Please contact Governor Jennifer Granholm and your legislators and urge them to protect the Au Sable River by appropriating funds to clean up the former former Hoskins Manufacturing Plant in Mio. 

The Hoskins Manufacturing Plant in Oscoda County, was operated for 40 years until it was abandoned by its owners in 2001 – leaving huge amounts of hazardous wastes that have contaminated the  groundwater in the area.     

According to the MDEQ, a 500 foot wide plume of hazardous substances (consisting of tetrachloroethylene and hexavalent chromium) has migrated over a thousand feet to and beyond Perry Creek – a trout stream and tributary of the Au Sable.  Levels of tetrachloroethylene and chromium are discharging to Perry Creek at concentrations that exceed State safety standards.  From initial point of discharge to the creek, these substances have been found as far as 700 feet downstream toward its confluence with the Au Sable. 

Michigan law allows the State to take action against the former officers, directors, and shareholders of the Hoskins Manufacturing Plant, as well as the company it changed its name to.  The State should hold them responsible for this!

In the meantime, however, money to tackle the problem is scarce. The MDEQ needs more funds to clean up this contamination.

Call, email or write the Governor and your local State Representatives and urge them to appropriate funds to clean up the Hoskins Manufacturing contamination. Please feel free to use the form letter below for your letters and emails.

You can contact the Governor at this address:
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909
Phone: (517) 373-3400
Or use this link to send an email Governor Granholm:
http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995-65331--,00.html

You can contact the Attorney General at this address:
Attorney General Mike Cox
G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor
525 W. Ottawa St.
P.O. Box 30212
Lansing, MI 48909
Main Number (517) 373-1110
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Go to this website link to find who your Representative is and to contact him/her:  http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp

Go to this website link to find who your Senator is and to contact him/her:  http://senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/find-your-senator.htm

SAMPLE LETTER
"Dear [Gov]/[Rep]: 

I would like to bring to your attention a problem that is threatening the Au Sable River - one of the Country's most well-known trout streams.  At this time, high levels of hazardous substances are leaching from the former Hoskins Manufacturing Plant into Perry Creek - a trout stream and tributary of the Au Sable River. 

As a result of sloppy waste storage and disposal practices, a 500 foot wide plume of hazardous substances (consisting of tetrachloroethylene and hexavalent chromium) has migrated over a thousand feet to and beyond Perry Creek.  Levels of tetrachloroethylene and chromium are being discharged to Perry Creek at concentrations that exceed Michigan cleanup standards. 

The MDEQ is in dire need of funds to investigate and remediate this emergency. Therefore, I urge you to appropriate additional funds specifically for this purpose. 

Respectfully,

[Your name here]"