Michigan Waste Energy and Detroit Renewable Power to re-engineer waste-to-energy facility and pay fines for odor violations.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Dan Wyant have announced the state has secured a civil settlement with two Delaware, Michigan-based companies to end what are described as “chronic odors” from the nation's largest municipal mass burn waste-to-energy (WTE) plant, located in Detroit.
“I am confident Detroit has a better, brighter future ahead as we continue to see economic improvement in the Motor City,” says Schuette. “Investing in Detroit is important, but we must also prioritize the quality of life of Detroit families and business owners.”
“The DEQ appreciates the work of the Attorney General to bring this case to a successful conclusion for the residents of Detroit,” says Wyant. “The Snyder Administration has demonstrated its strong commitment to supporting Michigan’s economic recovery. At the same time, we also have demonstrated our commitment to enforcing environmental laws and protecting Michigan communities.”
The two companies, Michigan Waste Energy Inc. and Detroit Renewable Power LLC, assumed operations of the facility in late 2010. Each summer since 2010, nearby Detroit residents have complained of severe odors emanating from the facility, starting with 16 complaints in 2009 and growing to more than 170 complaints in 2014. Field investigations conducted by DEQ verified chronic “strong sour garbage odors” from the facility powerful enough to warrant violations of air pollution control laws, specifically Rule 901 of the Michigan Air Pollution Control Rules. The facility also supplies steam power to heat and cool many downtown Detroit commercial buildings.
The civil settlement filed Oct. 21, 2014, by Schuette in Ingham County Circuit Court includes the following terms:
- The companies will re-engineer the facility within two years with a new air ducting system, recirculating foul-smelling air into the waste-to-energy process. The companies will be charged monetary penalties of up to $5,000 for each day the companies do not implement the measures to control the nuisance odors and additional penalties if they fail to comply with this schedule – fines of up to $5,000 per day for future violations of Michigan Air Pollution Control law.
- The companies will pay a $350,000 fine for past odor violations which will go into the State General Fund.
