• OHNWAltR ECOLOGY

e Council CENTER
Bay City, Michigan 48706
for environmental justice
)

y 18, 2008
SIERRA
CLUB
'OUNDfD ,.,1
•
~£!!.2~ III
for Open GOvernment and Cleanup of the Saqinaw.Bay Watershed

und:
Bay watershed's 8,700 acres and 240 miles of shoreline make it Michigan's
watershed. The resource provides 27 million gallons of water daily for 1.4
residents, and one million people visit its state parks every year. Tens of
s of dollars are contributed from recreational fishing, and commercial
es contribute another $5 million to the region annually. Viable fishing and
ional opportunities and the health of Lake Huron are critically linked to the
of the Saginaw Bay watershed.

been five years since the discovery of 8,000 ppt of dioxin in the
wassee River -- 80 times the level considered safe by the State of Michigan.
hest level of dioxin ever measured in the environment was found in the
ed, along with other highly toxic chemicals. The contamination extends over 50
rom Dow Chemical Company's headquarters to the Saginaw Bay, defining one of
gest contamination sites in the country.

is widely acknowledged to be toxic to humans and wildlife even at levels as

a few parts per trillion. Both people and wildlife in the region have elevated
of dioxin in their bodies. The contamination has led to extremely conservative
ption advisories for both fish and wild game.

legally obligated under both federal RCRA and CERCLA statutes, and under state
clean up the contamination. The state and federal governments are legally
ed to require Dow to clean up. The timeline, and the adequacy of that cleanup
be determined, as the law suggests, through an open, transparent and pUblic
.

eve:
eve it is the duty of elected state lawmakers, our congressional
ntatives, our United States Senators, and the Governor of the State of
n to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Our economy, our public health, and
ure depend on them exercising this solemn obligation.

eve the goal of a comprehensive cleanup must be to restore the full economic
ment potential of the region, to restore the health of the watershed and of
d web, and to reduce the level of dioxin in the bodies of residents,
larly the most highly exposed and the most vulnerable.

ersigned urge our elected representatives and regulatory agencies to hold the
mical Company accountable to the highest standards for cleanup, to be
rent and to engage all stakeholders in cleanup decisions as this proceeds, and
rce aggressive timelines for restoration.

ller
n Anne Woiwode, Director
e Council Sierra Club Michigan Chapter
ozniak, Diana Oleskevich CSJA
ve Director, .Justice Coordinator
n League of Conservation Voters Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet
Hebert St. Louis Province
d, MI
Pat Bradt
Heinonen, o.s.u. CATS (Residents on the Saginaw River)
ant, Corporate Social Responsibility Saginaw, MI
enue C, #lOE
10009 Bill Freese, Director
Huron Environmental Activist League (HEAL)
can Sisters ofHope, New York Alpena, MI
nvestment Program, U. S.
ofMercy, Regional Community of Kathy Henry
Michigan Tittabawassee River Watch
e Sisters ofTildonk-U.S. Province, New Tittabawassee Twp, MI

Mary Ellen Gondeck, CSJ

itucki Congregation of St. Joseph
for Alternatives to Chemical Office ofPeace and Justice
ination 975 E. Gardenia
MI Madison Heights, MI 48071
248-541-3094 (phone)
uchsbaum
l Executive Director David Holtz, Director
akes Natural Resource Center Clean Water Action
l Wildlife Federation Lansing, Michigan
bor, Michigan
Tracey Easthope
Alpern Environmental Health Policy Director
r of Social Research & Advocacy Ecology Center
Asset Management Corporation Ann Arbor, Michigan
antic Avenue
MA 02111
Chuck Caldart JD
llack, President National Environmental Law Center
n Environmental Council 44 Wmter St., Boston, MA 02108
MI