CRAFT Online Action at FERMI 2 Public Permit Hearing

Last month was the commenting period for public opinion on renewing the wastewater permit for Fermi 2., Monroe County’s DTE nuclear energy plant. This commenting period was one fight in the ongoing battle lead by MWEJN partner organization Citizens’ Resistance at Fermi 2 (CRAFT) to stop the operation of the nuclear reactor. As CRAFT community organizer Jesse Deer-In-Water explained in a Detroit Metro Times article last month, the daily operations of the nuclear energy plant pose serious environmental hazards to Monroe County community members, and also threaten the health of nearby Lake Erie. Right now, the renewal of the Fermi 2 permit would allow operations at the power plant to continue unchanged, threatening a repeat of the 1993 Fermi 2 spill when 1.5 million gallons of untreated radioactive water was dumped into Lake Erie because of a damaged turbine. CRAFT and other environmental groups in Michigan are now campaigning for the power plant to be shut down and replaced with sustainable energy.

The permit’s issuer, Michigan Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), is hosting a public hearing online to solicit feedback from residents on the new permit. CRAFT has urged supporters to show up to the online hearing on Tuesday, November 28th at 6:00pmEST to voice their opposition to reissuing the permit as part of their Say No to Permit to Pollute campaign. For more information on the effects of the nuclear power plant’s operations, and to learn more about the renewal of the permit, CRAFT is also hosting a Zoom-In this Monday, November 20th at 6:00pmEST. Read the latest updates on the fight in their November newsletter, and join them on November 20th and 28th to voice your support!