Michigan’s Attorney General says terms of a new consent judgment have been reached between the state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and Gelman Sciences. The agreement is about how to move ahead with remediation of Gelman’s 1,4, toxic dioxane plume. But a local activist group is questioning the plan.
In her statement, the Attorney General said the proposed consent agreement will require Gelman to comply with significantly lower and more protective cleanup criteria for 1,4 dioxane.
But Roger Rayle, chair of the Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane, says his initial read of the agreement leaves him with the same question as past agreements.
“Seems like a lot like the same old same old from prior consent judgements that there is really not a lot of enforcement and concern about the dioxane spreading.”
Meanwhile, the consent judgment worked out between Gelman and the state must now go to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court for approval.
Additional info: Among other things, the new agreement would lower the state’s standard threshold for acceptable levels of dioxane. It would also require Gelman to address well extraction and monitoring, investigate groundwater migration, provide bottled drinking water in some circumstances and develop plans to extend municipal water in some instances.
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