Tittabawassee River Watch

05/13/08 State releases new wild game dioxin advisories

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:42:29 -0400

As reported on WEYI TV,

"Three state agencies recently announced their response and concerns regarding Dow Chemical Company study reports on wild game. In 2004, Dow evaluated concentrations of dioxins in wild game living in the Tittabawassee River floodplain downstream from the city of Midland. In 2007, Dow conducted additional studies in the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw River floodplains.

The Michigan Departments of Community Health, Environmental Quality and Natural Resources said samples of wild game taken from the floodplains in 2007 confirm high levels of dioxin and dioxin like compounds in muscle meats, skin and other consumable portions of animals. High levels of dioxins previously found in game taken along the Tittabawassee River had prompted a 2004 Health Advisory for whitetail deer, turkey, and squirrel. ..."

Visit www.trwnews.net for all the details

05/06/08 TRW Press Release: Impacted Residents want answers about firing of Administrator Gade

Wed, 7 May 2008 06:48:06 -0400

TITTABAWASSEE RIVER WATCH

SAGINAW, MI

... united for the protection of our homes, health, and river from the effects of dioxin."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 6 2008

Contacts:

Carol Chisholm 989-790-4836 ,Cell 860-3510
John Taylor 989-781-2950
Kathy Henry 989-401-1762
Pat Bradt- 989-753-6036

IMPACTED RESIDENTS WANT ANSWERS ABOUT FIRING OF ADMINISTRATOR GADE

Residents living on rivers contaminated with Dow dioxin call on their legislators for answers

Letters were sent today to Saginaw Bay Watershed’s federal legislative delegation calling upon them to initiate investigations into the firing last week of Region V Administrator Mary Gade. Residents living along the highly contaminated Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers are some of the watersheds most impacted residents as a result of the chemical companies releases to the river.

Administrator Gade told the Chicago Tribune she was fired because of aggressive enforcement against Dow Chemical for their dioxin contamination. Beginning last spring Region V issued orders under CERCLA demanding Dow Chemical initiate cleanup of some the highest concentrations of dioxin in the nation. " There is no doubt in our minds that Ms Gade is gone because she dared challenge Dow Chemical" said John Taylor who has high dioxin levels on his property. " We want answers. We didn’t always agree with Ms. Gade, but we found her sincere and concerned about the well being of river residents."

Most recently Region V initiated an investigation and soils sampling along a stretch of homes where high levels of dioxin were found. " Residents are calling on our Congressman and Senators to get to the bottom of Ms Gade’s dismissal ", said Pat Bradt a Saginaw River resident. In their letter to elected officials, residents have said enough is enough. " We have watched Dow manipulate legislators, local officials and the Governor in Michigan for too many years". They are now apparently calling the shots at the federal level and we want to know why?

Tittabawassee River resident, Carol Chisholm, said residents are tired of the decision-making going on behind closed doors and political wrangling that denies them a legitimate voice and hinders cleanup. " We pay tax-dollars and expect those agencies who work for us to respond. We deserve a reason and rationale for why the administrator is gone. She made good things happen. We want to know how our elected officials feel about Ms. Gade being canned".

Letters were faxed yesterday and residents are hoping their plea does not fall on deaf ears in Washington. Visit www.trwnews.net to track the response

Letter to delegation attached:

The Honorable Carl Levin
United States Senator
FX: 202-224-1388

The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator
202) 228-0325

The Honorable Dale Kildee
United States Congressman
FX: 202-225-6393

The Honorable Bart Stupak
United States Congressman
FX: (202) 225 4744

The Honorable Dave Camp
United States Congressman
FX: (202) 225-9679

May 6, 2008

Dear Senators Levin and Stabenow, Congressmen Kildee, Stupak and Camp;

As property owners of the Tittabawassee/Saginaw River's floodplains, we were shocked, and extremely disappointed to hear of Region 5 EPA Administrator Mary Gade's resignation.

Particularly because she cited the Dow Chemical dioxin clean up here in Michigan as the reason for her dismissal.

Under Ms. Gade’s guidance, EPA finally seemed to be on the right tract after decades of inaction in addressing the Saginaw Bay watershed's dioxin contamination brought on from over a century of Dow polluting our communities and watershed.

We have literally had no voice in Dow contaminating our homes, land, and bodies from local, state and federal government, and community leaders, until Ms. Gade stepped up to the plate. Her actions gave us hope for a better future.

What's become of this country when politicians cast aside concern for residents health and well being that are living in the highest level of dioxin contamination ever recorded in this country? Higher levels than Love Canal and Times Beach, Missouri. Not to mention that this is the Great Lakes, and Lake Huron where the contamination continues to spread further with each year of inaction.

We have been warned by regulators not to eat many of the fish and wild life, and to wear dust masks when mowing our yards because of Dow’s dioxin. We have also been advised not to let our children and grand children play in contaminated areas, in other words, our yards, because of the extremely high levels found here.

Enough is enough.

We plead to all of you to investigate and make right the forced resignation of Mary Gade by our federal government. It seems the only concern until Ms. Gade's authority has been for the polluters. That is unacceptable, outrageous, and a very sad statement and outlook on what the politics of this country have become.

Sincerely,

John Taylor
Thomas Twp

Kathy Henry
Tittabawassee Twp

Carol Chisholm
Saginaw Twp

Pat Bradt
Zilwaukee Twp ( Saginaw River resident)

05/06/08 MDEQ Dioxin Update meeting Wednesday

Tue, 6 May 2008 07:33:36 -0400

The MDEQ Dioxin Quarterly Meeting is this Wednesday May 7th at Horizon Conference Center beginning at 6:30.

Agenda items for the meeting include:

-A summary of Dow's 2007 sampling data for the middle Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River, and Saginaw Bay
-A brief overview of the fish and wild game advisory By MDCH
- A summary of the U.S. EPA' s recent residential sampling activities
-A summary of the interim response activities that the DEQ is requiring Dow to conduct during the 2008 field season
-Natural Resource Damage Assessment

05/03/08 Senate to conduct oversight hearing on firing of Gade

Sun, 4 May 2008 08:44:25 -0400

Lone Tree / TRW Dioxin update

The politicization of Dow Chemical's dioxin contamination needs a thorough vetting at all levels of government. Gade's firing is right on the heels of a senate committee which is reviewing a report that says the Bush administration is hampering the ability of Environmental Protection Agency scientists to assess the health dangers of toxic chemicals.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D Rhode Island) will be leading an oversight hearing into the politicization of the EPA and the circumstances surrounding Gade’s dismissal next Wednesday.

DETROIT NEWS: Dingell to probe why EPA official leaving job

WALL STREET JOURNAL: EPA Regional Chief Resigns After Dispute

05/01/08 EPA top Midwest administrator forced out by Bush because of enforcing Dow cleanup

Fri, 2 May 2008 10:33:21 -0400

Lone Tree Council / TRW Update

Mary Gade, based in Chicago, says Bush administration made her quit over Dow Chemical case

By Michael Hawthorne Chicago Tribune reporter May 1, 2008

The Bush administration forced its top environmental regulator in the Midwest to quit Thursday after months of internal bickering about dioxin contamination downstream from Dow Chemical's world headquarters in Michigan.

snip: For the past year, Gade has been locked in a heated dispute with Dow about long-delayed plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles beyond its Midland, Mich., plant into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron.

snip: Though regional EPA administrators typically have wide latitude to enforce environmental laws, Gade drew fire from officials in Washington last month after she sent contractors to test soil in a Saginaw neighborhood where Dow had found high dioxin levels.

snip:"There is no question this is about Dow," Gade said. "I stand behind what I did and what my staff did. I'm proud of what we did."

---- Make no mistake good people of the Saginaw Bay Watershed, Mary Gade was a great asset to the region and to the Saginaw Bay Watershed.

Harken back to the 1980's and Dow interference with EPA. For months now Dow has been reaching out to EPA headquarters shopping around for a better deal, a quick-out or an opportunity to skirt the law. Same thing they've been doing for thirty plus years.

Looking forward to the ongoing investigative story by the Tribune. Go to the link and watch the video clip of Joy and Lloyd Cooper who live on the Tittabawassee River in the neighborhood that drew Mary Gade so much fire.

Michelle Hurd Riddick Lone Tree Council

04/30/08 Another Dow delay, asks Supreme Court to overrule Appeals Court decision

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:08:53 -0400

Dow filed its motion for leave to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court regarding the class certification order on April 24, 2008. This was in response to the Michigan Court of Appeals March 14, 2008 denial of Dow's motion for reconsideration in granting class action status to the case. Dow’s main thrust is to try to get the Supreme Court to adopt the opinion of the dissenting judge on the Court of Appeals, Judge Kelly. Judges Meter and Hood ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs have until May 21, 2008 to respond. See the Dow Lawsuit page on www.trwnews.net for all the details of the case since it was filed in March of 2003

04/23/08 Petition effort shows strong support for dioxin cleanup of Michigan's largest great lakes watershed

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:02:03 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lone Tree Council

PETITION EFFORT SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT FOR DIOXIN CLEANUP OF MICHIGAN’S LARGEST GREAT LAKES WATERSHED

Plus Community Activists Share Cleanup Hopes with trip to Washington

The cleanup of Michigan’s largest Great Lakes Watershed will bring jobs and a brighter future for Michigan’s economy, and will benefit everyone who visits the Saginaw Bay Watershed and Lake Huron. An online petition is being used to gather signatures of as many of the millions of Great Lakes fans as possible the simple message is that all of them support public participation in an open transparent process as the best way to assure a comprehensive cleanup of Dow Chemical’s dioxin to restore the entire region to health.

We believe it is the duty of elected state lawmakers to uphold the public trust and protect and restore the Great Lakes to health, states the petition. Our economy, our public health, and our future depend on the exercise of this solemn obligation.

Leaders of the Lone Tree Council, along with members of the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Clean Water Action and the League of Conservation Voters traveled to Washington D.C. on February 26th for a meeting with top officials at the United States Environmental Protection Agency after learning of Dow’s request for a meeting with the agency.

We were concerned that, as in the past, Dow Chemical was trying to slip behind closed doors to ask for a deal to avoid a cleanup of their dioxin, Michelle Hurd-Riddick said. So we decided to go to Washington, too, and make sure EPA knows there’s more than one stakeholder in this cleanup effort. The groups met with Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine, head of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and Superfund. At that meeting, Bodine confirmed the cleanup plan would not be altered. Ms. Bodine told us that the Michigan DEQ will maintain the lead on corrective action cleanup, and EPA Region V will also be there, said Riddick, “and that was very good to hear.

To show there is support from the Great Lakes community for comprehensive cleanup of the dioxin in the watershed, the groups are asking Great Lakes fans to sign an online petition modeled after the position paper left with EPA, Assistant Administrator, Susan Bodine. Major community and environmental advocacy organizations have already signed on including the 70-member Michigan Environmental Council, but the groups want to show there is a larger audience.

This is the largest watershed in the state, and the dioxin contamination is a Great Lakes Water Quality issue, said Sierra Club’s Rita Jack, the petition is to show the public is aware, and they want their elected officials to be vigilant, and to watchdog this whole process.

Go to trwnews.net to link to the petition, view position paper, etc.

04/22/08 Stunning flaws in Army Corps of Engineers project planning

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:55:13 -0400

In a recent Saginaw News editorial, Army Corps of Engineers Mike O'Bryan says "you can't ever be 100 percent, but I'm as close to 100 percent as you can get on my feeling that (the Saginaw/Bay dredging pit) is a totally safe site," The News than goes on to say "... well, he speaks with the authority of more than two centuries in the business." and questions the "DEQ's intransigence" over the issue.

Why are the MDEQ, the Lone Tree Council, and other concerned citizens stubbornly refusing to compromise?

Consider the following from our friends at NWF:

More than a decade of reports from the National Academy of Sciences, Government Accountability Office, Army Inspector General, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, and independent experts have revealed a pattern of stunning flaws in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project planning and implementation, and urged substantial changes to the Corps’ project planning process. Changes needed to address concerns raised in the studies summarized below are included in S.564, the Water Resources Planning and Modernization Act of 2007

Visit www.trwnews.net for 30 examples of concern with the ACE and the possible impact of these flawed practices on the Saginaw River Dredge Facility

04/21/08 Lone Tree Council / TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:17:44 -0400

The Corps is an agency that likes projects, no matter what they do to the environment. Give them a dollar and they'll push it any way you want."                           ---Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) [Washington Post, 9/14/00]

THE DREDGE SITE   Several news stories and yesterday's Saginaw News editorial have addressed recent activities surrounding the navigational dredge site on the Saginaw River highlighting the riff between the DEQ and Corp of Engineers. The SN editorial comment, suggests taxpayers and residents trust the Corp of Engineers’ expertise on the dredge site------ that would be the same agency that constructed and hailed the levees of New Orleans as state of the art.
http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/opinion/index.ssf/2008/04/editorial_dredging_delays_hurt.html

Read the Saginaw News' glowing comments about the Corp of Engineers then visit the Corp Reform Network www.corpsreform.org  to read the Corp Reform legislation sponsored Senators Feingold and McCain to reign in this rogue federal agency that answers to know one. You can also read about dozens and dozens of run amok Corp projects across this nation.

This dredge site does not exist in a vacuum. It is not just about jobs. Context matters.  Substantive but ignored and overlooked in much of the media coverage are the following issues of magnitude: - The taxpayers of Saginaw County own this site and have liability for any future contamination from the site The highest concentrations of dioxin in the nation are in the Saginaw River
-We do not know how high the concentrations are in the navigation channel.
-The Corp has not produced an operational management plan to demonstrate how this site will be managed day to day let alone in the future...
-There are families living adjacent to this slurry pit.
- Besides dioxin, there are PCB’s, mercury and dozens of other contaminants to be containe

These issues matter for the long-term integrity of the watershed, river and people living there.  They matter to the taxpayers of Saginaw County unless of course we are to believe the Corp will bail us out of any future financial liability should this site flood, leak or concentrate dioxin levels over time which would require special and expensive handling.  The Saginaw River and Bay are on the federal Area of Concern, the only site with that designation on the US side of Lake Huron. I would suggest that many of the impairments, which have garnered us this sordid designation, were the result of poor planning, myopic vision and a lack of understanding how this dynamic eco-system operates and flippant disregard for environmental legislation and safeguards.

It matters that the federal government believes the Saginaw Bay Watershed to be one of the most contaminated in the nation. It should be everyone’s objective, no exceptions, to take steps to mitigate and prevent further injury to residents, groundwater, surface waters and wildlife resources via exposures to these high levels of dioxin and other contaminants. This isn't just about the need to dredge the river it is also about how to safely contain toxic river dredgings materials, how to prevent groundwater contamination and how water from the site will be discharged back to the river in accordance with the Clean Water Act. ( a question nobody's talking about) It's about being on the correct path to detoxing this watershed from years of abuse and stupid decisions.

The Corp was issued a 401 certificate under the Clean Water Act ---that permit was predicated on the Corp and Saginaw County doing "betterments" which included  containing sediments and groundwater monitoring.  Jim Koski, Saginaw County, pulled the groundwater permits and the Corp of Engineers say a slurry wall to contain contaminated sediments is no longer needed, even though for the past two years these betterments were part of their repertoire for why this site was state of the art. The DEQ would have every right to pull their 401 certificate issued under the Clean Water Act--- laws matter. Protecting the Great Lakes resources matter.  It’s unfortunate that efforts to restore this watershed and provide protection from the contaminated sediments of the Saginaw River are not priorities for Mr. Koski or the Corp ... .however, this luxury they have granted themselves does nothing to absolve taxpayer liability or insulate the county from future lawsuits or environmental degradations.

Backing away from their “betterments”, the site according to the Corp is still the safest one they've ever built.  In past local news editorials, residents and environmentalists alike have been admonished for seeking recourse in the courts because all the steps and permits to make this site state of the art would be in place. Now they're not going to be in place and we are still told the site is safe. One has to wonder if Mr. Koski and the Corp have gone along with the "betterments" concept until the court cases were settled just BS the judge until we get out of court.

Like many ill planned Corp of Engineers projects this site was not properly funded from the beginning. The cart was put before the horse. There was never enough money to do this project correctly given its location to the river, to residents, the site geology and the levels of contamination in the river.

It is also not a coincidence that the slurry wall and the groundwater permit were abandoned after Dow Chemical withdrew support on this project. Last fall, in a letter to Lone Tree Council, Dow Chemical stated there were no commitments made on their part to provide any additional funding pending a comprehensive understanding of what might be required in terms of "betterments” and a clear understanding of the company’s ability to use the facility were those betterments accounted for. There is no money and never has been to do this site properly. Strapped for money the county cannot even afford to test the wells of residents living next door to this slurry pit let alone fund the testing needed down the road to monitor this site...what were they thinking.

At public hearings in 2004, Lone Tree Council and residents asked for this site to be moved upland, away from the river floodway. We asked for all stakeholders to be at the table to discuss how to do navigational dredging and cleanup. MDEQ, the Corp of Engineers and Jim Koski dismissed our inquiry and suggestions, insisting this site was not about dioxin or Dow but about navigational dredging. But the dioxins have always been the wildcard that skews everything. The wildcard which made proper citing, stringent permitting, long-term containment, wildlife protection and public health an integral part of the dredge project.

This site has no business being located where it is. Please remember there are dozens of families living in the shadow of this slurry pit that deserve to be defended and recognized every bit as rigorously as the dock owners, Corp or Jim Koski.

Much more on this issue very soon. We hope to share with you some of the statements the Corp of Engineers and Saginaw County made to Federal District Court, Bay City Circuit Court and in depositions. The public is being taken for ride on this slurry pit.......

Regards,

Michelle Hurd Riddick Lone Tree Council

Some  favorite quotes about Corp of Engineers:
-"The Corps still doesn't get it.  They still think they can defeat Mother Nature with brilliant engineering.  They talk about the environment, but they don't really believe in it."
---Bill Hartwig, regional Fish and Wildlife Service director
-If you even mention an environmental concern, you're not a team player. The pressure to look the other way is incredible."
---Robert Oja, former regulatory chief for the Corps Alaska District  [Washington Post, 9/13/00]
-"The Corps has less credibility than a French figure-skating judge."
---Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense

04/02/08 EPA/MDEQ to sample Saginaw residential areas for dioxin

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 07:13:09 -0400

CONTACT: Anne Rowan, 312-353-9391, rowan.anne@epa.gov
Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, hans.mick@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. OPA047 EPA, MDEQ to sample Saginaw residential area for dioxin contamination (Chicago- Apr. 2, 2008) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality have begun screening a residential neighborhood in Saginaw Mich., for dioxin-contaminated soil.

An estimated 10 residential properties in an area along the Tittabawassee River will be sampled. Small plugs from up to 36 inches below surface level will be sent for laboratory analysis.

Analysis may take two to three weeks. Once the data is returned, EPA and MDEQ, along with Michigan Department of Community Health, will consider a range of options, including more comprehensive sampling in the area and possible cleanup actions.

"Residential soil contamination is a serious matter," said Associate Superfund Director Ralph Dollhopf. "At this time of year, children are playing outside again and families are planning gardens. If action is needed, this project will ramp up very quickly."

The investigation aims to determine the extent of dioxin contamination present in the neighborhood. The project was prompted by Dow Chemical Co.'s February 2008 disclosure to the agencies of an elevated dioxin level found in a residential soil sample collected by Dow in November 2007. Under the company's Michigan operating license, MDEQ required Dow to conduct certain soil and embankment sampling along the Middle Branch of the Tittabawassee River. Dow's Midland facility is a 1,900-acre chemical manufacturing plant. Dioxins and furans are byproducts from the manufacture of chlorine-based products. Past waste disposal practices, emissions and incineration at Dow have resulted in on and off-site dioxin and furan contamination.

04/01/08 Letter to Saginaw Board of Commissioners: Resolution B bad for public

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 07:39:51 -0400

To: Saginaw County Board of Commissioners
From: Michelle Hurd Riddick Lone Tree Council
Re: Resolution B

April 1, 2008

Dear Saginaw County Commissioners,

Attached please find two documents for your edification on the Dow Chemical/dioxin issue as it relates to regulatory authority.

This cleanup is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, a federal program of the EPA. EPA granted authority to MDEQ to oversee Dow’s corrective action obligations under RCRA for the company’s dioxin contamination in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. MDEQ negotiated the terms of the RCRA corrective action over several years with Dow, culminating in the two entities signing the document in June of 2003, DEQ Director Chester, on behalf of the state and Susan Carrington on Dow Chemical’s behalf. Because RCRA is a federal program EPA has always had and continues to have oversight.

Make no mistake--- there is no ambiguity about how cleanup should proceed. Part 111 of the Michigan Environmental Protection Act is clear in Dow’s license. There is no ambiguity as to what is required for investigation, public health protection, interim or final response. This corrective action license is a legal binding contract between Dow Chemical and the people of Michigan. Not only does it state how activities will be conducted, it states they will be conducted in an open public process, perhaps the one item Dow dislikes the most. That the Board of Commissioners would support with a resolution Dow Chemical’s desire for closed-door negotiations and the company’s efforts to abandon a legal binding contract because they no longer want to play by the rules is beyond the pale. Again, there is no ambiguity in Dow’s RCRA responsibility. Any delay in resolving the dioxin "situation" is the direct result of the company’s efforts to skirt the responsibility of their corrective action license by creating needless delays and interjecting specious arguments and groundless debate into the process.

Your passage of Resolution B calling on EPA to resume lead negotiations with Dow sends three clear messages to the people of Saginaw County:

1. Dow does not need to play by the rules or the laws of the land
2. It’s OK for negotiations to take place behind closed doors over this public resource
3. Dow does not have to honor their contract signed in June 2003

EPA ordered Dow into negotiations under CERCLA last fall and ended them in January after a thirty-day extension. These negotiations were private, the discussions known only to the respective parties. EPA stated that they were disappointed but that Dow failed to deliver on substantive issues like public health protection, a pretty important detail. This was the third time in six years Dow has negotiated privately with regulators— creating delays, derailing timelines and always, always to no avail. That nothing substantive came from recent negotiations should surprise no one. Lone Tree Council objected to all of these closed-door negotiations and we will continue to do so.

I would submit that your job as elected officials is to support the laws of this state and to reject any negotiations that do not guarantee transparency. As elected officials you have the responsibility to ensure the business of the people is transparent and that the people who own these resources are assured a voice and a place at the table. Given the geographic size of the contamination and the unprecedented concentrations of dioxin in this county, one would think the Board of Commissioners would want to be fully apprised of how public health measures and response activities are being negotiated. Closed-door negotiations leave you, the elected representatives and your local health department out of the information loop. Your support for Resolution B essentially denies the elected representatives of this county access to information.

Many of your districts border these rivers. The impacted residents living and raising their families on contaminated property and the disproportionate number of minorities consuming the most highly contaminated fish from these waters are the most legitimate stakeholders. Who is their voice in a closed-door negotiation? We all own these natural resources and we are all stakeholders. No one should be in the dark on this very important issue. Every citizen is entitled to information so they can participate as equals in the one of the worst contaminations in this state’s history. This isn’t just about Dow and a quick resolution. This is about public health, property, restoration and the quality of Lake Huron. It’s about how this county chooses to conduct the people’s business.

I did contact MDEQ and EPA and was informed that to the best of their knowledge no one from the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners had contacted them for input on Dow activities, the regulatory process or their perspective on how activities are progressing. Your support for Resolution B without gathering the facts or deliberating is bothersome at best.

Contrary to the language put forth in Resolution B, MDEQ is moving this process along and EPA is actively involved. Consistent with past practice Dow is the only obstacle to progress. Perhaps you would find the courage to call into question all the delays created by Dow Chemical. MDEQ with EPA’s support has issued dozens of Notices of Deficiencies to this recalcitrant company over the past five years; the first one being in December of 2003 and the most recent this past December. I would be most happy to compile the list for you.

As for the timely and final resolution being called for in Resolution B, it has always been within Dow’s power to bring this cleanup to fruition. In 2003 when Dow and DEQ signed the RCRA corrective action license Dow proclaimed it was the path forward. Again in 2005 after 8 months behind closed doors the public was told the resulting FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT was the " path forward" to resolve this issue. In 2007 upon entering negotiations with EPA, the public was once again told about Dow’s desire to settle this issue and move forward. Again they dropped the ball. Now in 2008 Dow is shopping around to create more delays and tossing aside their legal and binding obligations under RCRA. Is it the position of the board that Dow does not have to honor their contract?

This February, Dow visited EPA headquarters in an effort to re-enter negotiations with Region V. EPA headquarters told Dow they were confident in the State of Michigan retaining the lead on this corrective action with back up from Region V when things began to bog down. It worked very well last year on Reach D, JK, O and Wickes Park. The sampling required by MDEQ under RCRA authority and the authority of EPA under CERCLA accelerated cleanup on these various reaches.

As stated in the attached letter from MDEQ and EPA more work was accomplished last year with the two agencies working together than in the previous 30 years. Perhaps it would be advantageous to invite both agencies in for a committee of the whole meeting where you could ask their opinion, face to face and really find out what’s going on.

Resolution B states: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That it is of great importance to the future of Saginaw County and this region to determine an agreed upon single path forward that will result in a protective, timely and final resolution of the dioxin and furan situation in Saginaw County and surrounding communities.

However, upholding the democratic process is more important then an expedited clean- up. Dow’s RCRA corrective action license is the agreed upon, single path forward to a timely and final resolution to this issue. Commissioner Wurtzel admonished the board to "get some guts" but we are long past the need for ambiguous resolutions and hyperbole. The boards vote to support closing the door on transparency was anything but gutsy.

I hope in the future you will attend the quarterly meetings of the DEQ where all the stakeholders are gathered and engage Dow, the agencies and your community. Dioxin " situation" is a tepid and comfortable description coined early on by Dow. In reality, this " situation" is one of the largest geographic contaminations in the country. The highest levels of dioxin in the nation are in our waters. Every man, woman and child who hunts in or live on these contaminated floodplains, recreates, swims or fishes in these rivers or Bay deserves to be acknowledged as a stakeholder in seeking resolution to this contamination. Those who subsist on these fish deserve a voice too.

To Commissioners Woods, Fox and Ruth we thank you for your support for an open process and your support for the right of the people to know what’s going on in their communities.

Sincerely,
Michelle Hurd Riddick
Lone Tree Council

Note: To view the referenced FOIA'd documents, visit www.trwnews.net

03/14/08 Center for Disease Control publicizes it's concerns for Tittabawassee River residents health

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:51:29 -0400

As reported back in February 2008 by Sheila Kaplan and the Nation Institute Investigative Fund, "the nation's top public health agency has blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states, reportedly because it contains such potentially "alarming information" as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates."

The CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has now made the information public on it's website, http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/grtlakes/2007.html,. Below are a few excerpts From Chapter 4 "Lake Huron" beginning at page 185 which pertain to the Dow Chemical contamination of the Tittabawassee River and it's impact on human health.

4.1.1.13 Tittabawassee River
The Dow Chemical Company plant in the city of Midland, Midland County, MI was the subject of an ATSDR health consultation that was triggered by community concerns regarding high levels of PCDDs in soil in the city of Midland and in fish in the nearby Tittabawassee River downstream of Midland. An additional concern arose when sampling of the Tittabawassee floodplain near the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers revealed high levels of dioxin contamination. The soil contamination issue was considered in the ATSDR health consultation on the Dow Chemical Co. site, presented in Section 4.1.1.12, which provides a description of the plant location and releases to the environment. The issue of contamination of the floodplain of the Tittabawassee River is considered in a separate 2002 ATSDR health consultation, summarized below. The Tittabawassee floodplain area that is potentially of concern extends from the City of Midland in Midland County to the City of Saginaw in Saginaw County. The sampling sites were within Saginaw County.

Category of Public Health Hazard:
This site was categorized as an Indeterminate Public Health Hazard (Category 3) because of the potential threat to human health from exposure to PCDDs and PCDFs and the lack of monitoring data for the residential area. Initial findings of a University of Michigan study, as reported by EPA (2006), are suggestive of an exposure-related elevated blood levels for dioxin in residents consuming fish from the area and in those participating in the area’s recreational activities (see Public Health Outcome data).

Contaminants of Concern in Completed Exposure Pathways:
Elevated dioxin TEQs (as high as 7,261 ppt, includes PCDDs and PCDFs) were found in soil samples from a floodplain area near the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers in Saginaw County, analyzed as part of a wetland mitigation project, and in other floodplain areas (golf course, wildlife refuge) upstream from the mitigation site. These levels were considered to be high enough to pose an urgent public health hazard if people were routinely exposed to soil at these locations, but ATSDR concluded that the level of exposure on these properties is not known, and was concerned regarding the lack of sampling on nearby residential properties. The only known source of dioxin contamination was the Dow Chemical Company plant upstream at Midland. ATSDR concluded that the contamination likely resulted from deposition of contaminated river sediments in the Tittabawassee River floodplain. As discussed in Section 4.1.1.12, fish in the Tittabawassee River below the city of Midland have elevated levels of PCDDs and PCBs. Based on the floodplain soil data together with the fish data, ATSDR concluded that dioxin contamination may be widespread throughout the Tittabawassee River watershed below Midland, but data were lacking on possible exposures. EPA reported (2006) that fish contamination by PCDDs and PCDFs, which have resulted in fish consumption advisories, represented a potential completed exposure pathway for residents of the area. EPA also reported that subsequent sampling found dioxin TEQs as high as 41,000 ppt within the first six miles downstream of the Dow plant. In addition, an initial investigation for other contaminants besides PCDDs and PCDFs is expected to be completed by 2007.

Demographics:
Twelve homes are located adjacent to the river less than half a mile upstream from the mitigation site where very high TEQs were detected. Numerous other residential properties are located within the floodplain upstream of the wetland mitigation site. 186 Do Not Cite or Quote

Public Health Outcome Data:
EPA reported (2006) that, in 2006, the University of Michigan conducted a dioxin exposure study which was funded by Dow. EPA further reported some of the key initial findings of the study as:
-Residents living in regions expected to have dioxin contamination (Midland/Saginaw) have higher concentrations of dioxins in their blood than do residents in a control area without dioxin contamination.
-Residents in areas with higher levels of dioxins in soil have a higher TEQ (total dioxin-like activity) in their blood.
-Populations consuming fish from the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River, and Saginaw Bay waterways have higher concentrations of dioxins in their blood than people who do not eat fish from these waterways.
-Populations participating in recreational activities in the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River, and Saginaw Bay have higher concentrations of dioxins in their blood than persons who do not participate.

Conclusions:
This site is contaminated with the IJC critical pollutants PCDDs and PCDFs, probably from releases from the Dow Chemical Company plant upstream at Midland, Midland County. The dioxin contamination, as reported by EPA (2006), is widespread throughout the Tittabawassee River watershed below Midland, but initial data were lacking on possible exposures. More recently (2006), EPA reported the availability of analytical sampling data combined with information on human activities in the watershed areas which indicate that statistically significant exposures to dioxin could be occurring, especially within populations who consume significant quantities of locally harvested fish and/or wild game. In addition, a wild game study for the flood plain of the Tittabawassee River downstream of Midland was conducted by Dow in 2004. State of Michigan health assessors have reviewed the wild game data and found that levels of dioxins in the wild game harvested in the floodplain for the study were up to 7 times higher than samples taken upstream of Midland in deer muscle meat, 118 times higher in deer liver, 66 times higher in turkey, and 40 times higher in squirrel. The assessors concluded that eating contaminated deer, turkey, or squirrel containing dioxin, at the levels found in the Dow wild game study, could result in adverse health effects.

3/14/08 Michigan Court of Appeals has denied Dow Chemical's request for reconsideration

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:02:49 -0400

The Michigan Court of Appeals has denied Dow Chemical's request for reconsideration in granting class action status for residents living in the Tittabawassee River floodplain for property damage due to their dioxin contamination. This was in response Dows Motion for Reconsideration filed February 14, 2008 regarding the Michigan State Appeals Court January 2008 decision to grant Class Action Certification to the Tittabawassee floodplain residents case against Dow Chemical.

Visit www.trwnews.net for all the details of this case since it's inception in 2003.

2/12/08 Lone Tree / TRW Dioxin Update

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 13:21:19 -0500

The Saginaw River

MDCH recently released the Petitioned Health Consultation on the Saginaw River and the Fish Consumption Survey for the Saginaw Bay Watershed. Both documents strongly identify/suggest the adverse impact on minorities consuming fish from the Saginaw River and make suggestions to further educate and involve the community in addressing what is obviously a public health hazard according to MDCH.

The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce

While there are many issues of more significance than the Chambers latest salvo at a regulatory agency or its defense of Dow's chronic bad behavior, statements cannot go unchallenged. Terry Miller, Lone Tree Chair did a great job responding in a My View column in the Saginaw News. There is however no Saginaw News Internet link to Terry's response. Read this update for his response. Below are a few snippets. The Chamber is wrong and their statement a deliberate attempt to mislead. It's interesting that Mr. Eggers, President of ATK Peerless failed full disclosure and did not divulge the significant income garnered by his company as a contract employee for Dow Chemical doing work on priority one and two properties along the river contaminated with dioxin. There are no documents on the LTC web-site from the EPA or anyone else Perhaps Mrs. Horn would then ask Dow Chemical to honor their commitment to the people of this watershed by honoring the RCRA corrective action license signed by Ms. Sue Carrington on Dow’s behalf in June of 2003. Unlike the Chamber of Commerce, EPA and DEQ do not see a healthy eco-system and a healthy economy as being mutually exclusive. In progressive communities with progressive thinkers that archaic thinking is no longer acceptable. The headlines and subsequent stories are not about the "release" of information but the content in the release. It’s what is revealed in these documents that so unnerves the Chamber of Commerce because it exposes the shenanigans of Dow Chemical. To suggest the public's access to information hinders negotiations one can only conclude the Chamber thinks the negotiations should be out of the public arena. We strongly disagree. Dow polluted this environment they don't own it. br />

Click here for the details

2/10/08 Local poor cancer risk as high as 1 in 25 from eating Saginaw River fish

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 12:30:14 -0500

02/10/08 The local poor cancer risk as high as 1 in 25 from eating Saginaw River fish

At the dioxin public meeting this past Thursday held in Saginaw, a Health Consultation report was released by MDCH in a cooperative agreement with ATSDR evaluating Saginaw River dioxin exposures and health risk.

There is a population here, the poor, uneducated Saginaw East side community who regularly fish and feed their families all species of fish from the Saginaw River including catfish and carp. When asked about the fish advisories, over 1/2 of these individuals did not even know there were advisories. MDCH consultation concluded that some Saginaw River fish eaters from this population could have an individual cancer risk as high as 1 in 25.

A Dow supporter stood up and asked if this consultation had been peer reviewed. Stunning. Of course, this did not make the news the next day as the Shiver on the River fishing contest comes to a conclusion this weekend.

And the Saginaw Chamber of commerce is up in arms about an accidental document released by EPA to The Lone Tree Council that paints Dow in a bad light, and is calling for an investigation.

02/09/08 MDEQ evaluating dioxin treatment technologies

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 12:14:50 -0500

The MDEQ revealed two companies dioxin contamination cleanup technologies that are currently under review for the Tittabawassee River:
Biotech Restorations
        Trial on Tittabawassee removed 45% of dioxins and furans in 4 months
        Process uses existing bacteria in soil to breakdown the contaminants into inert substances
        Process treats the soil in place, however it needs to be plowed and watered.
        39 other projects around the world

Phase Separation Solutions

	Trial on Tittabawassee removed 99.8% of dioxins and furans
	Process uses a low temperature thermal desorption process where soils are removed and fed into a portable "extraction chamber" located on or near the treatment area.
	Process requires soils to be temporarily removed and fed into chamber. After treatment they can be returned to original location.
	8+ projects worldwide including potential residential areas near the Sydney Australia 2000 Olympics site

Click here for details

01/25/08 Flood Plain Residents win Class Action case

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:22:25 -0500

"Based on the findings and reasons set forth above, the Court hereby orders
that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Certification as a Class Action be and the same is
hereby GRANTED"

Michigan Court of Appeals opinion on Tittabawassee River residents lawsuit against Dow Chemical.

Visit www.trwnews.net for all the details of this case since it's inception in 2003.

01/18/08 Check out new FOIA document page

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:26:42 -0500

We just added a new Freedom Act (FOIA) document page to our website. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal law that gives the public the right to make requests for federal agency records.

All federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are required to disclose records unless the records are protected from disclosure by certain exemptions. The EPA FOIA Home page will guide you to information about the statute and give you information on submitting a request to the Agency.

We will post relevant documents on this page as time permits, check back often!

12/24/07 Dow requests deadline extension - again

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 12:02:19 -0500

Dow missed the EPA's cleanup 60 day negotiation deadline of December 10, 2007. The October 10, 2007 EPA press release , EPA to Dow Chemical: 60 day clock to negotiate on Tittabawassee River system cleanup starts today, stated "EPA may choose to extend negotiations until Jan. 9, 2008, if appropriate". Is anyone surprised? Dow always delays everything it can.

What should concern everyone is that on the surface, this process closely resembles the pattern of the last "negotiation" in 2004 when the Governor Granholm stopped the transparent public process and went behind closed doors with Dow. Is this just another replay of 2004/2005? Should we substitute the abbreviation "DEQ" with "EPA" in the timeline below? Any one seen Dave Camp hanging around the EPA office lately? We hope not, however with negotiations behind closed doors again, only time will tell.

12/09/07 Lone Tree Council / TRW Dioxin Update

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:04:22 -0500

This issues topics:

-The Secret Memo
-Human Element lost locally but recognized in Michigan's leading newspapers
-Dow employee files for whistle blower protection
-Dow deadline tomorrow
-About that 1.6 million ppt in the Saginaw River
-The MSU Wildlife study

12/7/07 SECRET MEMO: Dioxin report details deception

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 07:32:52 -0500

EPA found state failed to stand up to chemical giant

December 7, 2007
BY TINA LAM, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

With the state's complicity, Dow Chemical Co. has delayed cleanup and misled the public about the dangers of dioxin it dumped decades ago into rivers downstream of its Midland plant, Environmental Protection Agency officials charged in a confidential August internal report.

The memo, obtained by the Free Press, also said Dow impeded state efforts to force a cleanup, concealed data and studies, tried to keep documents confidential that should have been made public and insisted on negotiating cleanup details with Gov. Jennifer Granholm's office, rather than staff of the state Department of Environmental Quality.

EPA officials said they could not discuss the memo because it is confidential. ....

12/6/07 Whistle blower: Dow submitted bad Tittabawassee dioxin data to State

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 07:03:14 -0500

Employee claims she was demoted after questioning test results on Tittabawassee River

A Detroit News article today states that A Dow Engineer was demoted for questioning dioxin level sampling data submitted to the state. The Engineer is now filing a whistle blower suit against Dow.

Project Enhancement Corp., the Germantown, Md., company hired to validate data from samples collected in August 2006, rejected the data that November because of "major technical non-compliance," Denney alleges in the lawsuit.

The Engineer states she reported the flaws to her Dow supervisors, but Dow "submitted said bad data to the state on or about February 1, 2007

11/23/07 U.S's top toxic spot here?

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 11:54:20 -0500

A top government scientist says a toxic ''hot spot'' found in the Saginaw River near Wickes Park in Saginaw could represent the highest level of dioxin contamination ever recorded in the nation's river and lake systems. ....''We're still saying we can't find numbers anywhere close to this particular value,'' Clark said. ''We're looking at historical databases and I've sent out messages (to the scientific community), but nobody is saying (they've heard of a higher level).'' ....

11/18/07 Lone Tree Council / TRW Dioxin Update

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 11:55:39 -0500

Topics:

Front page headline Detroit News

Sky-high dioxin level taints river

Dow Chemical in violation of license again

MDEQ and MDCH it was determined the Direct Contact Criteria (DCC) Report is incomplete, has major deficiencies and substantial inaccuracies and is in violation of Dow's license.

Dow omitted information, asked for more meetings and submitted not a site specific number but a range! The range 890 ppt to 200,000,000 ppt

The Dow report supporting these absurd ranges makes considerable use of questionable reference material provided by the notorious Dennis Paustenbach (aka "Dr Evil"), a known industry hack famous for falsifying data to support corporate sponsors. "It is abundantly clear that CDC's contractor, ChemRisk, does not have the necessary scientific or ethical integrity to engender public trust,"

Additional fish advisories on the Saginaw River

The MDCH says nobody should eat carp, catfish or white bass taken from anywhere in the Saginaw River. Women of childbearing age and kids under age 15 shouldn't eat smallmouth bass.

Freeland Festival Park dioxin on the move - where did it go?
This dioxin hot spot just picked up and moved down river onto someone else's property or perhaps further down river. Either way this mobile chemical compound is made accessible to fish, wildlife, people and Lake Huron.

Class Action in limbo
It's been two years this past month since the class action, Henry et al v Dow Chemical, was certified by Judge Borello and appealed by Dow Chemical. The case has been heard by the Michigan Court of Appeals but they have yet to hand down a decision.

Next DEQ / Dow quarterly meeting November 28

Visit www.trwnews.net for all the details

11/13/07 EPA orders emergency cleanup, 1,600,000 ppt dioxin found next to park

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:49:28 -0500

Highest dioxin level found in Saginaw River: EPA, MDEQ and Dow at work on emergency cleanup

Release date: 11/13/2007
Contact Information: Anne Rowan, 312 353-9391, rowan.anne@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
07-OPA217

(Chicago, Ill. - Nov. 13, 2007) Acting immediately on information received from Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Mich., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the company have begun preliminary emergency removal activities at a previously unknown dioxin hot spot on the Saginaw River.

Late Friday, Dow notified EPA and MDEQ of preliminary, unvalidated results of over 1.6 million parts per trillion (ppt) of dioxin in one sample of sediment taken from the Saginaw River. This concentration is 50 times higher than a 32,000 ppt level, previously the highest found in the Saginaw River. It is 15 times higher than any dioxin levels found at hot spots in the Tittabawassee River. This new Saginaw River sample came from a location a half mile below the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Shiawassee Rivers, roughly adjacent to Wickes Park in Saginaw.

"EPA has determined that this emergency work should be performed under an EPA Superfund order," said Regional Administrator Mary A. Gade. "EPA and MDEQ are working closely together on a thorough and appropriate plan to remove this hot spot. Moreover, we must be very cautious to make sure, through laboratory tests, that we determine the extent of this high level of contamination. It may be only one additional hot spot or it could cover a larger area."

Dow discovered the latest hot spot during sampling done according to its own Sept. 14, 2007 work plan, which has not been approved by either EPA or MDEQ.

As a result of EPA Superfund orders in June 2007, Dow is now wrapping up the cleanup of three dioxin hot spots in the Tittabawassee River and should be done by year's end. Those dioxin hot spots along the first six miles of the Tittabawassee River were contaminated at levels up to 87,000 ppt, far above state and federal action levels. The area is prone to flooding and erosion which can spread contamination.

Dioxins are highly toxic compounds that pose serious risks to human health and the environment. EPA's reassessment of the most recent scientific findings on dioxin indicates that it is a more potent chemical than previously understood.

For more information about the health impacts of dioxin and eating fish from the Saginaw River system, members of the public may call the Michigan Dept. of Community Health at 800-648-6942 and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at 312-886-0840.

Dow's Midland facility is a 1,900-acre chemical manufacturing plant. Dioxins and furans come from the production of chlorine-based products. Past waste disposal practices, fugitive emissions and incineration at Dow resulted in dioxin and furan contamination both on- and off-site.

In separate legal actions last week, EPA cited Dow for air and hazardous waste violations at its Midland facility. These involve preliminary findings of violations and Dow has 30 days to discuss resolution of the allegations.

Fact sheets on dioxins from Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQ http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts104.html

11/09/07 EPA notifies Dow of clean-air & hazardous waste violations

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:52:00 -0500

Chicago, Ill. - Nov. 9, 2007) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today notified Dow Chemical Co. that it has found potential clean-air and hazardous waste violations at the company's Midland, Mich., facility.

EPA issued a finding of violation under the Clean Air Act and a notice of violation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. It also issued requests for information under both acts.

"The issuance of these notices and requests for information shows that the agency takes seriously its responsibility of protecting human health and the environment," said Regional Administrator Mary A. Gade. "Our investigation of this very large facility spanned eight weeks over a two-year period and included personnel from EPA's National Enforcement Investigation Center. Today's actions are a product of that investigation."

EPA alleges Dow violated the Clean Air Act by, among other things, failing to follow regulations aimed at detecting and repairing leaks, as well as failing to conduct a required stack test. Dow was also allegedly found to be in violation of multiple Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements for managing hazardous waste.

These are preliminary findings of violations. To resolve them, EPA may issue a compliance order, assess an administrative penalty or bring suit against the company. Dow has 30 days from receipt of the notice to meet with EPA to discuss resolving the allegations.

EPA said Dow's alleged clean-air violations may have increased public exposure to organic hazardous air pollutant emissions including, but not limited to, ethyl chloride, toluene, ethylene, perchloroethylene, methanol and hydrogen chloride. Hazardous air pollutants may cause serious health effects including birth defects and cancer and may also cause harmful environmental and ecological effects. These pollutants are also volatile organic compounds and are major precursors of ground-level ozone (smog).

Smog is formed when a mixture of pollutants react on warm, sunny days. Smog can cause respiratory problems, including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest pain. People with asthma, children and the elderly are especially at risk, but these health concerns are important to everyone.

Hazardous wastes have properties that make them dangerous or potentially harmful to human health and the environment. They exhibit at least one of four characteristics - flammability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity. They can be liquids, solids, contained gases or sludges and can be products of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products like cleaning fluids or pesticides.

11/05/07 MDCH releases final Pilot Exposure Investigation report

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:53:35 -0500

MDCH Responds To Comments On The Pilot Exposure Investigation In Tittabawassee River Flood Plain
November 5, 2007

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has released responses to comments received on the 2005 public comment draft of "A Pilot Exposure Investigation: Dioxin Exposure in Adults Living in the Tittabawassee River Flood Plain Saginaw County, Michigan." MDCH responses to comments are provided in a final Pilot Exposure Investigation (PEI) report.

This final PEI report does not address new environmental or biological data that have become available since the draft PEI report was released in 2005.
The PEI report found that dioxin levels in some Tittabawassee River Flood Plain study participants were higher than background estimates for people of the same age with no known exposure to dioxins beyond background. While some of the total dioxin toxic equivalent (TEQ) levels in the participants' blood samples were on the high end of the range, all fell between the lowest and highest levels for people with no known exposure to dioxins beyond background.
These findings are consistent with those reported for the University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study, which was completed in 2006.

The MDCH Division of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology conducted this Investigation under a cooperative agreement with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

The Pilot Exposure Investigation Report, "Dioxin Exposure in Adults Living in the Tittabawassee River Flood Plain" is available on the MDCH web page at http://www.michigan.gov/mdch-toxics, or by calling the MDCH toll free at 1-800-648-6942.

Copies of the Report are available for public review at the following locations:
- The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, 1710 West St. Andrews, Midland, Michigan
- The Midland County Health Department, 220 W. Ellsworth Street Midland, Michigan
- The Saginaw County Health Department, 1600 N. Michigan Avenue, Saginaw, Michigan
- The Tittabawassee Township Office, 145 South 2nd, Freeland, Michigan
- The Zauel (Saginaw Township) Library, 3100 N. Center Road, Saginaw, Michigan
- The Thomas Township Library, 8207 Shields Drive, Saginaw, Michigan
- The James Township Hall, 6060 Swan Creek Road, Saginaw, Michigan
- The Hoyt Library, 505 Janes Avenue, Saginaw, Michigan
- The Saginaw Bay-District office of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 503 N. Euclid Avenue, Suite 9, Bay City, Michigan.

Requests for copies should be addressed to Dr. Linda D. Dykema, Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Environmental Health, 201 Townsend Street, P.O. Box 30195, Lansing, Michigan 48909. People may also call the toll-free telephone number, 1 800 648-6942 (1-800-MI TOXIC).

11/05/07 Lone Tree Council / TRW Dioxin Update/

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:55:47 -0500

Topics

-Bay City Times launching Saginaw Bay Watershed Watch
-Dioxin, public health, and food for thought
-Manufacturing Uncertainty: Contested Science and the Protection of the Public's Health and Environment
-Dioxin alters normal ratio's of girls and boys
-EPA right in urging Dow to speed up work

Dioxin, are we at risk?

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:56:35 -0400

70 minutes. That's all it takes to listen, at no cost, to the latest EPA concerns about the risks of dioxin's to human health. It's time well invested.

Recorded in 43, 1-3 minute segments. If you do not have 70 minutes to spare, listen to a few segments a day.

"Dioxin has been called one of the most dangerous chemicals ever known. Purging uncertainties and clarifying myths about dioxin, Dr. Birnbaum will discuss dioxin in general, where it comes from, how we interact with it, and specifically, its staggering impact on human health. She will also talk about dioxin effects in the Great Lakes. "

Dr. Linda Birnbaum is the EPA's world renowned expert on the human health effects of dioxin.

Click here

10/10/07 EPA gives Dow 60 days to come up with cleanup plan

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:36:58 -0400

CHICAGO (Oct. 10, 2007) - At a meeting today in Chicago, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 formally notified Dow Chemical that it has a limited opportunity to negotiate with the Agency on a settlement to conduct an investigation, a study and interim response actions for dioxin contamination in the Tittabawassee River system. The Midland, Mich., company has until Oct. 17 to decide whether it will negotiate.

The targeted area begins upstream of Dow's Midland Plant and may extend downstream to the Saginaw River, its floodplains and portions of Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. ..........

09/15/07 Loss of Community Identity

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:42:41 -0400

Here we go again.
One of today's headlines was the announcement that The Dow Chemical Company will now be the major sponsor for The Bay City River Roar every summer. By doing so, the event will now be called The Dow River Roar.

Huh?

It's fine and dandy if Dow wants to contribute money to that event, but why must it now be named after the company? For $35,000, it appears Bay City was willing to sell the name of one of it's major summer events. It has been The Bay City River Roar for 20 years. That's pretty sad.

Flashback to about, what, 3 years ago....

Yes, you all know what I'm talking about. Even today when the subject is brought up, people from all walks of life in Saginaw that I talk to roll their eyes in disgust at the mention of The Saginaw Civic Center, now known as The Dow Event Center and referred to as "The Dow".

Yes, Saginaw sold the name of our event center to Dow Chemical as well for $250,000 a year. Just the name mind you, not the building itself. But now, every event held in our event center has Dow mentioned in the story or event. Not Saginaw. What ever happened to Saginaw?

Pick up our local Saginaw newspaper on any given day lately, and I swear some days there are more articles about Midland than about Saginaw County.  Midland has their own paper. If I want to read about Midland, I can pick up one of their papers.

Has anyone also noticed that just about every other event held in the Tri-cities lately has Dow as a sponsor as well? Again, there is nothing at all wrong with the company's generosity in wanting to contribute to local events, they have a lot of money to work with.

But I want to know where Dow was for the past 100 years they have been operating in Midland. Up until about 5 years ago, most of us only knew Dow as that company up in the polluted city of Midland that smells, and has all the buildings and events named after them. So what happened 5 years ago to produce such a sudden interest in Bay City and Saginaw after 100 years?

I think you know the answer. I just hope that the struggling communities of Bay City and Saginaw don't lose site of who we are. Stop selling our names. As we all know, there is a price, a certain loyalty expected from a company for such generosity.  I for one, want no part of becoming "Stepfordville" aka Midland.

Great Lakes cleanup could generate $50 billion windfall

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:14:18 -0400

A report published by the Brookings Institute September 5, 2007 titled "Great Lakes cleanup could generate $50 billion windfall" states "(Investing in cleanup) makes tremendous sense in terms of the economic strategy for our region and our country. These restoration activities aren't just nice things to do for the environment".
The report concludes that increased residential property values are the primary contributor to the windfall. An additional $30 billion would be gained due to new job related activities.
Local officials are concentrating on scaring the public into stopping the clean up. Why?

09/12/07 EPA has had enough, pulling out of Dow mediation process

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:04:19 -0400

The United States Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency has declared the current mediation process between Dow Chemical and the State of Michigan broken and is pulling out of the process.
"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," said Regional Administrator Mary A. Gade. "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."
Citizens were denied an open and transparent process back in 2005 when Lt. Governor John Cherry signed the infamous "framework" agreement. What's next? Will the EPA propose or mandate a new plan, sue Dow for the missing information, or just walk away? We doubt it's the latter, stay tuned.

What's in the Tittabawassee River besides contaminated fish?

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 10:24:40 -0400

A EPA document recently obtained by the Lone Tree Council exposes the TRUE state of the Tittabawassee River and Dows attempts to repeatedly delay addressing the problems. It's not just dioxin any more folks. It seems we are a true silicon valley now thanks to Dow Corning. Silicon has been found in every soil sample taken. Not to mention another 29+ dangerous chemicals including Octachlorostyrene , Hexachlorobenzene, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Fhloradane, DDT, Mirex,, ....Toxaphene.
But lets not forget about the unprecedented levels of dioxin. The document offers valid scientific references which counter almost every lie Dow has purported as "Sound Science" over the last 5 years.

09/06/07 First dioxin-contaminated soil removed from Tittabawassee River !

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 07:00:19 -0400

Local TV station WJRT TV reports that the 1st load of an estimated 15,000 cubic yards of dioxin contaminated soil has been removed from the Reach D section of river sediment located in the Dow Chemical plant. This is great news! Reach D is a 1,200 foot section of river, only 114,000 feet remain to complete the cleanup.

08/31/07 EPA ISSUES DEMAND FOR MIDLAND DIOXIN SAMPLING DATA

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 08:43:33 -0400

(Chicago - Aug. 31, 2007) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today issued a request for information to the city of Midland, Mich., for all dioxin sampling data taken within the city in 2006 and 2007. The city of Midland has information that would give EPA a more complete picture of Dow Chemical Co.’s dioxin contamination in that area. EPA has also sent information requests to two other entities that hold relevant information. “It appears that the data is obscured by an unusual double blind system that EPA has been unable to obtain voluntarily from the city of Midland,” said EPA Region 5 Superfund Division Director Richard Karl. “The city holds the key to the data and we’re requiring them to provide it.” Today’s request is part of a larger investigation of dioxin contamination in the Midland area. In mid-August, EPA issued two requests to Dow asking for information on off-site and on-site dioxin sampling conducted by Dow and more extensive data on numerous other hazardous materials produced at the Dow Midland plant. Dow began a dioxin cleanup in three hot spots of the Tittabawassee River as a result of EPA orders in late June. Those cleanups are expected to be completed this year and set the stage for additional work downriver. The Dow facility is a 1,900-acre chemical manufacturing plant located in Midland, Mich. Dioxins and furans were byproducts from the manufacture of chlorine-based products. Past waste disposal practices, fugitive emissions and incineration at Dow have resulted in on- and off-site dioxin and furan contamination.

08/27/07 Tittabawassee and Saginaw river fish consumption still a hazard

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 08:47:08 -0400

The Michigan Department of Community Health has released a report of its "Fish Consumption Survey of People Fishing and Harvesting Fish from the Saginaw Bay Watershed." The final report is available at www.michigan.gov/mdch-toxics. Funding from the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network made the survey possible.
The department asked people fishing on the Tittabawassee, Saginaw and Shiawassee rivers and Saginaw Bay if they were aware of and used the advisory. The department also asked them what fish they were catching and eating and use the information to improve the advisory and increase public awareness of safe consumption of locally caught fish.
One troubling finding of the survey is that many people are eating carp, catfish and white bass that contain high levels of dioxins and other environmental contaminants. The department recommends against eating carp or catfish from the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers, and to extremely limit consumption of white bass. There are similar recommendations for eating fish from the bay. Walleye are less contaminated. River sediments and eroding floodplain soils have created dioxin and other contaminants in the fish.
These findings are a concern, considering that the University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study has shown that eating fish from the rivers and bay is linked to higher levels of dioxins in humans. The study shows some people may be eating more fish than the people who were part of the study.
Until dioxins and other contaminants are removed from river sediments and upland soils, eating certain fish from these waters will continue to pose a hazard. The department is working with local community groups in Saginaw to increase awareness of the advisory and safe consumption of locally caught fish. The advisory is available at www.michigan.gov/mdch or by calling (800) 648-6942.
T.J. Bucholz Public Information Officer Michigan Department of Public Health Lansing

08/25/07 Dow deletes information from Wikipedia

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:10:56 -0400

Excerpt from Forbes 8/15/07 article
"... someone on a Dow Chemical computer deleted details of the company's development of birth defect-inducing Agent Orange and the continuing controversy around the Bhopal disaster, in which Union Carbide, a firm that Dow later acquired, was responsible for the death of as many as 22,000 Indians. " ... "Wikipedia has always been a truth tool," says Michael Fertik, founder of the online PR firm Reputation Defender. He argues that companies should have known better than blatantly to skew information on a site that tracks IP addresses and closely monitors articles for spin. ... "It's our policy never to delete anything from Wikipedia," Fertik says. "People have been aware for a long time about who's doing what on the site, and changes are observed very closely. If you get in the business of deleting this or that, you can easily get in a flame war with the whole community."

08/22/07 Lone Tree Council / TRW Dioxin Update

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 07:33:19 -0400

Petitioned Health Consultation on the Saginaw River
Summary of DEQ/DOW meeting August 9th
Hot Spot
City of Midland
U of M Study
Saginaw River New High
Sediment Trap Studies
Dow is gaining access
MDEQ use of 90 ppt is supported by EPA
A Journal, TOXICOLOGY states dioxins most potent in humans
Dioxin in Georgetown MA being cleaned

08/9/07 MDEQ Dioxin Meeting Tonight

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:13:51 -0400

The Department of Environmental Quality and The Dow Chemical Company are hosting the next quarterly Midland/Saginaw/Bay City (Tri-Cities) Dioxin Community Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 9, 2007, at the Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, Saginaw. This meeting is open to the public See TRWNEWS.NET Current News Page for details.

08/09/07 EPA Tittabawassee Dredging Progress Reports

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:10:47 -0400

On June 27, 2007, U.S. EPA ordered The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) to negotiate an Administrative Order on Consent, to address removal of extremely elevated levels of dioxin-contaminated sediment within Reach D of the Tittabawassee River near Midland, Michigan. Dow contractors mobilized to the site on July 9, 2007. Dow agreed to the terms of the Order and on July 12, 2007, the Order was signed by the Regional Administrator and Dow. See TRWNEWS.NET Current News Page for details.

10/03/07 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:39:59 -0400

Topics: EPA being Hypocritical? EPA walks away from NRDA How transparency was killed Implications of ADR Is their information in the Saginaw River that Dow doesn't want us to know? EPA Lone Tree FOIA Information on the DMDF

07/12/07 MDEQ responds to EPA criticism of Dow's RIWP

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:59:25 -0400

The MDEQ and the EPA are in disagreement over some of the EPA's critique (see next story for details) of Dow's Remedial Investigation Work Plans (RIWP) Tittabawassee River cleanup process: Many of the issues raised concern the GeoMorph process which attempts to predict contaminated areas. Both the MDEQ and the EPA expect Dow to conduct additional sampling in the areas identified by the process as priority cleanup areas to validate the the plan. So far, this has not happened. In our opinion, the disagreement hinges on the attitudes of the players:
Delay: Dow is reluctant to perform additional sampling and dragging it's feet whenever possible.
Pretty Please: The MDEQ is asking for samples under the conditions of their "Framework" agreement with Dow.
Dow Do it: The EPA is mandating them to comply. Not mentioned in the MDEQ response is any reference to all of the other toxic chemicals discovered and mentioned in the EPA document. What are the plans of the MDEQ to address the silicon, Octachlorostyrene , Hexachlorobenzene, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Fhloradane, DDT, Mirex, and Toxaphene? As residents who live in Dow's toxic soup, we really don't care which organization makes Dow accountable so long as it happens soon. We appreciate the efforts of most of the MDEQ's staff, they are dedicated professionals who are being prevented from doing their job by backroom politics and are fighting with both hands tied behind their back. Anything the EPA can do to move this process along is a good thing. Click the link above for all the details

07/11/07 READ THIS - Unbelievable, shocking, it isn't just dioxin anymore!!

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:57:22 -0400

Speechless..... A EPA document recently obtained by the Lone Tree Council exposes the TRUE state of the Tittabawassee River and Dows attempts to repeatedly delay addressing the problems. It's not just dioxin any more folks. It seems we are a true silicon valley now thanks to Dow Corning. Silicon has been found in every soil sample taken. Not to mention another 29+ dangerous chemicals including Octachlorostyrene , Hexachlorobenzene, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Fhloradane, DDT, Mirex, and Toxaphene. But lets not forget about the unprecedented levels of dioxin. The document offers valid scientific references which counter almost every lie Dow has purported as "Sound Science" over the last 5 years. The contents are mind blowing and the implications staggering. This is a must read for everyone, please download it, print it and pass around (it's 44 pages but everyone of them contains important myth busting facts). Politicians should pay close attention, the cats out of the bag. Click the link above for all the details

06/09/07 Blah ba blah ba blah

Sun, 8 Jul 2007 11:16:25 -0400

The Dow puppet masters and their U of M traveling road show made another appearance in town this week promoting their "Trust us, we're the experts" campaign. The sparsely attended event audience was composed of about 30 people consisting of Dow/U of M staff , a few local newspaper reporters, and a handful of Dow supporters. Noticeably absent where the estimated 2000 other property owners who live along the Tittabawassee River who recognized this event for what it was, a snake oil pitch. The theme consisted of rehashing and manipulating statistics to down play the extensive contamination of the properties and bodies of floodplain residents. The $15,000,000 provided by Dow to the U of M for this "study" evidently came with a condition that the troops return periodically to convince themselves and the media that contrary to the beliefs in the rest of the world, dioxin contamination is something we should just accept. The Media has latched on to the Dow mantra that residents only have a "small" increase of dioxin in their bodies above those of a "control" group in another part of the state (and it's levels are higher than those found in many areas in the rest of the nation). What they fail to mention is that reputable scientist have established that current levels of dioxin in the environment are associated with body burdens in the general population which are at or near the point where effects may be occuring. The key phrase here is "general population", i.e. the average citizen living in non-contaminated areas. Tittabawassee flood plain residents live in HIGHLY CONTAMINATED areas. A case in point. The primary statistic being repeated by the press is the median value associated with the one person of the 945 who participated that had a dioxin level 28% higher than the "control" group in Jackson. The median is the one value which happens to be in the exact middle of all the results. In other words, 50% of those tested had levels HIGHER than 28% statistic mentioned by the press. That's 465 people with levels higher than the 28% increase reported. Dow and the U of M are intentionally creating an atmosphere of complacency. I would be very concerned if I where Joe "median" or any of the other 465 citizens with an increase of "only 28%" or more of the most deadly toxin know to man. Especially when Dr. Birnbaum of the EPA says they are observing adverse health effects on humans at "background" levels. The data used to generate the U of M statistics are not available to the public. Dow understands this and recognizes that statistics are a wonderful tool which can be used to present or skew data in ways that boggle the mind. You will never see them provide the raw data (which can easily be done to preserve the privacy of individuals) to other researchers for non-biased analysis. Click the link above for all the details

06/29/07 Dow has another go at the "Facility" label

Sun, 8 Jul 2007 11:09:14 -0400

Confirmed. The Saginaw Chamber of Commerce is coordinating a new attack on the Dow "Facility" label assigned to all the residential properties contaminated by their dioxin, see 6/22/07 Current News entry below. Yesterdays article in the Saginaw News spells it out in black and white. Click the link above for all the details

06/27/07 EPA: Dow Chemical must clean up Tittabawassee Hot Spots Immediately

Sun, 8 Jul 2007 11:05:24 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 07-OPA110 CHICAGO (June 27, 2007) -U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 today notified Dow Chemical Co. that it must immediately start cleanup of three dioxin-contaminated hot spots downstream of its Midland, Mich., facility on the Tittabawassee River. The action is being taken using the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 and requires that Dow and EPA negotiate the final terms of three administrative consent orders for the cleanup within 15 days and start field work by August 15. EPA has documented that dioxin contamination in soil poses risks to human health and the environment. Cleanup must take place in a significant portion of the Upper Tittabawassee River this construction season. In late November 2006, Dow identified dioxin hot spots along the first six miles of the Tittabawassee River contaminated with levels up to 87,000 parts per trillion, far in excess of state and federal requirements. The areas of concern are subject to flooding and erosion that could spread the contamination. Click the link above for all the details

06/22/07 Township eyes funds to increase residents dioxin exposure

Sun, 8 Jul 2007 11:11:30 -0400

A recent article in the Saginaw News indicates at least one Saginaw Township official is excited about the possibility of creating additional avenues of dioxin exposure for the areas residents. "Saginaw Township Supervisor Tim Braun envisions a network of pedestrian paths ... Hopefully we can come up with a project that would benefit all the communities along the Tittabawassee River ...". ...Additional river sediment testing in 2007 found levels as high as 100,000 ppt. Where will Mr. Braun's future pedestrian paths be located and how can he insure the nearby banks and soil are not contaminated? If they are "clean" this year, what about next year? Will his proposal include proper fencing to keep kids from climbing down on to the river banks? Currently, the river banks are difficult to reach in most areas, until Dow cleans the river and it's floodplain soils, do not encourage further exposure. Click the link above for all the details

04/01/07 Tittabawassee River Residents Concerns

Thu, 5 Apr 2007 07:17:45 -0400

Delta college students produced a video in 2004 covering Dows dioxin contamination of the Tittabawassee River and flood plain. Included are segments of a TRW Meeting in which residents express concerns about the dioxin contamination of their homes and properties as well as ways to avoid contamination from the flood plan. Terry Miller of the Lone Tree Council is featured and includes his commentary on the source of the contamination and Dow's attempt to avoid responsibility for it. Posted on YouTube in November 2006. Click the link above for all the details

03/31/07 U of M dioxin study on the road again

Thu, 5 Apr 2007 07:15:57 -0400

According to a Midland Daily News report, The U of M is about to release new statistical manipulations of their data. Some consider this just another payment to Dow for the 15 million they spent on their dioxin exposure study. IF they follow past practices, statistics will be used to diverted attention from the real fact that 50% (472) of the people tested had levels higher than the studies median (which is 28% higher than those in the rest of the nation). Click the link above for all the details

12/09/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:51:07 -0400

Topics: Senate OKs controversial 'facility' bill; Granholm not likely to sign homeowner bill; Great Lakes' healing mechanisms under attack, scientists say; Chamber of Commerce; Click the link above for all the details

12/08/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:48:50 -0400

Topics: HB 4617 Passes both the Senate and the House ; Thanks to Senator Goschka the taxpayers get to pick up some of Dow Chemical's costs.; Report: Don't kid yourself - toxins persist in the Great Lakes; Click the link above for all the details

Class Action Suit Gets a Day in Court?

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 07:13:44 -0400

The Midland Daily News reports the Michigan Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments for the Dow Class-Action certification on May 7, 2007. Our comments: I think the different branches of government in Michigan have lost touch with what truth and justice is for "the people", from past actions and decisions that have been made. Therefore, I have no expectation one way or the other on what might happen. But it is good to know that we finally do have an argument date that has been in the Court of appeals for a year and a half, holding our case in limbo. No matter the outcome of Dow's appeal for class certification, we look forward to moving on to the merits of this case. Kathy Henry, TRW

Washington gets it, what's wrong with Michigan?

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 07:09:02 -0400

03/21/07 Washington State to dredge dioxin "Olympia, WA. Marine sediments, low oxygen levels, over 100 years of industry and other pollution, dioxins, and more - cleaning the southernmost tip of Puget Sound, Washington will be quite a feat. Dioxin levels in the lower Budd Inlet are too high to safely dredge excessive sediment. Shellfish harvesting is off limits in the area due to safety concerns. During the summer months oxygen sinks too low, dangerous to marine life. ...." Click here to read the article: toxic_water_toxic_soil_budd_inlet_and.html According to the articles author, Charlotte McNamara, "The dioxin contents are high enough that soil to be dredged has to be properly disposed of (on land, not deeper into the sound). The current study being done is to determine the actual dioxin content, so sure facts are not yet available. Sediment sampling in lower Budd Inlet last year revealed dioxin levels ranging from 0.1 ppt to 52.7 ppt. The dioxin limit set by state and federal agencies for disposing of marine sediments at a South Sound marine disposal site near Ketron and Anderson islands is 3.8 ppt. In Washington, the state toxic cleanup standard for dioxin found in residential soil is 6.67 ppt. " The federal Clean Water Act requires states to clean up water bodies that don't meet water quality standards. In Michigan, the state toxic cleanup standard for dioxin in residential soil (RDCC) is 90 ppt. The Tittabawassee River sediment has over 100,000 ppt dioxin, flood plain soil sampling reveals levels greater than 8,000 ppt in our parks and dioxin levels in wildlife and humans are elevated. State officials are still debating whether it is a problem. What's wrong with this picture?

03/12/07 Developing a Regional Environmental Enhancement Plan of Action for the Tittabawassee and Saginaw River Cooridors

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 11:40:51 -0400

In view of the Dow Chemical Company’s eventual decontamination of dioxin in Midland soils and in the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers and Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, may I suggest that the Counties of Midland, Saginaw and Bay and the State of Michigan collaborate in developing a regional environmental enhancement plan of action for the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw River corridors and the Saginaw Bay. ....

03/08/07 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Fri, 9 Mar 2007 07:24:25 -0500

Topics: Saginaw News Editorial gets it wrong! Editorial comments are opinion and everyone has one and is entitled to one but they are not entitled to their own facts. Editorial boards must deliver accurate information when sounding off atop their daily soapbox. Accuracy being a core editorial value ... so one would think. Last week’s editorial by the Saginaw News could not be more wrong in their opening editorial statement: ... ; Judge says Saginaw County attorney's not allowed to keep secrets Saginaw County attempted to keep confidential the depositions of Saginaw County’s Jim Koski and Jim Sygo of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Not sure what Saginaw County’s attorneys were trying to hide and nobody asked or if they did it was not reported in the stories. ... ; Delay Game During the Feb 8th 2007 DEQ/Dow meeting at Horizons, DEQ stated there were still a number of issues with Dow’s human health risk assessment one year later. Dow sat silent and said nothing. After three years it is inconceivable that Dow cannot submit a plan that adheres to EPA guidelines and policy. Delay game by design? Probably. No less than 20 Dow scientists or hired contractors are present for the DEQ/Dow town hall meetings ..yet collectively they cannot, in three years, come up with a risk assessment that follows EPA guidelines. Yeh, right! Click the link above for all the details

12/01/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:15:22 -0500

Topics: It's all about HB4617 because it's all about Dow Chemical; Where they stand: Representative John Molenaar, The City of Midland, Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, Michigan State Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Manufacturers Association, The Michigan Chemistry Council, Michigan Association of Realtors, Russ Harding: Mackinaw Center Midland MI, The Saginaw County Board of Commissioners, Senator Goschka; Dow Chemical Co. might have a say in deciding which properties it has polluted.; Click the link above for all the details

11/16/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:58:26 -0500

Topics: Representative Carl Williams' Newsletter; Bill would delay cleanup; HB 4617 S1 Let Dow decide what's best for you and your family?; Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Calls HB 4617 S1 THE POLLUTER RELIEF ACT; The DEQ is opposed to the Polluter Relief Act because it would:; Click the link above for all the details

11/07/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:55:05 -0500

Topics: DEQ Community Meeting this Wednesday November 9th 6:30 pm at Horizon's Conference Center ; Link to information on Natural Resource Damage Assessment ( NRD); Saginaw County Board of Commissioners Resolution Supporting HB 4617; International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health -This month's issue of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health has an entire issue devoted to "corporate corruption of science' with case studies illustrating the point-"Although occupational and environmental diseases are often viewed as isolated and unique failures of science, the government, or industry to protect the best interest of the public, they are in fact an outcome of a pervasive system of corporate priority setting, decision making, and influence. This system produces disease because political, economic, regulatory and ideological norms prioritize values of wealth and profit over human health and environmental well-being. Science is a key part of this system; there is a substantial tradition of manipulation of evidence, data, and analysis, ultimately designed to maintain favorable conditions for industry at both material and ideological levels. This issue offers examples of how corporations influence science, shows the effects that influence has on environmental and occupational health, and provides evidence of a systemic problem." Click the link above for all the details

11/03/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:52:43 -0500

Topics: Saginaw County Board of Commissioners; Homeowners Fairness Act moving through Senate; Things are moving wild and crazy on HB 4617. Senator Barcia, who was also a sponsor of this pathetic legislation; Click the link above for all the details

10/12/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:49:39 -0500

Topics: Zilwaukee Dredge Site ; Dow's mortality studies provide ample evidence that employee death rates from certain cancers are elevated, some being statistically significant.; Operators routinely downplayed perils; Under the guise of homeowner fairness our local state legislators, Goschka, Moolenaar and Kahn want to change Michigan's Part 201 law which defines the boundaries that the Dow Chemical ( or any company) is responsible to cleanup.; Decision on the Henry et al vs Dow; Click the link above for all the details

02/23/07 Former Dow supporter eats crow

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:55:44 -0500

Topics - Tittabawassee Dioxin .... "But even if it’s difficult to prove the correlation between my brother’s cancer and the chemical company on the river, once the thoughts start, they’re hard to stop. In my head, I find myself hearing the voices of those extremist environmentalists, and I start to think they might be right: Dow might not be such a good parent after all. Even worse, all those times that I supported my third parent, I was wrong, too. Eating crow is hard, but it’s something that we have to do. Midland residents just need to make sure that they don’t get that crow downriver from the plant." ; Click the link above for all the details

02/23/07 National Wildlife Federation and Lone Tree Council challenge DEQ in court

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:06:24 -0500

Topics -Two environmental groups have filed suit in Ingham County Circuit Court to overturn a state decision that dismissed environmentalists' concerns about the future discharge of polluted slurry water from a Saginaw River dredging disposal facility. The Lone Tree Council and the National Wildlife Federation contend the Department of Environmental Quality failed to set adequate water quality standards on toxic discharges from the site, the suit says. ; Click the link above for all the details

02/22/07 SLURRY PIT FIGHT CONTINUES IN LANSING COURT

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:29:03 -0500

Topics - National Wildlife Federation/Lone Tree Council Asks Ingham County Court to Review DEQ Decision - Environmental groups continue to challenge the Corps of Engineers’ plan to dump toxic pollutants into the Saginaw River. - The real issue is the rush by which the facility was sited, said Lone Tree Council’s chairman, Terry Miller. It should never have been placed near residences, in a floodplain, next to a State Game Area, in a wildfowl flyway, with no public construction plans, operation and management plan or water treatment. Now the State is closing ranks to defend its faulty process, and we are hopeful the courts will intervene on the public’s behalf. Click the link above for all the details

09/20/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:35:59 -0500

Topics: 2005 Spent talking about public involvement; Fish Advisories ; Zilwaukee Twp- Dioxin and the pending DMDF ; Zilwaukee Twp legal arguments ; Lone Tree Council and National Wildlife Federations Legal Arguments; Click the link above for all the details

08/19/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:32:02 -0500

Topics: Pensacola agrees to reduce cleanup level at `Mount Dioxin'; The Great Lakes: An endangered legacy; Legislators, DEQ spat over brochure; Town Hall Meetings Planned to Discuss Dioxin Response Efforts ( DEQ press release August 11 2005 ) ; Click the link above for all the details

07/25/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:03:53 -0500

Topics:Dr. Hector Galbraith- Tittabawassee River Watershed Ecological Risk Assessment; Click the link above for all the details

07/11/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:01:47 -0500

Topics:EPA - Fox River Presentation ; Michigan United Conservation Club (MUCC) unanimously pass resolution on the Tittabawassee River at their state wide convention; Recent Secret Studies by Dow High concentrations persist: Dow found the highest concentrations to date in the sediments of the Tittabawassee River near Center Rd in the summer of 2003-------- 19,000 ppt.; MDEQ presentations scheduled for this week ; House Bill 4617 passes the Michigan House; Click the link above for all the details

06/19/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 06:46:40 -0500

Topics: Dioxin in the Saginaw Bay Watershed series ; DOW DEQ Community Meetings and more of the same ; Click the link above for all the details

06/03/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 06:44:29 -0500

Topics: Dow dioxin tests upset state; It was called a public hearing, but opportunity for comment on State Rep. John Moolenaar's proposed "Homeowner Fairness Act" was granted only to supporters. ; Fish Advisory -Soil Advisory- Game Consumption Advisory signs are on the way along the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers; Click the link above for all the details

05/25/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:49:25 -0500

Topics:"VIABLE SOULUTIONS FOR OUR RIVERS"- The second event in our Community Speakers Series "DIOXIN IN THE SAGINAW BAY WATERSHED" Lone Tree Council is delighted to host a public presentation by Mr. James Hahnenberg, Project Manager for the Fox River and Green Bay PCB cleanup. ; Click the link above for all the details

05/18/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:47:49 -0500

Topics:Last week The National Wildlife Federation ( www.nwf.org) and Lone Tree Council filed a contested case before an administrative law judge in Lansing challenging the DEQ issuance of a water discharge permit for the dredge disposal facility in Zilwaukee Twp. These dredged sediments from the Saginaw River are highly contaminated with Dow's dioxin as well as mercury and PCB's. It is our position that the permit issued (401) by DEQ is in violation of the CWA because it will permit unlimited discharge of highly contaminated water off of this site back into the Saginaw River and Bay of Lake Huron. Lone Tree Council and NWF support the navigational dredging of the Saginaw River but it is imperative for long term environmental and economic benefit that it be done correctly. ; Click the link above for all the details

05/08/05 LTC and TRW Dioxin Update

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 06:44:15 -0500

Topics:DOW-DEQ FRAMEWORK;Dow must submit SOWs to do a remedial investigation of areas along the river and floodplain.; What happens if the SOWs are not approved?; Dow and the City of Midland favor, without scientific basis, a 1,000 ppt action level because to date there are no numbers in Midland that exceed this level. The 1,000 ppt is based on 20 year old science (as stated by DEQ Director Steven Chester May 2004). Dow operating license says IRAs can be required at any time.; The Framework makes further sampling much more difficult and could indefinitely delay actual implementation of the remedial investigation and final remediation. ; The use of the UMDES contradicts public statements by the DEQ that it is irrelevant to cleanup.; The studies DEQ and Dow have done on wildlife and ecology show that dioxin is accumulating in animals.; Of course why DEQ agreed to change course so abruptly will never be known because we the public, the owners of these resources, were not permitted to sit at the decision making table. In addition the meetings are not subject to scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act or the Open Meetings Act. ; Click the link above for all the details