Archive for the ‘Monroe Environmental News’ Category
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
The Clean Corporate Citizen (C3) program, established under Administrative Rules R324.1501 to R324.1511, allows regulated establishments that have demonstrated environmental stewardship and a strong environmental ethic through their operations in Michigan to be recognized as Clean Corporate Citizens. The C3 program is built on the concept that these Michigan facilities can be relied upon to carry out their environmental protection responsibilities without rigorous oversight, and should enjoy greater permitting flexibility than those that have not demonstrated that level of environmental awareness. Clean Corporate Citizens who voluntarily participate in this program will receive public recognition and are entitled to certain regulatory benefits, including expedited permits. http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3307_3666_4134—,00.html
While I’m happy that DTE is looking into investing in environmentally sound alternatives in the future, and this attempt to clean up AROUND Monroe’s coalburner is great progress, the Clean Corporate Citizen’s award is a little out of place here. What about the mercury? What about the CO2? Has DTE turned our coalburner into a carbon capture plant, because unless all three things are addressed with this award, than clean is a subjective word?
The award comes from Michigan’s DEQ whose budget has recently been slashed again. http://www.blogsmonroe.com/world/?p=414. The same DEQ that warns they will have fewer regulators looking out for Michigan’s wetlands, rivers, and streams, and will not likely to be able to respond to pollution spills.
If you read about the Clean Corporate Citizen program above it says, “regulated establishments that had a strong environmental ethic THROUGH their operations in Michigan…” Come on, DTE just recently installed scrubbers that DO NOT address CO2 and or the resultant mercury emissions. It’s the second largest burner in the country.
I especially like the part above that says: “should enjoy greater permitting flexibility than those that have not demonstrated that level of environmental awareness.” DTE is now a Clean Corporate Citizen who can enjoy EXPEDITED permits says the Dept. of Environmental Quality that no longer has the funds to regulate what happens to much of our state’s surface waters. The same surface waters of which 25% do not fall under the Great Lakes Compact protection either, thanks to Michigan’s senate.
Lovely.
Posted in CO2 Emissions, Coal, Coalburners, Environmentalism, Fossil Fuel, Global Warming, Great Lakes Pollution, Mercury, Monroe Environmental News, Monroe Pollution | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Senator Richardville had this to say about the Great Lakes Compact:
I don’t know what’s more important to Michigan in regard to its natural resources, but also when you’re talking about the identification of Michigan in the Great Lakes region, than its water. And so what we did today was help protect the Great Lakes water in a way unprecedented in the state of Michigan or really in any of the other Midwestern states we are taking a lead because we are saying loud and clear don’t mess with Michigan’s water.
Great rhetoric except our own senate is messing with our water. Influenced by a big farm lobby, they are still planning to allow each industry (bottling, manufacturing, and farming) to be able to siphon off up to 2 million gallons per day without any permits as opposed to the Democratic House that wants limits set at 1 million gallons per day. The idea that water used on farms somehow ends up where it started is a misconception. Plenty of the water is taken up by crops that are shipped elsewhere. Most of our entire daily water intake comes right from the food we eat. Even meat has a really high percentage of water, over 50%. On top of this, and depending on how the water is applied, the evaporation rate can be high. That’s why we’re told it’s just a waste of water to use little oscillating water sprinklers on hot summer days.
The senate justifies losing this much water by following the logic of farm lobbyists that think we have no claim to groundwater. What? We have a claim to the Great Lakes that surround us and hit our shores, but not to the water that actually lands on our soil? Groundwater is a major contributor to streams, inland lakes and wetlands, and coastal wetlands. It affects aquatic habitats for plants and animals. Michigan’s fishing industry depends on groundwater flow to streams and lakes.
Our smaller streams and rivers are in trouble if this bill passes. The bill will take 25% of the water from these rivers and streams at the height of the summer season when it’s hot and dry, and when these smaller tributaries are already down to a trickle. There will be bone-dry stream and riverbeds if Senate Bill 860 passes.
The idea that there won’t be any restrictions up to 2 million gallons per day is bad enough, but this bill allows absolutely no recourse from the public if citizens in a particular area object to their water disappearing down the road. According to a Michigan fisherman blogsite, Mackie’s Bait, “All current users will be grandfathered, including the control structures that maintain lake level stream flows in the rivers Muskegon, the Platte, the Huron, the Clinton, and many more.”You will hear talk about Groundwater Assessment Tools, which are in no way a complete science yet in Michigan. Their are thousands of stream segments types in Michigan and according to the same blogsite, only “230 stream flow gages are in operation across the state.” So how is the senate making an actual quantitative assessment for their decision?
http://mackiesbait.com/blog/files/category-great-lakes.php.
By signing this Great Lakes Compact, eight states and Canadian provinces unite to try to keep our water here, and our Senate fritters it away, caving to Farm Bureau demands. It won’t come back, and we certainly can’t depend on weather to help us any longer. We had better speak up and fast to our senators that we support the House version of a 1 million gallon per day limit because with Senate bill 860 we’re stuck with the results for good, no argument after the fact. Individuals lose to big industry again.
Posted in Conservation, Fishing, Great Lakes Water, Michigan Environmental News, Michigan/Great Lakes, Monroe Environmental News, Protecting Wetlands, Water Shortage | No Comments »
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
As part of the “Strange Days on Planet Earth” by National Geographic that I watched on PBS, was a segment about compounds found in plastic like bisphenol A that leached into a Missouri Tributary, and into the fish and animals in a remote area. Bisphenol A acts like estrogen, and is an endocrine interrupter. It doesn’t take much for this stuff, 30 parts per trillion, to affect estrogen response in fish because they have an extremely sensitive system.
I went to find out more about this because I’ve already written about fish in N.Y. and recently the Potomac River in Washington that have both sexes, have changed gender, or are sexless due to estrogen discharged in the effluents of sewage treatment plants. When I watched this latest presentation about fish in Missouri that are altered by bisphenol A, I thought I would rummage around and found website after website from different places all over the country with gender bender fish.
There was even a study about perch in Michigan’s lakes on jestor @ http://www.jstor.org/pss/3435861. The article listed various endocrine disruptors present in the water like the estrogen from sewage plants but also bisphenol A. Read the article because it states “gonadal intersex was observed in male white perch collected from the Bay of Quinte (22-44%) and Lake St. Clair (45%), [] Intersex was not observed in hatchery-reared white perch or in white perch collected from an uncontaminated reference site (i.e., Deal Lake) in the United States.” So the lower Great Lakes are considered contaminated.
This does not bode well for our water systems. The “Strange Days” series continued about bisphenol A in plastic from which we eat and drink. It’s dangerous for our health. That’s why we’re being told lately not to microwave anything in a plastic container. As for baby bottles it’s really bad news.
The series stated that hormones control genetic programming in developmental stages of life, so babies are really affected by bisphenol A. Heating plastic baby bottle causes 10 times the amount of bisphenol A to leach out. They didn’t have to connect the dots any further. Do not use plastic baby bottles unless it’s documented they don’t contain bisphenol A.
Tags: Plastics
Posted in Environmentalism, Fishing, Genetic Markers, Great Lakes Pollution, Health, Marine Life, Michigan Clean Water, Michigan Pollution, Michigan/Great Lakes, Monroe Environmental News, National Geographic Channel, PBS, Petroleum By-Products, Pollution | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
It was such a beeaauuuutiful day today that many people got the bug to be outside. This is just a reminder of a really fun and buggy you’re looking to do something different outside and/or you have kids that are right around the bug age and would love it. You know, the age when the fascination for bugs-as-pets occurs. My interest was fuzzy caterpillars. I would ride them around on the back of my tricycle. I collected jars of them. Oh, and fire flies, or lightening bugs depending where you’re from. That was always fun.
Before I get lost here, this event SEARCH FOR BUGS is sponsored by the River Raisin Watershed Council’s Spring Adopt-A-Stream search for bugs that will help them monitor the health of our River Raisin.
It’s a learning experience that teaches young and old the importance of insects as indicators of the health and quality of the water. The Watershed Council makes good used of the data collected year after year where they can get a clear picture of trends in the river’s overall health. The weather looks to cooperate for a perfect day. This is good family time outside and with purpose!
Captain and Collector training is this coming Saturday, April 12th, 9:00 am, at Adrian College. Next Saturday, April 19th training will be in Dundee (location TBA). Call (517)
265-5599 or email jennifer.janssen@comcast.net for more info and to participate.
The actual Stream Search day is Saturday, April 26th from 9:00 am – wpm with 3 locations:
· Adrian College
· Mill Pond Park in Saline
· Monroe Drain Commission (tentative)
You will need to call or email about the Monroe event. You get to see the results of your search on BUG ID DAY Saturday, May 10th, 9:00 am –1:00 pm, Adrian College. This sounds like a very nice memory to make with your kids.
I’d like to know what those bugs say about the River wouldn’t you?
Posted in Conservation, Environmentalism, Michigan Environmental News, Monroe Environmental News, Nature | No Comments »
Friday, March 28th, 2008
We’ll soon be seeing a new media blitz from the coal industry because people are catching on that coal is not clean. The industry is throwing $30 million dollars into an advertising and public relations campaign under the name of Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC). But the list that follows are all polluters like Billiton the largest mining company in the world, or CONSOL the largest producer of bituminous coal in America. They just don’t have motivation to cut into that kind power unless it’s from the kindness of their hearts.
AMEREN, American Electric Power, Arch Coal, Arkansas Electric Coop, Associated Electric Coop, Association of American Railroads, Basin Electric Power Coop, BHP Billiton, Buckeye Industrial Mining, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Group, CONSOL Energy, CSX, Detroit Edison, Duke Energy, Edison Electric Institute, First Energy Corp, Foundation Coal, Hoosier Energy, Massey Energy, National Mining Assoc., National Rural Electric Coop, Norfolk Southern, Peabody Energy, Southern Co., Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Union Pacific Railroad, Western Farmers Electric Coop.
This group is using other groups like America’s Power and Clean Coal USA to advertise across the country to make their coal look green. So be alert. There is nothing new. There is not a new kind of coal plant that generates electricity with lower CO2 emissions. There is coal that has very low sulfur content. And sulfur content and other particulates can be removed by what is termed “scrubbers.” That’s not new technology, but it will help alleviate lung problems. Until something drastically changes coal users like the cheap dirty stuff because everything else costs money. This is a good article about it from the Wall Street Journal: http://www.mindfully.org/Energy/Clean-Coal-Oxymoron-WSJ.htm
In 2001 President Bush committed to more advanced clean coal technologies. According to an article on DOE’s website: “The Clean Coal Power Initiative is providing government co-financing for new coal technologies that can help utilities meet the President’s Clear Skies Initiative to cut sulfur, nitrogen and mercury pollutants from power plants by nearly 70 percent by the year 2018. Also, some of the early projects are showing ways to reduce greenhouse emissions by boosting the efficiency by which coal plants convert coal to electricity or other energy forms.” Come on, 10 more years to just get sulfur, nitrogen, and mercury pollutants down? That’s lame. http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/.
Not much is new with coal except for trapping the gas, and where to put it. Our Michigan CO2 well should be about full this weekend. It didn’t hold nearly enough liquid CO2. It’s not a solution. How many more holes are we going to rip into the earth? We have over 500,000 mines in the U.S. Many are old and abandoned. We have over 500,000 oil wells, many are done, fini. That’s a lot of holes in the ground. Will the earth heal quickly from the millions of holes we’ve drilled?
Posted in Alternative Energy, Alternative Energy Sources, Bush Administration, Coal, Coal Mining, Coalburners, Environmental Legislation, Environmentalism, Fossil Fuel, Geothermal Power, Global Warming, Great Lakes Pollution, Mercury, Michigan Environmental Policy, Michigan Pollution, Michigan/Great Lakes, Monroe Environmental News, Monroe Pollution, Pollution, Protecting Wetlands, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Wildlife, Wind Power | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
There is a presentation at MCCC’s Meyer Auditorium tonight called “Coming Home. State of the Straits: Status and Trends of Key Indicators. This is an effort to present the results of compiled data on the ecosystems health in the Detroit River and Lake Erie. I wanted to go but I’m 40 minutes away from MCCC’s parking lot and don’t like the looks of the weather. What I did is find the results of the program and printed out about 30 pages that comprise the comprehensive and integrative assessment.
This presentation is based on information in “50 key trend data sets and indicators” according to the report itself. However, it also states that this comprehensive and integrative assessment is initial and heavily weighted on state information with “important data and knowledge gaps.” Nevertheless, it “lays the foundation for continuous improvement in the future.”
But I can’t tell from the report what we’re improving on. There are percentages of increase or decline of contaminants with no beginning measurements given. There are also very few quantitative targets. So we don’t know what aiming for. The study is over a 35-year time span. In 1970, we were polluted. The Clean Air and Water Act improved everything initially in a huge way. So to tell me from 1970 until now there has been an overall improvement in our water, well no kidding. What I want to know is what transpired over the past 10 years? For instance, regarding contaminants in western Lake Erie sediments, there is a record in 1971, and another in 1995 for mercury and PCB’s. Two records, 24 years apart are telling us there is a 70% decline in mercury in sediment and a 50% decline in PCB’s and other organochlorine contaminants. I don’t think that is very thorough. The mercury is 70% lower from what amount? Does this constitute a good amount? Mercury may have been 85% lower in the 90’s with pollution levels going up some 15% since then and the overall reading from 1971 will still look good at 70% reduction in pollution even though it’s rising again and quickly. Many of these reports concerning water end in 2004 too, like amounts of mercury in walleye.
Reports from 1977-2004 show that mercury in walleye has seen a 60% decline between the late 70’s and early 80’s; levels have remained steady since. What? Nothing has changed in over 25 years? It may be because there is more fishing, and therefore more fish caught at an early stage. We’re told to eat the smaller fish, especially in the ocean, because they have had less time to ingest mercury. There is nothing in this report that shows the accumulative affects of mercury either like from sediment, to fish, to birds, to larger predators.
I had to consider the source and motivation of this report too when I saw the list of editors and funding. Two of the editors are from the USFWS, the controversial agency that currently aims to kill the wolves and buffalo out west without presenting a solid answer as to why. And the funding sources include DTE, and the US EPA, another favorite controversial agency of mine. But like I said, I really wanted to hear this presentation. The presenters probably had really good slides of the wildlife that is thriving. Nothing is all bad news. If anyone attended please let me know about it.
I’ve included an article from the Toledo Blade about this presentation relative to receding shorelines and loss of water in the Great Lakes too. http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080107/NEWS06/801070402.
These are the actual tables resulting from the compilation of data for the trends reported in the presentation. http://www.epa.gov/med/grosseile_site/indicators/sos/assessment.pdf.
Posted in Birds, Environmental Legislation, Environmentalism, Global Warming, Global Warming Policy, Global Warming Reports, Great Lakes, Great Lakes Pollution, Great Lakes Water, Marine Life, Michigan Clean Water, Michigan Environmental News, Michigan Pollution, Michigan/Great Lakes, Monroe Environmental News, Monroe Pollution, Nature, Plants, Protecting Wetlands, Water Shortage, Wetlands, Wildlife | No Comments »
Friday, February 8th, 2008
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I can’t believe it. The Bush administration hasn’t exited yet and things are changing for the environmental good already. According the Environmental News Service today, Feb. 8th, 2008, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia “vacated two rules issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that failed to set strict limits on mercury emissions from power plants.” Vacated, I can’t believe it. That means “No Way!”
- The EPA’s cap and trade program was thrown out the window by the court.
- Then the court told the EPA how they “erred by taking power plants off the list of hazardous pollution sources when it issued its Clean Air Mercury Rule” that advocated the cap and trade program.
- The article went on to say, “the EPA now has two years to develop mercury emissions standards for existing power plants.”
The Clean Air Mercury Rule was an attempt by the EPA to limit the amount of mercury discharged by industry. There were two caps. The first was to be 38 tons of emissions reduced by first getting rid of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide called “co-benefits” by the rule. The rule suggests mercury reductions are achieved by doing this. But mercury is a chemical element. It is what it is. It is not sulfur and nitrogen. They are what they are. Granted they’re bad for the respiratory system, but what about the mercury? The court obviously got tired of this nonsense too and told the EPA to get on the ball. There was also an obvious problem with this little statement in the Clean Air Mercury Rule: “”…and because recent information demonstrates that it is not appropriate or necessary to regulate coal and oil-fired utility units under section 112 of the Clean Air Act.” What?
I griped about all of this in another blog when DTE (Detroit area energy provider) announced they were installing scrubbers for sulfur and nitrogen on their Monroe coalburner. Whoopty Doo. Scrubbers do nothing about the mercury, but today the courts sure did. I also predicted that� utility companies would continue too long on their same course and then whine about the cost to reverse things and comply with new clean air policy. How soon before we hear the sob stories?� So predictable. When companies have a big lobby, they throw all foresight to the wind.� They don’t need to stay on the ball. They pay to change the play instead.� And the taxpayer bears the brunt. Read about that again: http://www.blogsmonroe.com/world/?m=200701.
This ruling comes on the heals of the June 2007 edict by the Court of Appeals that vacated the EPA’s Incinerator Rule. The court blasted the EPA for violating the Clean Air Act for relaxing limits on emissions of smog-forming compounds from large power plants, factories, and other industrial sources,” according to Chemical and Engineering News. Smog and smoke have always been pretty self explanatory to me. If you can see it in the air, it’s substantial, and you probably shouldn’t be breathing it. As a result of the court’s ruling, chemical plants, refineries, and other industrial facilities that burn the waste they generate in on-site incinerators must comply with the law’s most stringent rules governing hazardous air pollutants. So what about Holcim Cement?
As I sit in a county with the nation’s second largest coalburner that sits on Lake Erie, and a Holcim cement plant that’s big on incinerating and has racked up big fines for doing it, it’s going to be real interesting how the court’s rulings play out.
The announcement of the court ruling today: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2008/2008-02-08-01.asp.
The June, 2007 ruling about incinerators: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i25/8525news7.html.
The EPA’s Clean Air Mercury Rule that is defunct as of today: http://www.epa.gov/camr/basic.htm.
A disturbing report about mercury hot spots: http://www.mindfully.org/Air/2004/Fort-Wayne-Indiana-Mercury11jan04.htm.
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Posted in Bush Administration, Cement, Clean Air Act, Coalburners, Conservation, EPA, Energy, Energy Costs, Energy Infrastructure, Environmental Legislation, Environmental Spin, Environmentalism, Federal Government, Fossil Fuel, Global Warming, Global Warming Policy, Great Lakes, Great Lakes Pollution, Great Lakes Water, Health, Holcim, Industry, Legislators, Mercury, Michigan, Michigan Energy Legislation, Michigan Environmental Policy, Michigan Pollution, Michigan/Great Lakes, Monroe Environmental News, Monroe Pollution, Morality, Politics, Pollution, Protecting Wetlands, The Denial Machine, Wetlands, Wildlife | No Comments »
Friday, November 30th, 2007
I’ve been interested in investing in “green” business and/or stocks but didn’t know who or where to look for these particular type of stocks and ran into this great website, InvestorIdeas.com, that lists almost 400 “green” stocks in 16 categories. There are a handful of mutuals featured too.
Every company listed is an active link and has a little description and history about the company. I especially liked the categories. Already people have preferences. I know I lean toward hydrogen fuel cell technology and yup it’s a category. There is the basic solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen technologies along with biogas, ethanol, and clean power plants to the companies that supply parts like turbines and flywheels.
So there are a lot of choices out there already. I guess I lean toward hydrogen fuel cells because Daimler-Chrysler was the company that supplied Iceland with their first commercial hydrogen buses back in 2003, and recently GM said that was an avenue they will pursue. Just yesterday I saw the commercial for Honda’s new fuel cell car that emits only “clean water vapor.” Hydrogen is on its way. If you ever get a chance to catch the Eco Tech series on the Science Channel watch for the engineer that invented hydrogen pellets that supply power on demand. He commented that we may be putting pellets in our tanks before long.
While I don’t know about that one, automakers are leaning toward hydrogen. Hopefully we will utilize hydrogen power and clean our water in the process. Now I would like a piece of that!
Check out this informative investment website: http://www.renewableenergystocks.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp.
Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, Biodiesel, Climate, Eco Tech, Environment and Jobs, Environmental Capital, Environmentalism, Ethanol, Geothermal Power, Green Construction, Green Investments, Green Products, Hybrids, Hydrogen, Michigan Environmental News, Monroe Environmental News, Solar Energy, Wind Power | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
I don’t know if many people are aware that mercury vapor lights are being phased out. I went to get a socket extender at an electrical supply company and the notices were on the counter. It’s due to their mercury content. We pretty much have voluntary disposal policy in Michigan as far as batteries, bulbs, and stuff with mercury in them. I guess they don’t trust us from throwing them into landfills that aren’t designated as toxic. What I really want to know is what’s going on in the minds of those that created the new policy about mercury vapor lights? Have they noticed the large amount of coal-fired plants in Michigan?
The Detroit Free Press just had an article about Michigan’s unwillingness to just stop. Stop building more coal-fired plants. We’ve lost population. The idea of needing 7 more coalburners as the article pointed out is absurd. And Detroit is making a new area downtown for technical type business and hopefully green business. I keep asking what green businesses will buy into a state that supports fossil fuel plants? Luke warm “green” isn’t enticing.
So I ask you: Is this not a ludicrous ruling—no more mercury vapor lights? Awful lot of farmers in Michigan and people like me with a pole barn with a mercury vapor light illuminating the entire yard out of darkness. I have no problem recycling my vapor lights, but how about regulating the coal-fired plants that some studies estimate dump 2591 lbs. of mercury the atmosphere annually in Michigan. People can dispute all they want. But the state of Michigan “has had a statewide fish consumption advisory for inland lakes since 1988. The advisory warns against eating more than one meal a week of rock bass, perch or crappie over nine inches in length, or any size largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike or muskie from inland lakes. Women of childbearing age and children under age 15 are advised not to eat more than one meal of these fish per month.” While airborne mercury poses no problem, when it hits earth, groundwater, streams, and creeks there is a problem.
Not eat fish more than once a month? That’s a little frightening to me. It tells just how much of that mercury blanketed water. Over a ton of mercury is deposited onto everything in Michigan every year, to me, that means 10 tons of mercury over ten years that doesn’t completely go away. I think we need to step up to plate in Michigan and make the changes that really have an impact on cleaning up our environment and show by example we are in earnest about being a “green” state. And while we’re at it can we please mandate bottle returns on those plastic water bottles? It drives me nuts knowing they end up in landfills and virtually never break down not in the next few lifetimes anyway.
If you want to read more about Michigan and mercury this covers just about everything and if it’s not here the people to contact are:http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ess-ECOSMercurySurvey1-10-05final.pdf.
Posted in Alternative Energy Sources, CFL lights, CO2 Emissions, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Coalburners, EPA, Environment and Jobs, Environmentalism, Federal Government, Fishing, Food Supply Contamination, Fossil Fuel, Global Warming, Great Lakes, Great Lakes Pollution, Landfills, Marine Life, Mercury, Michigan Clean Water, Michigan Energy Legislation, Michigan Environmental News, Michigan Environmental Policy, Michigan Pollution, Michigan Sierra Club, Monroe Environmental News, Monroe Pollution, Nature, Pollution, Protecting Wetlands, Protesting Pollution, State Gov't., Wetlands, Wildlife | 4 Comments »
Monday, October 1st, 2007
There is a Monroe Twp. Hall Meeting tonight, Oct. 1st., over a proposed 3-acre truck stop where the old “Tourist Restaurant” used to be over the bridge on the way to Bolles Harbor. Sounds bad to boaters already doesn’t it? Truck traffic and boat traffic would be criss-crossing. If a light is put in, the traffic will back up all the way down LaPlaisance Rd. While cars sit in the backup on LaPlaisance they can stare at all the empty asphalt which used to be an outlet mall parking lot.
Which leads me to ask this? What would possess a city to consider:
Filling in protected wetlands without replacing them anywhere else? One acre of the 3-acre truck stop is wetlands, when the other side of I-75 already is a vast wasteland of asphalt nothingness except for one outlet strip and the businesses closest to town.
Dealing with the flood zone. That’s right, the proposed site is in the 100-year flood zone plan. The truck stop is going to have tanks. How are they going to deal with this issue since they have not addressed it yet? There is no plan in place for spillage.
This truck stop would be next to LaPlaisance Creek and if you’re a resident, you know all of that area is too close to the Lake. If something happens to one of the tanks it will end up in the water.
Why do we need another one? When did Monroe become “Truck Stop Heaven”?
Do you know there are 5 truck stops within 20 miles of this proposed facility? I didn’t realize that. The group called Monroe “CATS,” Citizens Against the Truck Stop, provided this information. There are already:
2 Truck stops at the Holiday Inn Exit. One has 150 slots, the other has 8.
1 Truck Stop at Nadeau Rd. with 53 slots.
Alexis and West Rds. have huge truck stops.
There are two areas standing empty in Luna Pier that were once proposed truck stops. Why not renovate those properties for what they were intended? The whole LaPlaisance Rd. bridge would have to be redone and the exits. That would make it a major on and off ramp area like West Rd. Going into a water’s edge community is not the ideal spot for this. This looks like a needless waste of land. If you are concerned please attend the meeting tonight. I think Monroe should fight to protect the rural integrity of Monroe and quit invading the land. Monroe Charter Township’s Master Plan states one of their purposes: “to achieve a balance between the continued urban development and the preservation of its natural resources and rural character…” Keep them to their promises.
Posted in Diesel Fuel Pollution, Michigan Pollution, Monroe Environmental News, Monroe Pollution, Protecting Wetlands, Truck Pollution, Urban Sprawl | 1 Comment »
