FeedsOne more reason to keep waste wells closed
Sometimes, elected officials and newspapers share common thoughts.
That was the case Tuesday morning, when we called Mayor Alan Lambert to get his opinion on how the corruption probe of Detroit Councilwoman Monica Conyers may have filtered out to the waste injection wells in Romulus.
Coincidentally, the mayor had just finished crafting a letter with a headline similar to what we were pondering here:
“Appearance of corruption adds to reasons why dangerous waste wells must remain shut for good.”
Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shouldn’t need another reason to reject the new permits requested by Dimitrios Papas that would re-open the wells-which were closed down after six months of operation because of leaks and other safety hazards.
If they do need another reason, however, this is the perfect one. Even the appearance of impropriety dictates that they should err on the side of caution and not give the public any reason to suspect that alleged back-door deals could jeopardize their safety.
Then again, we’re surprised that the issue got this far in the first place. We thought the agency had all the proof they needed when the wells were shut down to begin with.
These injection wells are something that the community has fought for decades. They are bad for the environment, bad for the community, bad for development-the list goes on.
This is further evidence that they need to stay closed, permanently.
To officials in Romulus who were just as surprised-and, most likely, saddened as we were about these allegations, we offer kudos for responding so quickly to gain additional leverage in their fight against the wells.
As to the letter, we also give you a hearty: ‘Well said.’
