Governor Jennifer M. Granholm is calling on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stringently enforce the amount of Canadian trash being imported into Michigan. Granholm made the case in a letter sent today to EPA Administrator Christine T. Whitman.

“We are aggressively addressing homeland security issues for Michigan at all levels, and that includes protecting our environment from hazardous materials,” Granholm said. “Michigan has long been the dumping ground for waste from Canada and other states. This has remained an ongoing problem without any improvement, and that needs to change. The EPA needs to step up and do its job. ”

In the letter, Granholm requests that Whitman urge the EPA to enforce the protections for American communities outlined in the 1986 Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada Concerning the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste.

In 1992, the agreement was amended to include municipal solid waste, which requires that a party wishing to export waste may do so only pursuant to the terms of the agreement. Granholm explained that the agreement requires Canada to notify the EPA of a proposed shipment of waste before it is shipped and gives the EPA 30 days to respond to the exporter’s notification.

Granholm noted that, as Attorney General, she sent a letter to the EPA on April 4, 2002, asking that she be notified of any Canadian proposals sent to them concerning waste being exported into Michigan before its exportation. There is no record of Granholm having received a response from the EPA regarding that request.

Granholm suggested that while the members of Michigan’s Congressional Delegation, including Congressman John D. Dingell, Senator Carl Levin, and Senator Debbie Stabenow, work to pass legislation regarding Canadian trash, the EPA should ensure that Canada is honoring the legally binding treaty.