Transparency, Communication, Trust: A PFAS Blunder In My Backyard
In northern Michigan, there’s a prevailing theme of N.I.M.B.Y. That sentiment of “not in my backyard” usually has to do with short-term rentals, cannabis, or the proposed new beer and wine festival; it might be good for the area, but it’s not good for us right here.
Well, regardless of your thoughts on those issues, there’s also an element of NIMBY when it comes to problems. Traverse City has a cultivated reputation as an Up North oasis, with a stunning downtown, beautiful views, world-class restaurants, wineries and breweries, and sort of resort-town vibe that harkens literally millions here each summer to visit. All of that is true, and valid, and worth celebrating. But there’s more to it.
Behind that veneer is a substantial homeless population, plenty of families living in poverty, a dire housing situation that a year of pandemic hardship has made even worse. Even our environment isn’t quite as pristine as we imagined, and it’s our fault.
Last year, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes Energy found elevated levels of PFAS in ground wells located just a short distance from the Cherry Capital Airport. The plume of “forever chemicals” has been traced to de-icing foams used on aircraft. The outrage, however, is that the EGLE unveiled that it had that information for eight months before informing homeowners of the results of their survey.
There’s no reason to inform residents that an investigation in PFAS is underway the second tests are undertaken. There’s no excuse to wait from when those results were returned in February to report the issues in October, a full eight months.
The issue is similar to a delay in 2017 that also involved EGLE near Grand Rapids and the Wolverine Worldwide PFAS contamination in that region. Same delay, same outrage, but this time, there’s hope that pressure from citizen activists and the state’s dedicated PFAS advisory board can change how investigations are communicated to affected communities.
We aren’t going to get anywhere in this fight unless we learn from our mistakes. The four years since the Wolverine communication failure should have been ample time to adjust the procedure and improve how agencies interact with the people they serve. The past year has shown just how vital trust is in the relationship between government and the governed, and shortcomings such as these weaken that trust in ways that reach far beyond a single issue.
