Michigan Senator Seeks Federal Support

Lynn Schenkman

Lansing, Mich. -- Sen. Debbie Stabenow has told news sources 92,000 Michigan citizens have signed a petition urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to uphold a bilateral agreement with Canada that could block incoming waste from Ontario. Under a 1986 agreement, the U.S. has the right to be notified of and to refuse shipments of solid and hazardous waste before they cross the U.S.-Canada border. Stabenow says she will try to meet with the new EPA administrator, Mike Leavitt, to solicit his support in banning imported Canadian waste in the United States. When Toronto’s primary landfill closed in December, the city’s waste started filtering into Michigan.