The following open letter, dated February 15, 2005, was written to Riga citizens by Mr. Ron Woloshen, a schoolteacher in Caro, Michigan, the location of Michigan Ethanol’s plant. (Note: As of July, 2005, there were several lawsuits pending against Michigan Ethanol for various violations, including air quality.) This letter was read at Concerned Citizens for Riga’s informational meeting on February 15, 2005. Here is Mr. Woloshen’s opinion:

"There are some inaccuracies in the stories in the [Blissfield] Advance … the man [in Caro] who said he hears it like the ocean does not live ¼ mile away, he lives 1 and ¼ mile away, in a thickly wooded subdivision.

The plant does STINK. If you only get a whiff of it, it does not smell too bad. If you are out in it for any length of time you will get a severe headache from all the cancer-causing material in the emissions. The smell is not like baking bread (when my mom baked bread it never gave anyone cancer) it is like cat urine.

No long-term studies have been done on the effects of the exposure to the chemicals they will put in the air. There may be ‘acceptable’ levels of the chemicals, so take them: In 20 years, what is an ‘acceptable’ number of Riga Township residents to die from cancer caused by the plant’s emissions. A simple look at what is produced in emissions will show dozens of cancer causing chemicals that will be spread over your town 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

This is not an agricultural business, it is a CHEMICAL COMPANY. Make no mistake about it. EPA permits are needed, yet a recent EPA letter says MOST, IF NOT ALL ethanol plants produce SUBSTANTIALLY more pollution than allowed by law. There will be a lot of gasoline stored above ground, there will be anhydrous ammonia in large quantities, the emissions contain formaldehyde, acetate, acetone, etc…an exhaustive list of airborne cancer-causing chemicals. We were not told any of this until after the plant was approved.

Our school was recently directing teachers on how to seal their rooms with duct tape and plastic in the event of an accident at the plant. The school is a mile away.

They have had 5 fires, including one 16-hour fire fought by 8 departments. Yet they refused to fill our fire department in on the building floor plan because of ‘proprietary’ technology. The last fire caused a reported 7 million in damage. The plant donated $25,000 to our fire department. We bought a $165,000 truck that we only need to fight fires at the plant. An explosion in the last fire blew a 400-lb. door off and into the side of a fireman’s truck because they didn’t tell them about the places not to park in the event of a fire. Oh, yes, and they called 911 once during a fire and asked the fire department to come out without lights and sirens so no one would know they had another fire.

They refused to follow zoning, deciding it was cheaper to pay a fine and go into court. During construction, they dumped tons of sediment into our local river and refused to clean it up until escalated enforcement by the DEQ. [Click here to see the MI DEQ judgment.] Now, with DEQ budget cuts I doubt there is money to force them to clean up another mess if they make one.

We have had an influx of pests…starlings, pigeons, and even rats because so much spilled corn is left at the plant and on the roads in and out of the plant.

Our plant uses 700,000 gallons of water a day and none goes back into the ground. In some places plants guarantee wells. Ours refused to. We have had a few wells go dry in area but it is difficult to prove they are the cause of it, so the homeowners and the community suffer and the plant gets away with draining our aquifer, which has dropped substantially.

The plant runs all day and night every day. This is a good thing if you like constant truck traffic, constant noise, and a country neighborhood lit up like a Christmas tree every night of the year. This, and all ethanol plants, have enormous height. Many structures pass 150-200 feet. It is used for a sight for small planes coming back from the bay. You can see it almost everywhere, hear it in many places, including IN MY HOUSE all day and night with windows and doors closed. I can never sleep with a window open again for the smell and noise. I live in a house built by my father when the place where the plant is was a farm. I love the land I live on and my community. I want to raise my son here, and never wanted to go anywhere else. Yet life for us here has become a nightmare.

They have not provided the number of jobs they promised. They have destroyed home and property values in the area. One beautiful new home built before the plant sits on 12 wooded acres with a creek and can’t sell because of the noise, the view, the smell, and the traffic even though the owner drops the price in increments of $10,000. Anyone who lives near the plant has had their home value destroyed, if they could sell at all. The plant manager, of course, lives miles away on the golf course. If they want to build in your town, make them sign a binding contract that the plant manager will always live in the nearest house downwind of the plant.

In the research I have done these complaints, problems, and lies are typical of the ethanol industry. I have no doubt your plant would be the same as ours, with the exception of the injection wells for waste. I understand you will have sewage lagoons for water settling.

I did not oppose this plant coming here. In retrospect, I should have fought with everything I had to prevent it. It has been about only money, and it has destroyed our neighborhood. They have constantly lied, failed to keep written agreements, done far worse things that we were told and tried not to take responsibility for what they have done. If you live in Riga township, beware! You are being set up for a very hard fall if this plant is built in your area. I would urge you, based on my experience and honest opinion, to fight this with everything you have because if you lose you will suffer far greater than you imagine now.

If by some unfortunate event, you do not win the vote to overturn the zoning, do not despair. I have been contacted by someone EXTREMELY well placed within the ethanol industry and can provide you with many facts and resources to defeat this.

FIGHT THIS WITH ALL YOU CAN! LIKE THINGS YOU WISHED YOU HAD SAID TO YOUR PARENTS, OR TIME YOU WISHED YOU HAD SPENT WITH YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR REGRET WILL ONLY GROW WITH TIME IF YOU FAIL TO DEFEAT THIS. Good luck and God bless the people of Riga township who love their community and understand how bad the ethanol plant will be for your town."

Ron Woloshen
Caro, Michigan