retired engineer speaks against the Marshall Megasite - part 2 - environmental impact ~Regist Klinger

Marshall Mega-site Part 2

*The Mega-site will be subject to Marshall City’s zoning laws and ordinances and local and state environmental laws. That is good initially, but over time industry and regulatory vigilance wanes, or new owners come, and ordinances and environmental regulations are ignored, or are not met, and spills occur.
The Mega-site would be subject to the City’s zoning laws and ordinances as well as local and state environmental laws. That is well and good, but we know that as time goes on, plant owners relax their vigilance on environmental matters, or new owners don’t care as much. The chances of a spill or air emissions increases. These environmental concerns are magnified by the Mega-site’s location close to the north bank of the Kalamazoo River and being southwest (SW) of the City of Marshall. The closeness to the river increases the chances of spills into the river directly or through groundwater. The location SW of the City of Marshall increases the chance of odors and released air emissions drifting over the City because of the prevailing winds. Examples of recent and past environmental problems from large industrial plants are:

• Graphic Packaging in Kalamazoo – odors, spills into the Kalamazoo River
• Wolverine Worldwide near Grand Rapids – multiple dump sites with PFAS’s into groundwater
• Gelman Scientific Ann Arbor – Spillage into groundwater under Ann Arbor
• Tribar Plating near Ann Arbor – spillage into Huron River
• Dow Chemical Midland – multiple dump sites with groundwater contamination
• Velosical Alma Area – groundwater and river spillage
• Lockhart Chemical Flint – spillage into Flint River

Some of these environmental problems have occurred in the last two years. Some started decades ago and are continuing pollution problems. Google any of these and educate yourself.
* There is no guarantee that a plant will be built at the Marshall Mega-site. What if that happens and the road and utility improvements don’t serve anything? There is a lot of competition for Mega-sites and Mega-plants in Michigan and other states.

If Michigan needs shovel ready Mega-sites, why not locate them in industrial parks like Fort Custer, or on brownfield sites in Battle Creek or Albion, close to interstates and rail lines? The ideal site would be one that cleans up a brownfield site and brings an industrial plant to a region that needs and wants that kind of growth.

For Marshall? Let’s Think Marshall! Be smart about the direction of economic growth we want for Marshall and the surrounding Area. Growth that can be controlled to minimize effects on the environment. Growth that preserves farmland and our rivers as much as possible. Growth that preserves the character and lifestyle of Marshall. There
will be more public hearings to approve site plans and engineering plans if a plant(s) does plan to locate at the Mega-site. We need to use these opportunities to express the kind of plant site we want to see. We need to make sure our community leaders take every possible action to mitigate the effects of a mega-plant on the surrounding neighbors
and the Marshall area. MAEDA should hold more public question and answer meetings to share more details on how the Mega-site will be developed and listen to citizen input.

Please take these opportunities to inform our representatives on what growth we want. If you want the keep the Marshall Mega-site from becoming a reality and keep Marshall development under control, go to http://www.michiganmegasite.com Sign the petition and contact the Save Marshall group to help.

Summary​

*The Mega-site will be subject to Marshall City’s zoning laws and ordinances and local and state environmental laws. That is good initially, but over time industry and regulatory vigilance wanes, or new owners come, and ordinances and environmental regulations are ignored, or are not met, and spills occur.

* Mega-site is too large. Smaller sites at existing industrial parks or brownfield sites could be developed instead. There needs to be a change in how economic planning is done to include quality of life and minimizing resource use.

* There is no guarantee that a plant will be built at the Marshall Mega-site. What if that happens and the road and utility improvements don’t serve anything? There is a lot of competition for Mega-sites and Mega-plants in Michigan and other states.

Regis Klingler
Marshall Resident