The evidentiary hearing date for a Preliminary Injunction prohibiting Wayne Disposal, Inc. from accepting World War II-era radioactive waste at its Hazardous Waste Landfill, located in Van Buren Township, has been rescheduled from its original September 26 date to Wednesday, October 9 at 9 a.m. As previously reported, Canton Township, Van Buren Township, the City of Romulus, and the City of Belleville were awarded a Temporary Restraining Order earlier this month, stopping Wayne Disposal, Inc. from accepting any shipments of radioactive waste, which will remain in place until the October 9 hearing.

The company is preparing to take 6,000 cubic yards of soil and concrete and 4,000 gallons of groundwater contaminated with elevated radiation from the Niagara Falls Storage Site in Lewiston, New York, which, from 1944 until 1952, served as a primary storage location for wastes and byproducts associated with uranium ore refining. The radioactive waste was created 80 years ago, and is a waste product from the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb.

"The day that the Free Press story broke on New York's radioactive waste being dumped in Michigan, we took immediate action," said Canton Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak. "Our team visited the site, surveyed the surrounding area and drafted a resolution in opposition to radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project being dumped at Wayne Disposal in Van Buren Township. Canton's Board of Trustees unanimously passed the resolution, and following the Town Hall Meeting with Debbie Dingell, Rashida Tlaib and Warren Evans, we met with Van Buren Township and an Attorney from Fausone & Grysko, which led to this lawsuit."

"Wayne Disposal is just three miles south of Canton, and located in the Huron River Watershed, close to our rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater. It sits next to two schools and residential neighborhoods immediately to the east and south. According to EGLE, the harmful chemicals PFAS have been detected at Wayne Disposal. And, according to the Detroit Free Press, this dump has a long history of violations, leaks and fires. Wayne Disposal has been cited for at least 15 violations by state and federal regulators in the past decade and fined more than $471,000."

Graham-Hudak continued, "Exposure to radioactive waste damages organs, causes birth defects and leads to cancer. In large doses, as with a radioactive spill or accident, it causes vomiting, skin burns, hair loss and even death. In other words, it will take just one leak or fire to cause permanent and irreversible injury to the health and welfare of Canton residents and the surrounding communities. We can and must do better."

"There are four other sites in the Nation permitted to accept this kind of radioactive waste, all situated in far less populated areas than metropolitan Detroit. New York can send their radioactive waste elsewhere - it doesn't have to be dumped in Michigan. In fact, according to the Army Core of Engineers, the primary reason New York wants to dump radioactive waste here is to save money. It's cheaper to dump it here than to drive it to Idaho or Utah. At least, it's cheaper on paper. But there's a column missing in their spreadsheet - people. The people of Canton, Van Buren, Belleville, Romulus and surrounding communities' matter in this equation. Our voices matter. Our health matters. Our lives matter. Our children's lives matter. And the lives of future generations matter. And we've got a clear message: heck no to radioactive waste at Wayne Disposal."

"Sending radioactive waste to a population center with millions of people and 20% of the world's fresh water to save a few thousand dollars lacks common sense," said Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara.

The Conference of Western Wayne (CWW), comprised of 18 member communities representing over 730,000 residents, passed a resolution in opposition to the proposed plan. Several other communities are preparing resolutions in opposition to this plan as well. The CWW is now asking other member communities to follow Canton and Van Buren's lead in filing injunctions against the disposal.