Graceland: Open Letter to Attorney General Mike Cox

Honorable Mike Cox
Michigan Attorney General
G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor
525 West Ottawa Street
P.O. Box 30212
Lansing, Michigan 48909
miag@michigan.gov

Re: Your Promises on the Graceland Fruit Case

Dear Mr. Cox,

Last year, the Department of Environmental Quality asked your office to authorize felony pollution warrants against Graceland Fruit, its owner Donald Nugent and Graceland’s waste hauler for dumping thousands of gallons of caustic blueberry waste into a remote gravel pit in Honor, Michigan. The resulting contamination leached into the ground, killing a once vibrant stream.

(For our readers: you can find out more about this case by clicking on this link for the initial news story or this link to read the editorial from the Traverse City Record Eagle).

When the news broke that you were not going to approve the warrants, your office promised that the resulting pollution would still be cleaned-up and the responsible parties would pay “substantial penalties;†emphasizing that no one would get away “scot-free.†But, its been a full year since you denied the warrants (on August 30, 2005), four years since the dumping was discovered and even longer since the dumping occured. Apparently the case still isn't settled, the gravel pit still polluted, the stream is still dead and the Michigan Treasury hasn't been made richer.

After all this time, some people, maybe just a few, might start to think that these negotiations are beyond your competence. We understand that this is your first job with a significant civil law practice component and its a bit more complicated than just putting criminals away. Maybe you should have someone in your staff do the negotiating. Don't worry, you can always step in and grap the credit.

But there are others who might think that your connections with fellow Republican Nugent, a Michigan State University trustee, his self-proclaimed friendship with you and his fundraising prowess for the Michigan GOP could have something to do with the protracted "negotiations" between your office and Graceland. We'd like to believe this isn't true, either.

You know, Mr. Cox, as silly as it seems, some people might actually start to bellieve that the alleged polluters did in fact get away "scot-free." What do you think?

Never-the-less, you might be able remove these doubts if you released all documents relevant to your office’s negotiations with Nugent and/or Graceland Fruit concerning the clean-up and/or the payment of any penalties. Who knows, maybe some sharp citizen can lend you an idea or two on how to close the deal after taking a look at your notes. Or, maybe your private crisis management firm, the Rossman Group, paid for by the taxpayers (are we really paying for this?), can help you out.

In any case, we strongly encourage you to settle this case soon; you know there's an election coming up and some one might want to make an issue of this.

Very Truly Yours,

The Michigan Caucus
www.micaucus.com

P.S. Say "HI" to Mary, er ... AHEM, Laura for us.

cc: Record Eagle

Comments

[cj]

LIke Paul Simon, he's may be stumbling into Graceland or is it stumbling over Graceland?

[MichiganCaucus]

Oh, THAT'S good. Should have taken care of this issue a long time ago.