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EMAIL UPDATE Date: February 15, 2004 Contact: Senator Debbie Stabenow U.S. Senate Email: senator@stabenow.senate.gov Stopping Canadian Trash,
Protecting Our Borders – Progress Report With the
start of a new year . . . . . I want to
share with you a progress report of what we have accomplished in 2003 on
stopping Canadian trash and protecting our borders from the homeland security
risks these trash shipments present. The Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality recently reported that the volume of
waste from Canada has climbed 43 percent in 2003. This increase is on top of the 40% increase in trash from 2001
to 2002. This report is very disturbing and reaffirms my commitment to stop
this unprecedented flow of trash into our state. As you know,
Michigan citizens have said "enough is enough" -- we do not want to
be Canada's "trash can."
Although there is considerable work to be done, some progress has been
made this last year to both limit and screen Canadian trash crossing our
borders. Over 165,000 Michigan Citizens Sign Trash Petition
Your signature
has made the difference in raising this issue nationally. Residents from all
83 Michigan counties have signed the Online Petition to Stop Canadian Trash -
an unprecedented response. On October 1,
2003, I met with EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt and presented your petition
to him. He promised to examine the issue and pledged to keep in contact with
me about this issue. In December 2003, Administrator Leavitt sent a team from
the EPA to meet with Toronto city officials about the imports of their trash
into Michigan. I also
presented your petition to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge during a
recent tour of the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. I am pleased to tell you that the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) will conduct an investigation of Customs' screening of
Canadian trash trucks in 2004 to increase their effectiveness. Inspections at Border Stop Dangerous Trash Shipments
On April 16,
2003, the Senate passed a new law, which I authored, to require Customs to
inspect all municipal solid waste trucks that cross the Blue Water and
Ambassador Bridges and to require the installation of radiation inspection
equipment at these ports of entry.
Inspections began in May of 2003. As a result of
this equipment, the Blue Water Bridge port director reports that three to
four Canadian trash trucks per week are being turned back at the border for
containing dangerous radioactive materials such as medical waste. In
September 2003, a variety of smuggled substances were detected, including one
ton of illegal drugs valued at $9 million.
This was one of the largest drug busts in Michigan history. Importation of Canadian Yard Waste Threatens Michigan Trees
The Asian
long-horned beetle was discovered in Woodbridge, Ontario in September 2003,
and the affected areas were placed under quarantine. The beetle is extremely destructive to
hardwood trees, particularly maple, poplar and willow trees, and would
present a serious threat to Michigan trees if this beetle were imported into
our state. Despite the
fact that it is illegal to dump yard waste in Michigan landfills, a September
2003 report from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
found more than 25 percent of waste being imported from Ontario into Michigan
contained yard waste. This Canadian
waste contained the highest percentage of yard waste of all waste that comes
into Michigan. I authored an
amendment to the 2004 Appropriations bill that responds to this serious
threat. The law directs the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) at
the Department of Agriculture to comprehensively review and report whether
their procedures and regulations are adequate to prevent the spread of the
Asian long-horned beetle into Michigan by way of commercial vehicles,
including trash trucks. Continuing the Fight to Stop Canadian Trash
In addition to
these efforts to screen trash imports at our border and to rally support for
the enforcement of our waste treaty with Canada, I have introduced S. 383,
the Canadian Waste Import Ban, to place an immediate federal ban on the
importation of Canadian municipal solid waste until the EPA enforces the
United State's treaty with Canada - the Agreement Concerning the
Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste. The treaty
requires the EPA to obtain Michigan's approval before consenting to any
shipment of Canadian municipal solid waste.
The EPA must consider the impact of waste shipments on homeland
security, the environment, and public health. We have made
progress, but I will not stop fighting until these Canadian trash shipments
stop coming into Michigan. Thank you
for your continued dedication and support of this important issue. Sincerely, Debbie Stabenow United States
Senator END |
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