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CBS News
4 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Manhattan Project radioactive waste is not coming to Michigan, Wayne County officials say
Radioactive soil from New York that was expected to come to Metro Detroit has been blocked, Wayne County officials say. In a statement on July 23, County Executive Warren Evans says the waste will be shipped to another state, but did not say where exactly the shipment will go. "Wayne County was the original destination for that toxic material before Judge Kevin Cox of the Wayne County Circuit Court granted a temporary restraining order, which was sparked by strenuous community pushback," Evans said. "This pushback molded a collaborative effort involving citizens, communities and government entities that resulted in a successful lawsuit. Although I certainly do not envy the community that will receive this waste, it was my job to fight for the people of Wayne County and that's what I did to the best of my ability." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was managing the removal of low-level radioactive soil from Lewiston, New York, a legacy of the Manhattan Project, the secret government project to develop atomic bombs during World War II that was featured in the 2023 movie "Oppenheimer." In August 2024, it was announced that the waste was coming to Wayne County, prompting community members to file a lawsuit. A month later, Canton Township, Van Buren Township, Romulus and Belleville were awarded an injunction against Wayne Disposal for accepting the waste. At the time, elected officials, including two members of Congress, claimed that they were left in the dark about plans to bring the shipment of World War II-era radioactive soil to Michigan. It was not the first time waste was set to come to Michigan. In February 2023, officials halted a shipment of toxic waste that was set to come to Wayne County from East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailment. Evans said then that the county was unaware of any waste coming to the area. Note: The video above previously aired on Sept. 18, 2024.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Manhattan Project waste materials in Lewiston being moved to Texas
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Shipments of radioactive waste in Lewiston that is left over from the Manhattan Project are being sent to Texas, officials confirmed to WIVB News 4 on Tuesday. The materials are being trucked from Lewiston to Buffalo and then being taken by train to Andrews, Texas, near the New Mexico state line. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the transportation began last week. The radioactive waste has been at a 191-acre site off of Pletcher Road and contains roughly 6,000 cubic yards of soil along with around 4,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater. The area sits roughly a mile and a half east of Lewiston Porter Schools. Nuclear waste from Oppenheimer's Manhattan Project to be removed from WNY site According to News 4 Investigates reporting from 2024, the cost is projected at several hundred millions of dollars and could take more than a decade. Future phases include removing 250,000 cubic yards of waste and residue from the Interim Waste Containment Structure (IWCS), and underground vault. Prep work for removal of Manhattan Project-era radioactive waste begins in Lewiston The waste materials were supposed to be sent to Michigan, but a judge halted the shipments last year. The materials are left over from the top-secret World War II project to develop the world's first atomic bomb. The Niagara Falls Storage Site was used by the Manhattan Engineer District to store radioactive residues and wastes from uranium ore processing beginning in 1944, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Waste materials continued to be brought to the site until 1952. Initial cleanup began in 1986. Latest Local News Woman warns others to stay vigilant in viral video following incident on Niagara Falls bike path Former North Carolina superintendent named Buffalo Public Schools superintendent Manhattan Project waste materials in Lewiston being moved to Texas Bills bringing back red helmets for last regular season game at Highmark 2 suffer life-threatening injuries in Amherst crash Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Corps revises Pearl River flood study, sets new comment period
Heading into the Fourth of July weekend last Thursday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a revised study on potential flood controls for the part of the Pearl River that runs along Jackson. The Corps has narrowed its focus to two proposals, and only one of them would resemble the long-debated 'One Lake' plan. The latest step in an effort decades in the making, the 243-page document highlights an array of flood control measures such as building levees, lowering the river's banks, and elevating and floodproofing vulnerable structures. The public can view the study, submit comments and find information on upcoming public meetings through the Corps' website. The public comment period lasts until Aug. 18. In last week's study, which is a revision of a draft the Corps released last year, the agency wrote that 'Alternative E1' could be the 'National Economic Development plan,' or the option that most aligns with the Corps' cost-benefit criteria. Alternative E1 includes all the above mentioned measures, but notably omits building a dam that would essentially create a lake on the Pearl River. The idea to pool a section of the river into a lake has been a key component of proposals local officials have favored for years. From 2011 until last year, the Rankin-Hinds Flood Control District, the project's local government sponsor, pushed an idea coined as 'One Lake,' which would have widened the river for recreational use. While the Corps last year determined One Lake's cost wasn't justifiable, the agency instead pitched a dialed back version of the idea as the potential National Economic Development plan. The Corps in its new study said that plan, 'Alternative D1,' may have more potential for recreation than E1, but added that the two options have equal flood control benefit. The agency's final selection, it wrote, will likely come down to those two proposals. The costs of either would be considerably more than what the Corps considered last year: E1, the agency estimates, could cost between $708 million and $753 million, while D1 could cost between $873 million and $918 million. While the Corps pledged $221 million toward the project in 2022, the federal government is only responsible for 65% of costs, meaning the local flood control district, also called the levee board, would have to raise between $248 million and $321 million for the remaining balance through a combination of local taxes and state appropriations. Levee board attorney Keith Turner told Mississippi Today that either proposal would expand the district to include more homes. Turner said that for many homes, tax payments needed to fund either project would still be lower than what they pay for flood insurance now. Part of the higher costs comes from four levees, totaling about 6 miles, that the Corps includes in both D1 and E1: a levee that would protect 250 homes in the Canton Club neighborhood; a levee in northeast Jackson that would protect 415 homes, but would require the acquisition of two other homes; a levee that would protect 40 homes in south Jackson; and one that would protect 40, mostly industrial, structures in Richland. Both projects would also 'adversely affect' endangered or threatened species within the Pearl River's natural habitats, the study says, including three different types of turtles. D1, the Corps wrote, would impact a wider range of species, including the Gulf sturgeon, than E1. In a presentation to board members at a Monday meeting, Turner said he disagreed with 'a lot' of what's in the new study and that the board will submit a long list of comments to the Corps. For instance, he said the Corps greatly inflated its cost estimates with overly safe projections. Turner added the Corps didn't consider additional maintenance costs from maintaining the shortened river banks under E1, which would just be underwater under D1. The board last year gave its support to Alternative D (the same as D1 without the levees, which weren't included in last year's study), although Turner said their support doesn't necessarily impact what the Corps chooses. Turner said the current timeline would allow the Corps' final study to come out in November, and then a final decision to be made in December. That call would fall to the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, a currently vacant role. President Donald Trump earlier this year nominated Adam Telle for the position, leaving it up to the Senate to confirm the choice. Telle, Magnolia Tribune reported in May, has ties to the state, including having worked for former Sen. Thad Cochran, who once advocated for the project in his role in the Appropriations Committee. The Corps is preparing to hold a series of public meetings, including a virtual meeting on July 14, in-person meetings in Monticello on July 29; Slidell, Louisiana, on July 30; and in Jackson on July 31. Information on those meetings is also available on the agency's website. ___ This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC Senate, after monthlong pause, passes billions in Helene aid — without business grants
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors sort debris pulled from the bottom of Lake Lure in Rutherford County, North Carolina on April 14, 2025. Vegetative and man-made debris was washed into Lake Lure after Hurricane Helene devastated the region. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Michael Davis) North Carolina senators approved a massive hurricane relief package Monday, thawing out a bill that had been frozen for a month and passing it with major changes. Senate Republicans' proposed aid for western North Carolina lays out vastly more money than the bill passed by the House in May — around $2.46 billion in total. And it makes changes to several major line-items in the House version's, which totaled $464 million. Among the most notable changes: the removal of a $60 million grant program for small businesses, a longtime request as many storefronts struggle to reopen due to flooding and lost tourism. In the new bill, $700 million in spending is sent to the state's Helene recovery fund. Of that money, $465 million is appropriated, leaving the rest for future aid. The remaining money includes federal funding and money to qualify municipalities for competitive grants, among other purposes, according to Fiscal Research Division staff at the General Assembly. Lawmakers have redirected more than half a billion dollars from local aid, road repairs and other state programs toward Helene relief. House lawmakers and advocates in the region have for weeks requested that the Senate take up the bill and pass it, as the mountains continue to recover from Helene. The aid package sat in committee for a month as leaders in the House and Senate negotiated the state budget; they have yet to come to an agreement. On Monday, they got their wish, as Senate Republicans fast-tracked it through committee and onto the floor. The aid package passed in a unanimous vote. But the removal of business grants, as well as an array of other differences, will spark frustration — and could lead to even further delay. 'This allows us — on transportation funds, on private roads and bridges — to address some of those issues,' Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said. Senate Democrats said they had reservations about the changes to the House's bill, which received unanimous support. And they were dubious that House Republicans would agree to the Senate's changes. 'I certainly don't think the House is going to concur with them, because they haven't been pre-negotiated with the House,' said Sen. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) in an interview. 'They've basically admitted that.' If the bill clears the Senate this week, it will return to the House, who must agree to the changes to send it to Gov. Josh Stein's desk. Both chambers will debate a flurry of legislation this week in what is widely viewed as a final push before they leave Raleigh for weeks. Hise, asked by reporters Monday about why the Senate had removed money for small business grants, cited the state's 'emoluments clause.' The North Carolina constitution declares that 'no person … is entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community but in consideration of public services.' Hise argues that includes a grant program, in which the state would select specific businesses to receive money, falls under that umbrella. 'We have not found a way to successfully get around that concept,' Hise said. He said he planned to bring forward a constitutional amendment on the matter, which would require approval from the legislature and a majority of voters. It's unclear what that timeline would look like. Senate Democratic leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) said in an interview that if Republicans 'were that concerned,' they should have discussed the issue with the House 'instead of just jettisoning the entire bill.' 'This is literally playing with our western North Carolinian neighbors' lives and livelihoods and welfare,' Batch said. 'Only to get political chips and negotiations while we go into a budget debate.' Past legal analyses of the state's emoluments clause have come to different conclusions than Hise. The North Carolina attorney general's office under Mike Easley, a Democrat, wrote in a 1999 opinion to legislative leaders that natural disaster grant programs for farmers, homeowners and small businesses would benefit 'the public good.' And a 2019 legal review from UNC professor John Orth found that 'emoluments … may include benefits or privileges granted in consideration of public services more generally.' One western Democrat, during floor debate Monday, pointed out that one private business in the region — the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad — was set to receive money in the same bill. 'That is something this body has refused to do since last October,' said Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe).
CBS News
20-06-2025
- CBS News
Access limited around Soo Locks for Engineers Day over public safety concerns
Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says public access around the Soo Locks will be limited for Engineers Day on June 27. Access will be limited to the Canal Park "out of an abundance of caution, in light of uncontrollable circumstances," according to a news release. Officials say access in and around active Soo Locks operations will not be open to the public during the event. They say the decision was made in conjunction with local, state and federal public safety partners. As part of the limitations, the U.S. Coast Guard will be participating but will not hold an open house. "We acknowledge this is disappointing and acknowledge the importance of this event to the community, which is why we coordinated closely with our public safety partners to permit the event to still take place," said Soo Locks operations manager LeighAnn Ryckeghem in a statement. "All public activities and displays will be concentrated within Canal Park which includes the observation platform to view vessels and the visitor center." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the event's federal, state, and local public safety partners are changing public access for this year's Engineers Day event on Wednesday, June 27, 2025. Out of an abundance of caution, in light of uncontrollable circumstances and in order to prioritize public safety, visitor access will be limited to Canal Park. Access in and around active Soo Locks operations will not be allowed. Carrie Fox (Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) The event is in partnership with the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It honors the engineers who built the Soo Locks and the people who maintain them. People can visit the Canal Park for Engineer Day from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on June 27. After the event, the viewing platform will be open until 10 p.m. The Soo Locks Visitor Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. "We are continuing the requirement for all bags coming into the Soo Locks to be clear," said Jason Wojnaroski, Soo Project Office assistant operations manager, in a statement. "Clear bags will allow park security to quickly inspect bags and assist with making this a fun and safe event for everyone." For more information on the event, visit Sault Ste. Marie's website.
