US Halts Hazardous Waste Shipments from Ohio to Michigan after Court Decision

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DETROIT – In the waves of a significant court case, the federal government has interrupted hazardous waste shipments from Luckey, Ohio to Van Buren Township, Michigan.

The Suspension of Waste Shipments

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This abrupt interruption manifests after a local Detroit judge put a temporary halt on plans to drain low-level radioactive waste from Lewiston, New York, to the same destination, Wayne Disposal. The landfill, located approximately 25 miles west of Detroit, accepts certain hazardous wastes. Evidently, concerns from neighboring communities over what would be dumped in the landfill triggered the judge’s intervention. A court hearing that is prepared to further discuss this matter has been scheduled for September 26.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in charge of managing the Lewiston site, has also stopped bringing in material from Luckey, Ohio. Since 2018, these shipments contained beryllium, a toxic metal variant hauled in from weapons and other industrial productions following World War II. Avery Schneider, acting as a spokesperson for the Army Corps, confirmed this,“We are not currently shipping” from Ohio. The decision to halt the waste shipments came while assessing the judge’s order, Schneider informed.

Landfill Management and Community Reaction

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Contaminated soils, building debris, and traces of uranium, lead, and thorium were among the materials shipped, as disclosed by Schneider. Anne Marie Graham-Hudak, the elected supervisor for Canton Township which is among communities suing Wayne Disposal, expressed ignorance about the landfill receiving waste from Ohio. The recent pause on shipments received a welcome from her.

Republic Services, the operating body of the Michigan landfill, confirmed that they meet or surpass current rules to safely process hazardous material types. Thus far, no shipments from New York have been transferred to Michigan. The tainted soil in Lewiston is an unfortunate result of the Manhattan Project, the clandestine government initiative to develop atomic bombs throughout World War II.

In the case of Ohio, the Luckey location was chosen as a site for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), due to significant beryllium contamination.