To: Detroit Workers' Voice mailing list
September 18, 2015
RE: Help organize the demo against dumping fracking waste in Detroit
Detroit Workers’ Voice supports progressive demonstrations and actions organized by other groups and political trends as well as our own activities. Fracking is not only a dangerous procedure, but it prolongs the use of fossil fuels that are destroying the climate. The fracking process involves chemicals that pollute the ground, breaks up geological formations creating instability leading to earthquakes, and involves the leak of natural gas into the atmosphere. Natural gas is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so even the leak of very small amounts of natural gas in pipelines and fracking installations make a mockery of the claim that natural gas is a green “transition” fuel.
Fracking gives rise to a large amount of toxic waste. As part of environmental racism, processing facilities are placed in areas with minorities or poor people.
Below is a call by a volunteer from the campaign to ban fracking in Michigan for a demonstration against the expansion of the waste processing facility and dump in Detroit run by the firm “US Ecology”. She says that all interested people are invited to come. The demonstration is to be on Saturday October 3, and the planning meeting is this Sunday, [Sept. 20 - since we are now past the date of the planning meeting, some of the material from the original DWV list item is now outdated and has been deleted.]
[The demo itself will be on Saturday, October 3rd at 10 am, at US Ecology, 6520 Georgia Street, Detroit, 48211.
It has been timed so that after the demo people can go to the Detroit
March for Justice starting at noon, at Roosevelt Park, Vernor Hwy,
Detroit.]
Sent: Thu, 17 Sep 2015
Subject: Fwd: Protest at US Ecology - October 3
Hi all,
I'm writing to ask volunteers for the campaign to ban fracking and frack waste in Michigan and allies for your support for a protest against Detroit's US Ecology Waste Facilities. Last weekend we learned that they have requested a 10 X fold increase in the size of their facility to process and store hazardous waste, including radioactive frack waste in the middle of Detroit. (See draft of leaflet.)
Please support this protest and spread the word. We are organizing a planning meeting [on Sunday, September 20], one hour before the Detroiters for Bernie meeting at the same location.
In the two weeks leading up to the picket/protest, we could go into the surrounding neighborhood in Detroit and Hamtramck and knock on doors to inform residents about this request and mobilize them for the protest with the aim of stopping the 10 fold expansion of the facility, getting signatures and volunteers for the campaign to ban frack wastes permanently from Michigan.
I'm attaching a draft leaflet and a formal letter with our response which expresses some of our concerns about the proposed expansion of this waste facility and was filed with the DEQ within the time period allowed for public comment.
Let me know if you are interested to help organize this protest. ...
[BanMichiganFracking.org] <>
Link to video with Representative Rosemary Robinson: https:youtu.be/6ilh2b6eY5U
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/10/hazardous-waste-deq-toxic-chemicals/71950318/
[Background: concerns filed with the DEQ]
[Poster for the October 3rd demo]
[Finalized leaflet for the October 3rd demo]
U.S. Ecology (Waste Facility) has requested that it be allowed to expand their operations on Georgia Street by 10 X with their eye on huge amounts of frack waste being created around the country that could be brought into Detroit. And profit made. Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) stated that it plans to approve the request. This plan will endanger public health and the environment. Detroit is already carrying the toxic burden of the largest incinerator in the world and the 250 acre Marathon refinery, right within the borders of this major population center. And now U.S. Ecology wants to bring more hazardous and radioactive waste into the heart of Detroit. This is blatant environmental racism!
Gas prices may be down but that does not mean fracking and the storage and processing of frack waste are going away. Michigan has opened its arms to frack waste by allowing a higher level of radioactivity in the waste than other states in the Midwest will allow into their states. Frack waste is transported on trucks down our roads, into our cities and taken to facilities such as U.S. Ecology in Detroit, Van Buren Township and Kalkaska County for processing and storing.
The liquid residue from this process is then dumped into the Detroit wastewater treatment plant, according to David Crumrine, a U.S. Ecology Spokesman, as reported in the Detroit Free Press. This practice was halted in Pennsylvania four years ago because high levels of bromide were found in the liquid waste and when combined with chlorine produce cancer-causing chemicals in the water.
No to the expansion of U.S. Ecology in Detroit! Join the campaign to ban fracking and frack waste in Michigan. Collect signatures to get on the ballot in 2011 so the population in Michigan can vote for a ban. Only a ban will protect us! <>
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Posted on September 27, 2015
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