LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A bill introduced in Lansing is looking to stop more radioactive waste from being dumped in Michigan.

Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) introduced the Senate Bill 1052 which he says modernizes Michigan’s hazardous waste management system and strengthens environmental protections for communities. Sen. Camilleri’s district knows about this problem first hand, after residents appeared to be the last to know about radioactive material from New York being dumped in Wayne County’s Van Buren Township.

State Senator Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton).

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“The trust of residents in my district and in districts across our state has been repeatedly shaken when hazardous or radioactive waste is dumped and pumped into our densely populated communities,” said Sen. Camilleri. “We need a waste management system that prioritizes public health and environmental protection while respecting constitutional requirements.”

Among other things, the legislation focuses on five-year protections, including a moratorium planning period during which treatment and storage facilities would not be permitted to be built or expanded. In addition, it would permanently ban the creation of new hazardous and radioactive waste injection wells. It also protects taxpayers from footing the bill for cleanups.