I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Canadian energy officials say the geology along the shore of Lake Huron provides ideal conditions for long term underground storage of nuclear waste, but US groups are worried about potential impacts on the Great Lakes.
This week Ontario Power Generation released a 12,000 page environmental impact statement for a plan to permanently store nuclear waste deep underground at a site in Kincardine near Lake Huron and the public now has six months to comment on that document.
The Detroit News reports that the Canadian nuclear industry wants to place “low” and “intermediate” level waste in a repository 1,640 feet underground.
Low-level waste includes industrial and common workplace items that have been contaminated by radiation — things such as mops, protective clothing and tools. Intermediate waste includes parts of the reactor core and water system filters and typically requires storage in steel-lined, concrete containers.
John Jackson, director of clean production and toxics for the conservation group Great Lakes United told the News that the dump has the potential to leak into the water.
“This is stuff that lasts forever basically. And to think we could ever hope to contain something forever is just not feasible.”
Some worry that the Kincardine site will eventually hold all types of radioactive waste.
“I would bet as much money as I can put together that once they have the repository approved, they’ll no longer be saying it’s just low- and mid-level waste,” said Brennain Lloyd, a member of the Northwatch coalition of environmental and citizen groups in Canada, that has opposed the plan. “They’ll be saying, ‘We’re already approved for an underground waste facility, so …’ The line between low- and mid-level and high-level waste will be erased.”
The Macomb County Board of Commissioners, Harrison Township’s Board of Trustees, St. Clair Shores’ City Council and St. Clair County’s Water Quality Board have all adopted resolution against building nuclear repositories in the Great Lakes Basin, but because the project will be located on Canadian soil it does not require US approval.
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