(WWJ) An estimated $2 million has already been spent, and experts said the public could end up paying for the cleanup of the green ooze that seeped onto I-696 in Madsion Heights.
The House appropriations committee heard testimony today about the noxious ooze, in which people voiced concerns about what happened, how the clean-up will be funded -- and whether anyone except taxpayers will really have to pay a long term price.
Madison Heights City Manager Melissa Marsh said she appreciates the response of the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy, but says measures by the EPA are only temporary.
A long-term solution must be a complete remediation of the site, Marsh said -- including demolition of the Electro Plating Services site and the removal of the source of the contamination.
She added that should have happened more than two years ago.
The state is evaluating potential penalties against the owner of Electro Plating Services, the company that improperly stored and then leaked the dangerous ooze.
The reality, per Tracy Kecskemeti district coordinator in Southeast Michigan, is that when it comes time to pay the tab owner of the company will file for bankruptcy and walk away.
"They're under another LLC, they'll be shielded from liability and a lot o times the public pays for those clean ups, unfortunately."
Liesl Clark, the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, added she's both "disappointed and proud" about what happened on 696.
The pride comes from so many members of the team pitching in long hours for the clean-up. Disappointment stems from the fact it happened in the first place.
Clark said there should have been more red flags about Electro Plating Services.
Worse, Clark also says there are thousands of contaminated sites in Michigan, and even with a blank check for a budget there is no way to inspect all sites because there isn't enough qualified workers.
Gary Alfred Sayers, 70, was sent to a minimum security detention center in West Virginia in November on a charge of illegally storing hazardous materials, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He is scheduled to be released on Nov. 9.