Dear Ken,

As someone who I know cares deeply about Michigan's environment, I
wanted
to keep you updated on my efforts to stop the flood of Canadian trash
coming into Michigan.

In January, Toronto decided to stop taking responsibility for its
garbage,
and now sends all of its trash - over 1.1 million tons each year - to
landfills in Michigan. More than 160 trash trucks from Canada pass
through
our borders at the Blue Water Bridge and the Ambassador Bridge every
day.
Now, Toronto is considering a proposal to ship 55,000 tons of human
sewage
waste into Michigan.

Besides the obvious environmental concerns, these trucks pose a
serious
homeland security threat. By their very nature, trucks filled with
garbage
are difficult to carefully inspect. The Canadian waste also hampers
the
effectiveness of Michigan's state and local recycling efforts, since
Ontario does not have a bottle law requiring recycling. Earlier this
year,
a Canadian garbage truck driver was arrested for smuggling illegal
drugs
across the border in his truck. Additionally, Canadian trash trucks
carrying radioactive materials have been turned back at the U.S.
border no
fewer than five times.

The U.S. Government can stop the flow of Canadian trash right NOW, by
enforcing an existing treaty with Canada that requires the Canadian
government to seek approval from the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
before any shipments can be sent across the border.

I urge you to join me and call on the EPA Administrator to immediately
enforce this treaty and stop the flood of Canadian trash right now. I
have set up an online petition on my website


http://stabenow.senate.gov/stoptrash

Please take a moment to sign up
and ask the administration to stop Toronto from dumping its trash on
Michigan.


Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator