Comment submitted by M A Einhaus

Any storage facility for liquid coal waste must protect our groundwater and the Great Lakes. -Injection wells are fairly common for wastewater disposal in Michigan, however we are concerned about the proximity of these wells to Lake Michigan, within just a few miles of a globally significant body of water. -It is our understanding that these wells were planned to align with Campbell's retirement in 2025, but we are very concerned about the amount of new waste that is being generated due to Campbell continuing to operate indefinitely due to the Trump Administration's 90 day orders to keep it open. -Waste from the Campbell coal plant appears to have been a source of groundwater pollution in the area for years, with local drinking water wells indicating high levels of arsenic. Coal waste -The EPA has also proposed sweeping rollbacks to coal ash storage safety standards, including less requirements for cleanup and monitoring of pollution. -With the record of pollution from Campbell in the past, and weakened standards for coal ash storage coming our way, it's hard to trust that coal ash wastewater won't continue to be a threat in the future. -The operation of the Campbell coal plant is also spewing more air pollution into the air, generating huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants that superheat our climate and end up falling down as precipitation into our communities and lakes, rivers, and streams. -The operation of the Campbell coal plant is also generating huge amounts of unexpected and unnecessary costs -- Consumers has lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to its operation over the last year, which is largely being recovered through our electric bills in Michigan and the Midwest. -Coal plants are a threat to our health, our food, and our future.We have a responsibility to protect our most precious natural resource here in Michigan - our water. Some places are so important and precious that they may not be appropriate to permanently store harmful waste. -We urge Consumers Energy to do everything in their power to reduce the amount of waste that is needed to be stored overall -- one of the best ways to do that is to challenge the current Trump Administration orders to keep the Campbell coal plant open indefinitely. -And we urge the EPA to explore the best solutions to store waste, which includes enacting and adhering to the strongest possible safety standards -- go above and beyond to make sure that our groundwater and our Great Lakes are protected from a catastrophic leak or spill.