Many neighbors and Ottawa County community members attended an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) July 23 hearing regarding Consumers Energy’s request for two new proposed deep injection wells on the Campbell Coal Plant property.
A majority of participants in the hearing expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of the proposed injection wells on the environment and residents’ health and urged the EPA not to grant the permits to Consumers Energy.
In early April, the EPA published a notice that they had received Consumers Energy’s permit application and they were ready to approve it, but they were opening up a docket for any public comments.
In less than three weeks there were 194 comments submitted with 95% of the comments expressing signifcant concerns for a permanent underground industrial waste site in their community and adjacent to Lake Michigan. In response to the high level of interest, the EPA set up the July 23 hearing.
The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter provided comments pointing out that the materials being injected are not considered non-hazardous as requested in the permit application. Among wastes to be disposed of in these wells, the permit identified mercury, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, boron, chloride and bromide, all known to cause severe health and environmental problems. There is a need for a safer coal waste disposal method to remove dry coal waste from the J.H. Campbell plant property instead of shooting them down deep in injection wells in the rocks adjacent to Lake Michigan. It was also noted that there was a 2.9 magnitude earthquake on July 8 under Lake Michigan, adding to concerns about this proposed disposal method. Additional environmental concerns were also provided in comments submitted by the Sierra Club.
The community and the Sierra Club are now waiting to see how this permit will be handled by the Environmental Protection Agency. Find out more about the issues around the J.H. Campbell plant by contacting Jan at jan.oconnell@sierraclub.org.