Fermi 2 Public Commenting Period Now Open

The public commenting period for the new permit for wastewater from Fermi 2, Monroe County’s DTE Energy nuclear plant, is now open until October 21st.  MWEJN network partner CRAFT (Citizens’ Resistance at Fermi Two) issued a call to action last month on their website.  

CRAFT community organizer Jesse Deer-In-Water says that 45 million gallons of wastewater from the nuclear facility are dumped into Swan Creek and Lake Erie every day. The wastewater is “not the same water that went in,” said Deer-In-Water in a recent Detroit Metro Times interview. “It’s become so overheated, and there’s extra chemicals and stuff that’s added to it, so that when it goes back out, the toxins dissolve or dissipate at a slow rate.”

The permit issuer for Fermi 2, Michigan Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), has stated that the permit renewal would not include any significant changes to the operating procedures at the site.  As it currently stands, this proposed permit places no restrictions on thermal pollution, and gives Fermi until 2028 to stop discharging PCBs into the water, even as they are currently illegal to discharge.  

 Follow coverage of the Fermi wastewater permit with CRAFT’s monthly newsletter, and read more about the current commenting period in recent news coverage in Detroit Metro Times.