351--,00.html and
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-whm-hwp-dow-CommMeeting-agenda-05-03-07_194656_7.pdf
Supporting materials will be available at the following location prior to the meeting:
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3312_4118_4240-53424--,00.html#Recent_Dow_Offsite_CA_Documents
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135--167351--,00.html and
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-whm-hwp-dow-CommMeeting-agenda-05-03-07_194656_7.pdf
Supporting materials will be available at the following location prior to the meeting:
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3312_4118_4240-53424--,00.html#Recent_Dow_Offsite_CA_Documents
Monday, April 23, 2007
Addendum to my 4:30 pm blog...
... was so involved in the dissertation I forgot to tell why Barber's article in the Saginaw News motivated me. I haven't done much blogging lately because it really bothered me that I could dislike a whole group because I distrust their leadership.
I don't dislike the whole group. I do feel sorrow that they were caught in the trap set by such professional activists. It occurred to me that Miller & Riddick were both around to get sucked into the Greenpeace propaganda machine 'way back when.... Why else would a simple highschool teacher get so involved in a hate campaign against one successful local business? Henry Dow did start his little company right here in mid-Michigan. Why else would a simple nurse speak so venomously of Dow Chemical in particular? She's even against MDEQ now that the 'culprit' and the 'regulator' are working together. Ya know, I don't even dislike them... I think the word is more like..... pity.
I don't dislike the whole group. I do feel sorrow that they were caught in the trap set by such professional activists. It occurred to me that Miller & Riddick were both around to get sucked into the Greenpeace propaganda machine 'way back when.... Why else would a simple highschool teacher get so involved in a hate campaign against one successful local business? Henry Dow did start his little company right here in mid-Michigan. Why else would a simple nurse speak so venomously of Dow Chemical in particular? She's even against MDEQ now that the 'culprit' and the 'regulator' are working together. Ya know, I don't even dislike them... I think the word is more like..... pity.
It's not about DEQ... It's not about Dow...
...It's about me. You may have noticed less updates here at TRVoice lately. I thought it was just because I'm too busy, but truth is I didn't feel motivated; wasn't sure what I wanted to write - or why.
Thanks to Barrie Barber, reporter for The Saginaw News & his big frontpage spread in Sunday's paper yesterday - Group won't back down from Dow - I come back rejuvenated. Barrie's series of articles was well written but perhaps he didn't go back far enough.
Perhaps there is a core to Lonetree beyond the nuclear plant fiasco. I speak now to my contemporaries. Remember when an international bunch of gangsters visited Midland - attempting to make trouble in the Tittabawassee River in the vicinity of Dow Chemical? Don't remember? How about if I mention the name Greenpeace? Ah! Now you remember! What were they doing in the river? Why has Greenpeace become persona non grata in the United States?
Look at the collage below. This is the face of Lonetree. This is the face of Greenpeace. This is the face of a bully and terrorist, for is it not terrorism when a bully frightens people into following his lead? Is it not a bit weird that the huge international organization named Greenpeace compares Bhopal, India to Midland, Michigan? Read all about it here at their website!
Click on my little poster to see if you know anybody in the photos. Yup, that's right. Some of them are from right here in mid-Michigan.
Thanks to Barrie Barber, reporter for The Saginaw News & his big frontpage spread in Sunday's paper yesterday - Group won't back down from Dow - I come back rejuvenated. Barrie's series of articles was well written but perhaps he didn't go back far enough.
Perhaps there is a core to Lonetree beyond the nuclear plant fiasco. I speak now to my contemporaries. Remember when an international bunch of gangsters visited Midland - attempting to make trouble in the Tittabawassee River in the vicinity of Dow Chemical? Don't remember? How about if I mention the name Greenpeace? Ah! Now you remember! What were they doing in the river? Why has Greenpeace become persona non grata in the United States?
Look at the collage below. This is the face of Lonetree. This is the face of Greenpeace. This is the face of a bully and terrorist, for is it not terrorism when a bully frightens people into following his lead? Is it not a bit weird that the huge international organization named Greenpeace compares Bhopal, India to Midland, Michigan? Read all about it here at their website!
Click on my little poster to see if you know anybody in the photos. Yup, that's right. Some of them are from right here in mid-Michigan.
Whoa! Now is that terrorist tactics - comparing dead babies with perfectly healthy American children? Recognize the little blonde poster child? Well, I don't but... That's right folks... Greenpeace's poster children in 2003 were little Ruby from Bhopal and little Paul from the Lonetree pack of litigants/terrorists right here in the good ol' U.S. of A! Watch out for the bullies, people... they wear many masks.
Friday, March 30, 2007
I heard on the news yesterday...
...that the Tittabawassee River is currently contaminated because of an over flow of sewage in Saginaw County. This is a whole lot scarier to most residents than the historic dioxin that has been in the soil here & there for approximately 100 years!
I have lots of gems - just no time to share them... but like Ahrnold, 'I'll be back!'
I have lots of gems - just no time to share them... but like Ahrnold, 'I'll be back!'
Monday, February 05, 2007
Len tells it like it is
once again in the Saginaw News.
Kudos to Len Heinzman... even I couldn't have said it as well as he did in his latest letter to the editor in the Saginaw News!!!
'Those people' involved with the Lonetree Council just keep proving their lack of credibility with constant chants to spend government money for their frivolous complaints and lawsuits. True to form, they do not listen to reason... evidenced by their continued mantra to get Dow whether they deserve it or not. It's obvious that facts are meaningless to 'those people' when they pay no heed to the fact that some things are best left alone.
Don't forget the next quarterly Midland/Saginaw/Bay City (Tri-Cities) Dioxin Community Meeting on Thursday, February 8, at the Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, Saginaw. The meeting is open to the public and will run from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Click here to read the entire DEQ press release.
...and you can find the agenda here.
Looking forward to this meeting. You never know what to expect when extremists get excited. Remember June 28, 2005? It was the meeting to discuss what kind of meetings would be most beneficial to the public. Lonetree Council members and followers showed their pack mentality when one man told me to sit down and be quiet - and was followed by a drumroll of repeats by the whole litigiously greedy gang across the room! This does not show up in the written transcript... at least not verbatim, but I'm sure there is a taped version! When those people reacted that way, trying to deny me my freedom of speech, they showed their true colors. I knew my involvement was effective! That was pack mentality at it's best. To refresh your minds, you might want to read the transcript again.
I've also had individual members of that group 'advise' me. One woman told me I should stop 'bragging' about my good health. I've received anonymous mail... and a few other minor incidents... Shows what kind of people are in that group!
Hmmm! Maybe I WILL get a license to carry. ;-) Have a nice day.
Kudos to Len Heinzman... even I couldn't have said it as well as he did in his latest letter to the editor in the Saginaw News!!!
'Those people' involved with the Lonetree Council just keep proving their lack of credibility with constant chants to spend government money for their frivolous complaints and lawsuits. True to form, they do not listen to reason... evidenced by their continued mantra to get Dow whether they deserve it or not. It's obvious that facts are meaningless to 'those people' when they pay no heed to the fact that some things are best left alone.
Don't forget the next quarterly Midland/Saginaw/Bay City (Tri-Cities) Dioxin Community Meeting on Thursday, February 8, at the Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, Saginaw. The meeting is open to the public and will run from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Click here to read the entire DEQ press release.
...and you can find the agenda here.
Looking forward to this meeting. You never know what to expect when extremists get excited. Remember June 28, 2005? It was the meeting to discuss what kind of meetings would be most beneficial to the public. Lonetree Council members and followers showed their pack mentality when one man told me to sit down and be quiet - and was followed by a drumroll of repeats by the whole litigiously greedy gang across the room! This does not show up in the written transcript... at least not verbatim, but I'm sure there is a taped version! When those people reacted that way, trying to deny me my freedom of speech, they showed their true colors. I knew my involvement was effective! That was pack mentality at it's best. To refresh your minds, you might want to read the transcript again.
I've also had individual members of that group 'advise' me. One woman told me I should stop 'bragging' about my good health. I've received anonymous mail... and a few other minor incidents... Shows what kind of people are in that group!
Hmmm! Maybe I WILL get a license to carry. ;-) Have a nice day.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A few facts and some truth also included...
"The truth is more important than the facts."
-- Frank Lloyd Wright
Hmmm! Makes sense to me! Here are links to some of the latest facts about dioxin in the Tittabawassee River floodplain:
- Tittabawassee River Sampling Identifies Areas for Interim Clean-up Action, MDEQ Contact: Robert McCann (517) 241-7397 - January 11, 2007. This information also advises us of the next public information session presented by Dow and MDEQ - 'The public will have an opportunity to ask questions about short and long-term actions that will be developed during the February 8, 2007 Tri-Cities Community Meeting at The Horizons Center in Saginaw Township from 7-9pm'
- River cleanup could begin this month, Midland Daily News, 01/11/2007. This reporter does a remarkable job of presenting the facts without trying to insert her personal opinions.
- Hot spots may demand action, The Saginaw News, 01/12/2007. This reporter included viewpoints from our own Len Heinzman, but wow! - the quote from a guy further downriver sure hits on the dramatic! '...said he and his family have endured "an unusual amount" of illnesses over the years and points to a contaminated river as the potential culprit. "With these kinds of levels, anybody in this area should be concerned. It makes you think. I used to fish down there." '
What do I think? It is a fact that 87,000 parts per trillion is a really really high concentration of dioxin. The Dow people will clean it up asap... I know because they said so.
It is true that the University of Michigan study showed that living along the Tittabawassee River does not significantly increase dioxin in our bodies; eating too much fat does!
It is true and it is a fact that extremist environmentalists are so tunnel-visioned that they would have the precautionary principle applied to all things scientific.
It is a fact that one of the tri-cities' area antagonists supports the precautionary principle, especially regarding dioxins in the environment.... evidenced by his recently published letter to the editor of the Saginaw News. Dr. Neill Varner responded with his own letter to the editor titled Principle arguments.
I'm sure I've shared this article about the precautionary principle before, but here it is in case you missed it - Challenging the precautionary principle by Helene Guldberg. In case you don't have time to read the whole thing, it all boils down to this excerpt from the Ms. Guldberg, 'the precautionary principle.... demands that we take regulatory action on the basis of possible 'unmanageable' risks, even after tests have been conducted that find no evidence of harm.'
It is true that, had the precautionary principle been used throughout the years, we would have no aspirin or cold remedies, no medicines, no vaccines, and on and on and on... Would we have the wheel... or fire? We could suppose then that one who totally supports the precautionary principle is the ultimate Luddite!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Midland Daily News has an update
on the saga of the pitiful few who insisted on calling their own homes worthless in hopes of getting money from the big chemical company... Dow appeal of class action status one year old. Here's the latest quote from Ms. Henry...
Why should she expect 2,000 residents would want to be included in her battle for a free buck anyway? She and the rest of her Lonetree gang should have just gone ahead with their lawsuit without trying to include the rest of us on the Tittabawassee River floodplain. Her lawsuit would have been over by now! Of course we all know the class action suit wasn't really her own idea... she & her little group are really just pawns of the local professional environmental extremists.
Do you suppose she's finally getting tired of this silly game?
"We are now almost four years into this lawsuit, yet the argument is still over whether we should be a class action lawsuit or not," Kathy Henry said. "Saddam Hussein has had a speedier trial in Iraq than we have had here in Michigan. There's something very wrong with that. "
Why should she expect 2,000 residents would want to be included in her battle for a free buck anyway? She and the rest of her Lonetree gang should have just gone ahead with their lawsuit without trying to include the rest of us on the Tittabawassee River floodplain. Her lawsuit would have been over by now! Of course we all know the class action suit wasn't really her own idea... she & her little group are really just pawns of the local professional environmental extremists.
Do you suppose she's finally getting tired of this silly game?
Saturday, November 11, 2006
I went to a meeting Wednesday...
and planned to tell you all about it on Thursday... but then I brought in the day's mail. You must read this thing. What sort of person writes an anonymous letter anyway?
This person is not only semi-literate but doesn't even know anything about me! He or she was apparently all bent out of shape about a letter I wrote to the editor of The Saginaw News in which I explained my reasons for needing a change in Michigan leadership. He or she mailed it out the day after election results were final but nevertheless was too spineless to even sign the letter! Just for giggles, click here if you want to read it and the referenced newspaper letters in .pdf format.
I spent too much time putting together a response and then decided it doesn't belong here. I don't need to give you details of the November 8 DEQ/Dow meeting because, between the two of them, a couple of local newspapers did a pretty good job of coverage. In case you don't read both of these papers, I've saved the articles for you.
The new guy at Saginaw News seems to be interested only in the whining and complaining of local econutz. Read it here: Study critics seek results
Dioxin testing progressing, published in the Midland Daily News, is a nice straight forward report about the meeting.
What did I see at this meeting?
...employees of a large company and employees of a large bureaucracy working together to work out details to the satisfaction of a few disgruntled environmental extremists, the general population along the Tittabawassee River floodplain who just want the whole dioxin situation to go away, and a couple of litigious residents who are afraid their dreams of a big payoff from the 'chemical giant' might never be fulfilled! I was also disappointed to see another whole layer of bureaucracy added to the already overabundance of government involvement in my backyard. This group calls themselves 'NRDA (Natural Resource Damage Assessment) Trustees' whatever that is...and is apparently a representative group of government employees including the very boring lawyer who gave the presentation for another DEQ member who was not able to attend, admitting he knew nothing about what he was presenting.
God bless our veterans on this, their day, and a great big Thank You to our fantastic military personnel who are defending and protecting our families and our country today! I don't normally do much with those forwarded things but want to share this email I received from a friend this morning. Today I especially pray for my dad, Tony Grammatico, who served in WWII and my Uncle Arthur Hintz who served in WWI. We will never forget you.
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