October 28, 2005

The Department of Environmental Quality and The Dow Chemical Company are hosting the first quarterly Community Meeting on addressing the challenges related to the mid-Michigan dioxin and furan situation. The meeting is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, November 9, 2005, at the Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State Street, Saginaw.

This Community Meeting is an outcome of the modified “Ongoing Community Involvement Process” that was developed following the series of convening and town hall meetings held in the tri-cities area earlier this year. Representatives from the DEQ, Dow, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be available to provide status updates on work being done in these areas, discuss ongoing public involvement activities, and take questions from the public.

The meeting will run from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., and staff from the DEQ and Dow will be available one-half hour before and after the meeting for individual discussion with the public. The agenda and supporting materials for the meeting are available at http://www.michigan.gov/deqdioxin, then click on the "DEQ/Dow Community Involvement" Quick Link. A copy of the agenda for the meeting will also appear in display advertisements in the October 30 and November 6 (Sunday), editions of local newspapers.

The meeting will be run by a professional facilitator, who will be responsible to ensure that the meeting runs according to the agenda and that attendees are provided an equal opportunity to participate.

In 2006, quarterly Community Meetings are scheduled to be held on February 9, May 10, August 9, and November 8. The goals of these meetings are to help keep the community informed about recent corrective action investigation and response activities, increase the number of people participating, improve decisions, and build trust among participants.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised October 28, 2005 by Pat Watson