EPA pulls out of cleanup process, calls for openness
09/12/2007
 By Tony Lascari, Midland Daily News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today pulled out of a process addressing dioxin contamination issues in the Tittabawassee and Saginaw River watershed, citing concerns about openness.

The Dow Chemical Co.'s spokesman John Musser said the other parties involved in the alternative dispute resolution process — including the company, State of Michigan, Federal Natural Resource Trustees and Saginaw Chippewa Tribe — will continue to work to resolve issues.

The EPA said it would be willing to participate in a narrowed approach that would focus specifically on natural resource damage claims once the overall damage to the watershed is better defined.

"EPA believes a more open and transparent process is the best way to make important decisions that will affect the future health and vitality of the watershed for the people of Michigan and the United States," EPA Region 5 Administrator Mary A. Gade said. "Despite the best intentions of all involved, the current process is not working as effectively as it should and it is time to consider a new approach."

EPA officials believe too little progress has been made because legal matters not directly related to restoring the watershed are subject to the mediation.

For example, many documents exchanged during the current mediation, which began in December 2005, were claimed as confidential, leading to "time-consuming debates over what constitutes public information," the agency stated.

Musser said the process allowed for free thinking to develop solutions.

"We're certainly of different views on the value of having a coordinated, collaborative approach to solving the situation," he said. "When one party drops out, it makes it hard to achieve a coordinated result."

He said the company still believes the process will bring the best results to protect the health of area residents, the environment and the community.

"Despite that the EPA has dropped out, we will continue to plan and work with the other trustees make a coordinated, streamlined effort to resolve the situation," he said.

Dow and the other trustees in the resolution process will continue to communicate with the EPA about their progress.

"We're going to continue to make every effort to communicate with the EPA; this just makes it a little more challenging," Musser said. "Their not being at the table makes the process less efficient."

Dow expects work under way to clean up three dioxin hot spots in the Tittabawassee River to be completed this year. The EPA expects that the cleanup could set the stage for additional work downriver.

Dioxins and furans are byproducts from the manufacture of chlorine-based products. Past waste disposal practices, fugitive emissions and incineration at Dow have resulted in the on- and off-site dioxin and furan contamination.

©Midland Daily News 2007
 

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