Representative Thompson expresses concern over arrival of radioactive waste in Wayne County
Brownstown State Rep. Jamie Thompson today expressed serious concern for the communities and families she represents in Wayne County following the hastily announced plans for another large-scale landfill in Belleville.
“It’s time to stop viewing Wayne County as America’s garbage dump,” Thompson said. “Once again, the state stands by and allows massive amounts of the most toxic substances known to man to be brought into Michigan and dumped in our backyard with no regard for our environment or the people who live here.
“The status quo is not working for the people in our communities.”
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the landfill will receive about 25 semi-trailer loads of high-level radioactive waste per week through January. The waste comes from a site in New York that was used as part of the Manhattan Project to create the atomic bomb.
Unfortunately, this is just the latest example of the Whitmer administration prioritizing toxic waste disposal over the well-being of Michigan’s people.
In 2020, the Whitmer administration ignored public opposition and approved a sevenfold increase in the amount of toxic waste a Detroit facility can accept. In 2023, outrage erupted in riverfront communities when hazardous materials from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, were transported to Michigan and dumped there without notifying local authorities or citizens. Thompson and numerous local officials opposed the move, citing a lack of transparency, and even called on the Department of Energy, Great Lakes and Environment not to renew the waste facility’s operating permits.
The department ignored these demands and renewed the operating licenses for the next ten years.
“The residents of Wayne County have made it clear: They do not want to be America’s garbage dump. Unfortunately, Democrats in Lansing are choosing to spend money on trash over protecting our residents and the environment,” Thompson said. “Our Wayne County communities deserve better.”
