Those who regularly read my newsletters and web postings know how strongly I feel about keeping our environment clean and safe. In December of 2018, I worked on a bipartisan bill that added sixty-nine million dollars for critical upgrades to road and water infrastructure and environmental cleanup to the Renew Michigan Fund. Now, two million of those dollars are coming to Ypsilanti Township to aid in the continuing cleanup of the old Forbes Drycleaners site and the surrounding area.
Toxins from that site have contaminated the ground immediately around the site and I have been working with the professionals in the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to ensure the area is properly cleaned up. The process is time consuming and costly, but I am committed to seeing this job through to the end.
A big thank you to Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo, as well as the members of the township board of trustees for their persistence in this effort. There are literally thousands of sites in need of remediation across Michigan. As the old saying goes, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” and without the constant urging of our township government, this cleanup effort may have been delayed indefinitely. Praise, too, to State Senator Jeff Irwin for his enthusiastic support of this project. He joined the effort without hesitation and his experience and influence has paid off immeasurably.
While this cleanup effort is still far from complete, I am comforted that the good people at EGLE are on the job. I know that our team of state and local officials won’t rest until the Forbes site and every other area of contamination in our district is safe, both now and for future generations.