Michigan Lawmakers Call on EPA to Complete PCB Cleanup in St. Clair Shores

Senators Levin and Stabenow, and Congressman Levin Write to Administrator of EPA Region 5 to urge cleanup of the remaining PCBs at their source

WASHINGTON, DC – Members of the Michigan Delegation today released a joint letter [PDF] to Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Tom Skinner urging the EPA to “take immediate action to remediate the additional PCB contamination that has been discovered in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.” The letter was signed by Senators Levin (D) and Stabenow (D), and Congressman Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak),

The Michigan lawmakers sent the letter to Administrator Skinner following a meeting in St. Clair Shores on October 20 in which Weston Solutions presented a feasibility study that laid out options to address the remaining PCB contamination. The feasibility study was commissioned by EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Attending the meeting were representatives of all three congressional offices, as well as local officials and representatives of EPA and MDEQ.

“The people of St. Clair Shores deserve the peace of mind of knowing that this contamination finally has been cleaned up properly,” Senator Levin said. “Now that we know where the majority of the PCBs are, we call on the EPA to get the job done quickly and thoroughly.”

“The toxic contamination in St. Clair Shores must be cleaned up as quickly as possible,” said Senator Stabenow. “The local residents have been waiting three years for action that will protect their health and the environment. I hope the EPA will work with us to make sure that this pollution is effectively and completely addressed.”

“EPA needs to return and finish the PCB cleanup it began three years ago,” said Congressman Levin. “The contamination must be dealt with at its source if we’re going to be rid of the problem once and for all.”

In their letter, Senators Levin and Stabenow and Congressman Levin write, “We strongly believe that the next step must be for EPA to complete its PCB cleanup effort and to mobilize a removal action that addresses the PCBs at their source as well as the re-contamination of the Ten Mile Drain system.” The letter notes that in 2002, EPA’s original investigation of the PCB problem concluded that the contamination was most likely due to a one-time illegal dumping of PCBs into the Ten Mile Drain system. That operating assumption has since turned out to be incorrect. Instead, PCBs continue to seep into the Ten Mile Drain from an area near the intersection of Harper and Bon Brae Streets.

NOTE: Please see attached joint letter [PDF].

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