LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan House of Representatives is expected to take up a proposal this week that critics say would make the state a magnet for radioactive waste from fracking around the country.

The state Senate has already passed SB 1195, which would allow specialized Type I landfills, like the one run by US Ecology in Belleville, to accept radioactive waste measuring 10 times the current federal standard – even 100 times more, with extra precautions.

Diane Weckerle, co-chair of the Coalition to Oppose the Expansion of US Ecology and a board member of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, says very few states allow this material.

"You know, you would think that the politicians would learn after the Flint water crisis that they would be concerned,” she states. “This legislation opens the barn doors in Michigan, calling on different states to bring in their radioactive waste."

At issue is a byproduct of fracking called Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material, or TENORM.

A second bill adds a disposal fee of $5 per ton to go toward safety monitoring.

Protesters are rallying Monday morning at the US Ecology facility in Detroit.

The company says it monitors landfill liners and groundwater for safety.

LuAnne Kozma, campaign director of the Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan, notes the legislation would allow diluted TENORM to be dumped in regular or Type II landfills.

"They are redefining in this bill what is TENORM, so anything that is less than a certain concentration would not even be called TENORM,” she points out. “They can dilute this stuff and bring it all in."

Sean Hammond, deputy policy director of the Michigan Environmental Council, sees the bills as a good first step if rules are tightened on Type II landfills.

"The intent the behind the bills is essentially to set these regulations in law when they arguably were, you know, allowed under the current law anyway,” he explains. “This makes it clearer, and really does start this conversation on limiting TENORM in the state."

But Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director for the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, says there is no safe level of radiation.

Her nonprofit group says certain byproducts of the waste dissolve into rainwater and will end up in the water supply eventually, because liners only have a 20 to 30-year lifespan.

"They're not intended, even, to isolate material for the thousands of years that some of this fracking waste stays legitimately dangerous," she stresses.

D'Arrigo adds the legislation would leave it up to the landfill owners, not regulators, to evaluate incoming waste for potential radioactive exposure.


get more stories like this via email

National Poison Prevention Week is coming up, and the staff at the Illinois Poison Center is getting the word out to be aware of toxic substances around the house.

The nonprofit organization provides both assistance and education on what to do if you suspect poisoning, and courses on identifying poisonous substances.

Last year, the center handled nearly 70,000 involving potentially harmful substances, ranging from minor to severe.

Dr. Michael Wahl, medical director for the center, said almost 40% of those cases involved children age five or younger.

"This is kind of the hallmark week for us to get the word out of the importance of poison prevention planning in the house, in the home, to prevent those unintentional ingestions or exposures to potentially harmful products," Wahl explained.

Wahl pointed out the Illinois center was one of the first of its kind in the nation and has been a resource for almost 70 years. It is staffed 24 hours, seven days a week, every day of the year, and can be reached at 800-222-1222.

Wahl noted the center deals with many substances, including drug overdoses, medication errors or reactions, plants, household chemicals, automotive products, insect stings and bites, lead, carbon monoxide and more.

He added the most dangerous time for children can be a visit from a grandparent.

"We recommend keeping the medications in their original containers and childproof caps," Wahl emphasized. "But grandparents will often keep their medications in pill minders. Those are not in child-resistant caps, and it is not uncommon that kids will get into them."

The center provides helpful information and guides, including stickers and refrigerator magnets with its toll-free number, at no charge. But Wahl stressed for those who need immediate help, there are experts standing by.

"Our line is staffed by nurses and pharmacists, so it is medical professionals -- they're not volunteers -- and they are specially trained in medical toxicology, to really answer and help with recommendations on a wide variety of potentially harmful exposures," Wahl emphasized.


get more stories like this via email

Most Texans take breathing for granted - unless the air is polluted. It's a health issue the Biden administration hopes to mitigate through new restrictions on one of the deadliest air pollutants - soot.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to tighten national air-quality standards for soot - also known as fine particulate pollution - which haven't been updated since 2012.

Texas is among the top five states for soot pollution, but Elena Craft, senior director, Climate and Health at the Environmental Defense Fund, said a national solution is needed.

"It really impacts every community across the country," she said. "It is harmful because of its contribution to heart ailments, lung disease, asthma attacks - even cancer."

The EPA's rule would reduce the limit on industrial fine soot particles from an annual average of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air to between nine and 10 micrograms. Public feedback on the proposed new rules is being accepted through March 28.

Soot pollution comes from power plants, vehicles and refineries, and Craft said it's more concentrated in certain parts of Texas than others.

"Houston, Dallas, El Paso - you do see higher ambient concentrations of particulate matter in some of the larger metropolitan areas, for sure," she said, "and also in some of the industrial areas - so, along the ship channel and the Gulf Coast."

Craft said there are also disparities as to who is most affected by soot pollution - with communities of color more likely to live near industrial facilities, railyards and other polluting facilities. She said it's also an issue for children.

"They breathe more air per pound of body weight than an adult," she said, "and so they are at higher risk, as well as the elderly."

According to Craft, the new standards proposed by the EPA are a welcome improvement, but the Environmental Defense Fund would like to see even stricter rules. The standards are expected to be finalized this summer.

Lawmakers in Maine are considering a bill to compensate farmers for the widespread use of state-sanctioned PFAS, or "forever chemicals" on their land. The chemicals are a byproduct of sewage processing once used as fertilizer and have caused irreversible damage to soil and water resources on at least 50 farms in the state.

Heather Spalding, deputy director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, said while struggling farmers deserve help, the bill may be getting ahead of a special state fund already set up to identify the extent of the problem.

"We just really want to support this PFAS Fund Advisory Committee and let them do their work," she said. "They're working incredibly hard to figure out where the funds need to go."

While the majority of farmland is not contaminated, hundreds of farms still require further testing, Spalding said.

Maine became the first state in the nation last year to ban the land application of PFAS sludge. Governor Janet Mills set aside $60-million to help farmers recoup lost income, pay for any needed health monitoring and set up a buyout program.

The current legislation would put a specific dollar amount on Maine farmland into a statute that she's reluctant to support, Spalding added.

"The goal is not just to buy up all the land and put farmers out of business. The goal is to work with farmers and make sure they can keep producing," she said.

Spalding added a lack of federal standards related to PFAS limits in food and water does not help. The governor's PFAS committee is expected to release its report in March and Spalding said funds could start to reach farmers this summer.