September 13, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Manny Gonzales, ELPC; (312) 795-3706, [email protected]
While Step In Right Direction, Deal Does Not Go Far Enough to Protect Lake Michigan
CHICAGO – Today, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a revised consent decree to limit the S.S. Badger’s toxic coal ash dumping in Lake Michigan. The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) believes the revisions improve the agreement, but plans to intervene in the Federal District Court proceedings to ensure that the S.S. Badger’s coal ash pollution in Lake Michigan will stop and receive no further extensions beyond 2014.
“These improvements are steps in the right direction, but it’s time to require a complete end to the S.S. Badger’s dumping of toxic coal ash pollution in Lake Michigan,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the ELPC. “We appreciate that ELPC’s and our colleagues’ comments have been taken into account, but the federal court should make clear that no further extensions be allowed beyond 2014 for S.S. Badger’s toxic coal ash dumping into the lake. Enough is enough. Let’s protect our Great Lakes.”
The S.S. Badger is the last coal-fired steamship operating on the Great Lakes. It has been dumping more than 500 tons of coal ash annually into Lake Michigan.
ELPC and a coalition of environmental and conservation groups filed joint comments on April 26, asking the Department of Justice and EPA to strengthen the proposed consent decree to stop the S.S. Badger from continuing the dumping of toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan.
“Our Great Lakes should not be a dump site for toxic coal ash pollution.” Learner said. “It’s time for the S.S. Badger to fully clean up its operations or discontinue them all together.”
For more information, go to ProtectOurLakes.org
Download a PDF of the revised SS Badger Consent Decree