Protest held outside of Romulus waste facility amid transportation concerns
(CBS DETROIT) - Community members are demanding answers following Friday nights news of toxic waste being transported to the state of Michigan from the East Palestine Ohio trail derailment. A protest took place outside of one the toxic waste processing facilities involved on Sunday.
"This is not a partisan issue. This is about our very lives," says newly selected Michigan GOP Chair Kristina Karamo. She spoke with state representatives to protestors on the front lawn of the Republic Industrial and Energy Solutions Facility in Romulus.
The site, along with the US Ecology Hazardous Waste Landfill in Belleville are two sites in Michigan where toxic waste was being shipped from the train derailment site.
The EPA, putting a halt to any movement for now but many county officials and community leaders were left in the dark about its delivery.
About 50 people showed up to the "Call to Action Hazard" protest with many of them sharing their concerns not just about the environmental issues, but also with the lack of communication with county officials and the public.
"We know that we have all kinds of toxic chemicals sitting right behind us that somebody is waiting to make a decision on," said Republican State Representative Jamie Thompson.
On Friday, the EPA halted further transportation of toxic waste including soil and water. The agency gave little to no answers as to why the waste was being transported into Michigan, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, state and county, say they too are looking for answers.
"It's here, and we haven't been informed of the volume, we haven't been informed of how it actually got here. Did it come by truck?Did it come by train?", said Wayne County Executive Warren Evans in a press conference Friday night.
"How is it being processed? What safety measures are in place to ensure that our water and air don't get contaminated?" Karamo said Sunday at the protest.