100 signatures reached
To: Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy
End Racist Hazardous Waste Policies In Michigan
بالعربية:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pwt_24Ocft2oq3fyewkxIzoDgD3Up5qr/view?usp=sharing
বাংলা:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13u1ip3dcABtZlETalrMLQWcB_tDKfpmf/view?usp=sharing
Despite making up on only 25% of the State of Michigan’s population, over 65% of those living next to hazardous waste facilities are people of color. These hazardous waste facilities process mercury, cyanide, arsenic, PFAS and a slew of other harmful chemicals--over 70% of the waste comes from outside the state of Michigan.
While environmental racism in Michigan is not new and while these issues are deeply rooted, the Whitmer administration has substantial existing authority to address the hazardous waste policies that place Black and brown communities in harm's way.
This should be achieved by:
1. Taking concrete steps to protect residents from the impact of the US Ecology facility.
2. Taking concrete steps to protect the rights of non english speakers by improving limited english proficiency policies.
3. Taking concrete steps to address this environmental injustice and glaring racial disparities by improving state hazardous waste management policies.
Why is this important?
Nobody wants to live near a commercial hazardous waste facility. These facilities receive our most toxic wastes from locations across the country. In Michigan, Black and brown communities are burdened with living nearby commercial hazardous waste facilities at an alarming rate.
In January the State authorized a hazardous waste plant to increase their hazardous waste storage capacity by nearly 10 times their limit to over 677,000 GALLONS PER DAY. This facility is located between a predominantly Black neighborhood, and an historic home to immigrants from all over the world, Hamtramck MI. It sits less than two miles from another hazardous waste facility that is also permitted by the state to process thousands of tons of toxic chemicals per day.
Ask Governor Whitmer’s administration to take action now by signing this petition.
If you'd like to subscribe to regular updates on this effort please sign up through MoveOn and through this site: https://coalitionstopuse.weebly.com/
Special thank you to Jim West who provided the photograph included in this petition!