UPDATE: Many thanks to the great volunteers and contributors, https://close1d2.org is fully funded & staffed for five full years until December 31, 2025. This is a marathon NOT a sprint!

NOTE: site content was brought to our attention that could be harmful and or misleading, it has been removed, we apologize for any unintentional problems!

Our single goal is to promote the Health, Safety and Welfare of vulnerable populations including pregnant women, babies, school children and elderly.

Many thanks to A2 Hosting an Ann Arbor, Michigan company with excellent support staff & great performance!

a successful democracy requires

an informed & educated populace

whose voices are all heard!

A true measure of any group is how they respect the Health, Safety, and Welfare of the most vulnerable populations . . .

If pro is the opposite of con.

Is Progress the opposite of Congress?

Organized People Defeat Organized Money! Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel with Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) & Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) is the unrecognized “Secondhand Smoke” of this decade (html) (html), only ten times worse!

September 2020 (Week #36) – Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 Airstrip Still Open for “Business as Usual” – Dumping Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel with Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) & Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) on PCCS Schools, Surrounding Communities, and Businesses

Breaking News Flash – Canton Township, Michigan September 2020: Courageous, Dedicated & Skilled Michigan aviators but really wannabes (N99MQ) quell senior citizen revolt by severely startling wheelchair bound elderly 80 & 90 year old’s recovering at local retirement and rehabilitation homes, along with local neighborhood pregnant moms, families with school children, pushing strollers, walking their dogs with bizarre repeated aerial displays going round in little circles (html) all day long. Everyone is trembling, with laughter that is, after all this is quite an unseen before spectacle of macho air power & superiority! This strange toxic behavior is so predictable, laughable, basically a pathetic plea for attention, from somebody, anybody.

Surrounding communities are wondering how this weird malignant behavior is going to change community Health, Safety and Welfare concerns going forward. Is this really how Pure Michigan is going to attract necessary talent for Michigan to ever recover allowing Community Pariah & Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel based flying Rodeo Clowns free reign at MDOT owned & operated uncontrolled airstrips such as 1d2 and beyond?

Once informed with the true medical, scientific, and technological facts & information regarding Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) & Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) poisoning from Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel are exposed, NOBODY, including those in any technical community, such as librarians, teachers, engineers, mathematicians, geologists, biologists, police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, technicians, software developers, students, professors, and scientists, want to invest, live, raise a family, work, play, or shop anywhere near out of control MDOT and their Cronies uncontrolled systemic lead & chemical contamination and poisoning scattered across the entire State of Michigan.

NOTE: Astonishingly, both “run-up” areas at Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip are as close as 190m to 950m from THREE schools & TWO elderly assisted living & rehabilitation facilities!

Since contacting Local, County, and State officials Monday April 10, 2017 to Tuesday September 1, 2020, it has been:

3 years, 4 months, 22 days

40 months, 22 days

177 weeks and 1 day

1240 days

29,760 hours

1,785,600 minutes

Sometimes it’s difficult to really care about so many important individual issues when more than 1,000 Americans are dying every day, secret police are taking out their frustrations on suburban moms with rubber bullets, batons, teargas & pepper spray, U.S. economy plunged a record-shattering 32.9% annual rate, 19th straight week with more than 1 million people applied for jobless aid as layoffs keep rising while benefits expire, Detroit Automakers lose Billions, while Commercial Air travel not expected to recover until 2024. The catastrophic plunge in US GDP underscores unprecedented economic hit experts say will take years to fully recover from, and shows no signs of abating anytime soon while a record US budget deficit approaches 3 trillion dollars

But, it is comforting to local communities to know that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) owned & operated Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip is still open for “Business as Usual”, a great uninterrupted summer vacation for all the privileged few at the airstrip. It seems that “Fixing the Damn Roads” is not a real taxpayer priority having been continually delayed, now even further extended by MDOT!

Silly hangar parties, clubhouse coffee klatsch gossip gatherings, even barbecuing next to the runway! No Sense of Urgency, or care in the world, certainly not about OTHER people’s neighborhoods, schools or vulnerable populations e.g. babies, children, pregnant moms, etc.

BTW: Critical new Henry Ford Medical Center (html) construction seems to have been halted, nobody wants to invest, live, work, shop, play, or raise a family anywhere near MDOT Cronies armed with Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) dumped on everyone across the state.

Civil Air patrol (CAP) Clowns (Swivel Chair Patrol) Civil Air Patrol Inc, 105 S Hansell ST, Maxwell AFB Alabama 36112 (CAP) [Facebook] [Michigan Wing] (Satellite) [DOD Maxwell-Gunter AFB] [Facebook] have stepped up their hostile activity towards the community and surrounding neighborhoods and seem to endorse, condone, support, sponsor, and or otherwise approve of Lead Poisoning of vulnerable populations at nearby schools and the entire community for that matter. Community members witness repeated banned touch-n-gos and report blue mustang only car parked at CAP hangars, hostile loser, consistently bad management decisions, community cannot wait for Civil Air Clown Patrol (CAP) to leave and take their petty revenge games to an industrial airport where they belong, not in densely populated neighborhoods surrounded by schools!

CFI Flights (94891) and other ‘Revenge Take Off and Landings’ continue from 7:30am until 9:30pm including many sad pathetic very specific local Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist ‘blow hards’ enabled, endorsed and supported by senior MAC & MDOT administration for sure. Never seen such an arrogant hostile bunch of wannabes that give responsible airmen and airwomen everywhere a bad name! Waste of oxygen and taxpayer money that’s for sure, they’re just embarrassing themselves and their respective communities on a continual basis. They wouldn’t do this in their own backyards (NIMBY), but they will do it in others backyards.

The real truth will ‘come out in the wash’ as they say (html) so everyone in the State of Michigan and across the country can see the true measure of MDOT & their Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist Cronies a combined group of sad little pathetic people that the local communities are dealing with, you can’t even make this stuff up.

See new section: “Michigan is Broken” (html) for embarrassing details that all Michiganders should know about to protect their neighborhoods, families, and vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, babies, children, schools and families!

See news section “Hall of Shame” (html) used to illustrate what kind of Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2, MDOT and Special Interest & Industry Lobbyists clowns the local schools neighborhoods and families are dealing with here.

Flint Lead Poisoning Debacle Civil Settlement Creating Huge Budget Holes, As Criminal Charges Now Looming Even Larger for True Justice

Water crisis settlement is a step in the right direction, not the end of the story, says Dr. Mona, August 20, 2020 (html) – mlive.com. FLINT, MI — The massive partial settlement by the state in water crisis lawsuits is a step in the right direction, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Flint pediatrician whose research helped end the city’s use of corrosive river water in 2015, said in a statement. She said she was grateful to learn that the settlement was driven by community voices and respects the science of child development. Never again should this country have to deal with the generational repercussions of a community “poisoned by policies,” she said.

“As we are all now amidst another preventable public health crisis, with so many parallels to Flint, money and resources only go so far,” she said. “Protecting a community requires leadership and vision, creativity and passion. It demands a respect for science, equity, and the proactive protection of our greatest resource, our children.”

State has to learn lessons from Flint water crisis, August 21, 2020 (html) | Detroit Free Press. $600 milllion later, what has Lansing learned from Flint’s water crisis? Turning point? Or more of the same? Is this justice for Flint? Not by a long shot. But it is a meaningful sum, addressed to those most vulnerable. Michigan’s economy is still on the ropes. The coronavirus pandemic continues, auguring state budget shortfalls for years to come. Meanwhile, Michiganders are continuing to reap the cost of chronic disinvestment. Our schools, underfunded for decades. Our neglected infrastructure, including our water and sewage systems, our bridges and our roads, continues to crumble. Our cities, whose residents have born the brunt of both the pandemic and its attendant economic damage, face fiscal crises that imperil their ability to sustain basic services. But do the state’s elected officials really understand how we got here? Or will they continue to disinvest in Michigan’s most neglected communities and use this crisis as an excuse to seed the next one?

Consultants say they’re scapegoats, won’t settle cases with Flint residents over water crisis, August 23, 2020 (html) – mlive.com. The Flint Lead Poisoning debacle that produced high levels of lead and bacteria in city water in 2014 and 2015 is the fault of government agencies, NOT the advice they provided to the city about various water problems. More than 100 lawsuits filed by city residents in state and federal court have accused defendants including the city, state, and federal governments as well as the consultants, of wrongdoing for their roles in the resulting water crisis.

Erin Brockovich Speaks Out After Michigan Agrees to Pay $600M to Flint Water Victims, August 20, 2020 (html) | PEOPLE.com. “The children of Flint will carry the scars of their poisoning for the rest of their lives,” Erin Brockovich says of the water crisis’ impact. “Power to the people,” the environmental and consumer advocate, 60, tells PEOPLE ahead of the state officially announcing their multi-million dollar settlement on Friday.

Getting cash from $600M Flint deal to take months; claims await OK, August 20, 2020 (html) | Detroit News.

Google News “600 million Flint Michigan settlement” (html) – Overview

Whitmer says Flint water crisis ‘Never should have happened,’ pledges continued support for city, August 20, 2020 (html) – mlive.com.

As Flint was slowly poisoned, Snyder’s inner circle failed to act, May 3, 2016 (html) | mLive.com. It still has never been fully explained how crucial information didn’t reach the governor, or why the Snyder administration allowed the people of Flint to use undrinkable water for so long.It’s all about the money and corporate cost saving ‘culture’ of an ex-accountant.

Michigan elected officials welcome Flint water crisis settlement, say there’s more work to do, August 20, 2020 (html) – mlive.com

‘The money is not justice’: Flint mothers express relief, skepticism about water crisis settlement, August 20, 2020 (html) – mlive.com

Flint settlement includes $9 million for special education students, August 20, 2020 (html) | Detroit News. Lead-poisoned children in Flint must be provided with all of the supports they need to learn and flourish, about 18,000 school-age children were exposed to lead during Flint’s water crisis.

$600M Flint water crisis settlement is more than the state has paid out for the last decades’ worth of lawsuits combined, August 19, 2020 (html) – mlive.com. A $600 million settlement would be a historically large one for the state. According to data from the Senate Fiscal Agency, it’s more than the $546 million the state has paid out in court judgements and settlements for every lawsuit against it, combined, in the last 10 fiscal years for which data is available. It’s not clear, yet, where the $600 million would come from as Michigan has some serious budget challenges ahead.

Michigan settles with Flint water crisis victims for more than $500 million: report August 20, 2020 (html) | Fox News. The state of Michigan has settled with victims of the Flint water crisis for more than $500 million, and details of the settlement are expected Friday. Dozens of lawsuits related to the Flint water crisis have been filed against the state of Michigan in recent years, so a settlement of this magnitude would be a huge development in the legal battle. NOTE: This settlement could mark the end of the civil side, but there still may be new criminal charges. In June 2019, Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud dropped criminal charges against eight people tied to the Flint water crisis, and said her office was starting from scratch.

Michigan reaches over $500M settlement in Flint water crisis suits, August 20, 2020 (html) | Detroit News. The deal comes after several years of litigation in which Flint residents pursued damages from the state for the lead-contaminated water piped into many households. The settlement would be one of the largest in the state’s history. “If money is how government expresses sorrow for its crimes — this is a big apology,” Edwards said. The settlement comes as the state faces what experts say could be up to a $3 billion hole in next year’s budget because of decreased tax revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. The state has a fund that it draws settlement money from, but never one of this proportion. The settlement amount calls for the involvement of the Legislature to appropriate more money toward the agreement. The state needs to shift its focus to criminal prosecutions next and revive charges. “The second step (of justice) will be coming, I’m sure,” former special prosecutor Flood said, “with the criminal side of the case. I’m prayerful that that will come.”

Sources: Settlement imminent in Flint water lawsuits, August 19, 2020 (html) | Detroit Free Press. LANSING — The state of Michigan is close to a settlement totaling hundreds of millions of dollars for civil lawsuits arising from the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water. Many details to be worked out, because of the complexity of the litigation and the large number of cases and defendants.

Michigan to Pay $600 Million to Victims of Flint Water Crisis, August 19, 2020 (html) – The New York Times. The state of Michigan is expected to pay about $600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis after thousands of Flint residents filed lawsuits against the state. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a local pediatrician, and other scientists and researchers raised warnings that were initially disregarded by state and local officials. In fall 2015, in the face of overwhelming evidence, Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan acknowledged that the water was not fine (html).

Google News – Report: Michigan reaches $600M deal in Flint water crisis (html) – Overview.

Getting cash from $600M Flint deal to take months; claims await OK, 08-20-2020 (html) | Detroit New. The process of distributing $600 million to more than 33,000 Flint water victims will likely take months to complete, and it’s unlikely the money for the settlement will be available until the beginning of 2021.

Flint activists and leaders demand Flint to be ‘made whole’ following $600M water settlement, 08-20-2020 (html) – mlive.com. FLINT, MI — A day after the announcement of the $600 million water crisis settlement, activists, church leaders and members of the city’s former governmental administration held a press conference to demand more for the citizens of Flint.

Neeley warns Flint residents not to be exploited after $600M water crisis settlement, 08-20-2020 (html) – mlive.com.

Michigan is Broken: Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Malfeasance Continues Rampant Non-Essential Hobbyist, Sport, Recreational Airport Funding at Taxpayer Expense!

Currently there are 19 self-sustaining Commercial airports (html) supported by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) that benefit all Michigan taxpayers. This is great news and taxpayers will take all of the self-sustaining Commercial airports that keep society moving, growing sustainably, generating verifiable tax revenue & jobs. BTW: none of these airports need any help or intervention from MDOT to operate smoothly, just ask any of them! Most would prefer MDOT stay at ‘arms length’ as nobody can figure what they really do anyway besides doing the self-congratulatory ‘Living Legend’ strut very well.

However, Michigan really does not need more than one single, yes you read it correctly, one (1), a single Non-Commercial Non-Essential Hobby Sport, Recreational MDOT supported airport per Michigan county for a total of 83 Non-Essential Non-Commercial airports, bringing the Grand Total of ALL Michigan Airports to 19 Self-Supporting Commercial + 83 Non-Essential Non-Commercial Non-Self-Supporting Hobby, Sport, Recreational airports = 102 airports for the ENTIRE State of Michigan! Think about it, really, it just does NOT make any pragmatic sense and is completely indefensible without any real evidence and hard facts to have any more than 102 airports total.

There is no need for taxpayers to tolerate supporting more than 103 airports in the entire State of Michigan, period!

Even this is being overly generous as several Michigan counties do not have ANY registered aircraft at all! But alas, Michigan could say that the entire state could be connected via aviation, albeit in an out-of-date antiquated way where eVTOL or Future Vertical Lift (FVL) technology will render these antique Tetraethyl Leaded 100LL based junkpiles and relic airstrips obsolete, totally useless for future innovation & technology growth as they are now today. In fact, when people realize the many negative aspects they feel ‘chased’ away from even being close-by due to Health, Safety & Welfare well-being reasons, from totally unsustainable Tetraethyl Lead & PFAS dumps.

MDOT currently contributes, sponsors, supports, funds, requests and/or provides grants or Federal taxpayer dollars on behalf of, manages, owns or continues to dabble & needlessly interfere in the operation of and waste taxpayers hard earned money, State & Federal, for hundreds of airports, the majority of which are Non-Commercial, Non Self-Sustaining, many just airstrips, additionally the vast majority cannot exist on their own without ‘protection & oversight’ from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Clown Patrol, and are certainly NOT important or even relevant to ANY National or State Transportation Plan, real or imagined, and never have been.

Currently there are 210 Non-Commercial airports (html) supported by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the vast majority provide absolutely NO verifiable benefit for Michigan taxpayers at ALL, ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA! They do not have anything to do with jobs or revenue at all.

Airports like Golf Courses are a wonderful thing for a very select few, and should be paid for by the people that use them, certainly NEVER paid for by Michigan taxpayers. This has NEVER been a taxpayer problem, MDOT has quietly, cleverly, almost secretly saddled Michigan taxpayers with the largest waste of taxpayer dollars in the history of Michigan. MDOT & MAC are after all are in reality ‘retirement homes’ for Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists, complete with multiple conflicts of interest.

Rapidly shrinking personal aviation demographics & severely reduced market demand are well known and common knowledge known by practically everyone in the Aerospace, Aviation & Defense industry for over a decade, yet MDOT has failed to adjust or even try to compensate budgets appropriately, recklessly continuing to waste tax payer dollars at the same woefully out of date levels of over a decade ago just because they can.

The financial aspects & implications of this continuous decades long downward spiral of Non-Commercial Non-Essential Hobby, Sport, Recreational aircraft owner & operator demographics as well as the Health, Safety and Welfare dangers of Tetraethyl Lead & PFAS are both common knowledge and are very well known in the Aviation, Aerospace, and Defense communities for well over a decade!

Supporting Non-Commercial Non-Essential airports or increasing the numbers of aircraft & helicopter owners or operators has NEVER been a taxpayer problem, however MDOT malfeasance, mismanagement, negligence, malpractice and abuse of power cleverly disguised Non-Commercial Non-Essential airports & their other related issues as taxpayer problems!

MDOT has ignored their ‘Duty to Intervene’ in terms of Health, Safety and Welfare as well as their fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers. One of the highest legal duties of one party to another, being a fiduciary, requires trust & being bound ethically to act in the other’s best interests, MDOT has blatantly shunned ethics altogether and continues to acquiesce betraying the public trust.

The whole group of clowns, that is the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan Aeronautical Commission (MAC), and their Special Interest and Industry Lobbyist cronies, pals, and buffoons are truly a State of Michigan embarrassment and a National scandal & disgrace.

Time to remember that over 11,000 families lost their homes in the Edenville Dam area with yet another declared state of emergency, all while schools and roads crumble yet MDOT budgets continue to thrive, even expand and grow consuming scarce 2020 Federal CARES (html) (map) dollars! Canton-Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip received $30,000.00 Federal CARES act money and used it for weekend overtime to cut the lawn and install new landscaping mulch for MDOT advertised Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist parties!

The total number of aircraft in Michigan as shown by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Registry – Aircraft – State / County Inquiry (html), is less than 7,080 and shrinking quickly, which btw includes all hot air balloons (html) (html) (html) (pdf) (pdf) [Wikipedia] [Wikipedia]. Balloons are fully registered aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and are subject to regular airworthiness checks by authorized personnel. Balloon pilots need to have different levels of experience before they are allowed to progress to be commercial Balloon pilots, this is carefully controlled & monitored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as is anything else that appears in the sky, even some ‘aircraft’ that do NOT require any certificate, uh minimum ‘license’ or permit to operate, and these other ‘aircraft’ are barely ‘aircraft’ at all.

NOTE: the total number of FAA registrations in Michigan is way less than the number of families that lost their homes and livelihoods, over 11,000, while the extremely high costs to operate & maintain 210 Non-Commercial Non-Essential Michigan airports for the miniscule total number of Michigan aircraft are certainly not borne evenly, justly or even rationally.

To see just how totally outrageous MDOT is see the comparison that shows MDOT unrealistic budget ambitions are almost equal with the State of California (html), yet Michigan has one quarter, yes 25% of the requirements of California! It’s easy to see how MDOT funding is way out of control (html)! It is just sickening to see Michigan Schools & Infrastructure suffer at the expense of blatant MDOT malfeasance & abuse!

Time to FORCE Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) like the rest of the world with transparency, accountability, consequences for ethics violations, abusing & breaking rules and laws, while cleaning up the MDOT trail of Tetraethyl Lead & PFAS cover-ups, Poisoning & Contamination, and STOPPING the continuous waste & abuse of taxpayer time, effort & resources across the State of Michigan.

It’s way past time to cut taxpayer losses, consolidate & downsize MDOT spending, staffing, useless consulting budgets & fraudulent ambitions and align MDOT with real-world taxpayer realities. The time to #DefundMDOTClownPatrol is NOW!

The State of Michigan is Falling Apart at the Seams, So Michigan Aeronautics Commission (MAC), Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) & Michigan Association of Airport Executives (MAAE) Plan Five Day Party at Exclusive Mackinac Island, Michigan Four Star Luxury Resort!

The entire United States including the State of Michigan is Falling Apart at the Seams, especially our schools & infrastructure. Michigan airport employees are starting to suffer from COVID-19 impact as well.

Are layoffs coming to DTW? (html) | Fox2 Detroit.

DTW announces layoffs; number of employees affected not yet determined (html) | WXYZ.

Detroit airport announces layoffs (html) – mlive.com.

Layoffs, separations coming to Detroit Metro Airport due to financial hit from COVID-19 pandemic (html) | Click on Detroit.

Layoffs coming to DTW as airlines struggle to stay afloat travel reductions (html) | Fox2 Detroit.

What does MDOT, do they manipulate a vendor Boondoggle & plan it as an MDOT office party to “Party Like It’s 1999” as is their usual modus operandi.

The Michigan Aeronautics Commission (MAC) Meeting (pdf) Wednesday September 16, 2020 is at Mackinac Island, Michigan. The 2020 meeting will be in conjunction with the Michigan Association of Airport Executives (MAAE) Fall Conference on Mackinac Island, how convenient.The MAAE annual meeting is to help Assisting Airport Executives in Fulfilling Their Responsibilities to the Airports & Communities They Serve.

The MAAE Annual Fall Conference held in September of each year and provides an excellent opportunity for Airport Managers, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and State Office of Aeronautics Representatives (More MDOT Clowns along for yet another free-ride fancy office boondoggle), airport engineers, consultants and airport equipment and service providers to meet, exchange ideas and discuss problems and solutions facing Michigan airports.

The 2020 Annual MAAE Fall Conference, September 14-18, 2020 will be held at Mission Point (html). Truly, a First Class Award Winning hotel on the shores of Mackinac Island. Voted ‘Best Place to Stay in Michigan’ by Condé Nast Traveller (html). Mackinac Island, Michigan (html) (html) (html) (html) (html) (html) (PureMichigan). I guess all State departments of transportation stay at Four Star Luxury Resort Hotels for ‘business meetings’ right?

Gimme a break pullleeeze! Michigan is falling apart at the seams, however MDOT just got a quarter billion dollars, yes $256 million Federal CARES Act dollars, so it’s time to celebrate some more at taxpayers expense.

See Mackinac Island Michigan Mission Point Luxury Resort (Google map). I think we’d all like to have our ‘business meetings’ at this awesome place, right?

This is the typical bootlicker ‘business meeting’ complete with Sponsorships, Door Prizes, Lighthouse Tours and Golf Outings, where all the important MDOT business is conducted! Many say Mission Point is the best ‘alternative’ to the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel (html) [Wikipedia], if you can’t afford, or in this case if you can’t get away with it, e.g. ‘expense it’. Somehow, unbeknownst to anyone else, besides MDOT, Specials Interest & Industry Lobbyists groups or Highly Paid & Trusted Consultants this meeting must be a mandatory requirement for either the State of Michigan or a National transportation Plan or both!

When it comes to Consequences and Public Funding | General Aviation News (html), some in the industry call this the Kabuki dance — posturing between the airport consultants and the government’s gate-keepers, the people in a state’s division of aviation who dole out the funding. That consultants are very good at this dance can be seen at any given annual conference for a state airport association. The largest sponsors and exhibitors are invariably the consultants. It also comes as no surprise that there exists a revolving door between the bureaucrats who control who-gets-what and the management of leading consulting firms.

Wow, you can’t even make this stuff up . . .

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Dupes Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) & US Department of Transportation (US DOT) for More Than a Quarter Billion Dollars, $256 Million Dollars and Counting!

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) – funding airports like propping up zombie companies with zero accountability to taxpayers! Once you get the MDOT stink on you it’s almost impossible to get it off.

The United States will slowly recover but is in challenging financial trouble for the next decade or more. The report “An Update to the Economic Outlook: 2020 to 2030” (html) (pdf) by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) states their belief that the unemployment rate won’t recover for the next decade.America’s recovery from the pandemic recession could last well through the better part of the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s 10-year forecast published Thursday July 2, 2020. The CBO now forecasts the unemployment rate will remain above its pre-pandemic level until after 2030!

Noted US economist says a full US recovery is unlikely before 2022 — and warns of a stock-market correction before year-end (html) | Markets Insider. Most experts agree, it will take a long time for life to return to anything near normal.

Meanwhile real US gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the economy, will be an average 3.4% lower over the next decade than what was originally predicted in January. This means the U.S. economy will grow by over $7.9 trillion less than was originally expected. It will take until 2028 until GDP will grow in line with long-term trend growth again.

But wait, that’s not all: This recession could nearly quadruple the federal budget deficit this year, pushing it to a whopping $3.7 trillion, according to projections from April. MDOT fails to ‘get’ the memo everyone else got.

Lest we forget, 1.3 million more Americans file for unemployment benefits in July as states reverse reopening (html) | MSNBC | Stephanie Ruhle.

USDOT $10 Billion Dollar ‘Relief’ Package

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces $10 Billion in Relief for America’s Airports (html)| US Department of Transportation. “This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. The CARES Act also provides funds to increase the Federal share to 100 percent for grants awarded under the fiscal year 2020 appropriations for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and Supplemental Discretionary grants.

Under normal circumstances, AIP grant recipients contribute a matching percentage of the project costs. Providing this additional funding and eliminating the local share will allow critical safety and capacity projects to continue as planned regardless of airport sponsors’ current financial circumstances. It appears MDOT believes that a long stay at a Four Star Luxury Resort Hotels for ‘business meetings’ is critical, while employees at DTW lose their jobs.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces $477 Million in Infrastructure Grants to 264 Airports in 44 States (html)| US Department of Transportation. This is the third allotment of the total $3.18 billion in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports across the United States. See the complete listing of grants (html).

This large amount of taxpayer dollars is in addition to the previous announcement that U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces $477 Million in Infrastructure Grants to 264 Airports in 44 States (html) | US Department of Transportation.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) CARES Act

FAA 2020 CARES Act Grants – Airports (html). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748, Public Law 116-136) (pdf), signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020, includes $10 billion in funds to be awarded as economic relief to eligible U.S. airports affected by the prevention of, preparation for, and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FAA Map of CARES Funding (html).

CARES Act airport allocations – Central States (html) including Michigan – Google My Maps.

MDOT Bloated Phony Grants & More Wasted Tax Dollars

USDOT Announces Over $1 Billion in Grants to 439 Airports in 50 States (html).

“The 439 grants will ensure that airport sponsors can make the necessary improvements so their airports can operate in a safe and efficient manner for years to come,” said FAA Administrator Stephen M. Dickson.

Michigan airports awarded $256 million in coronavirus crisis aid (html)- mlive.com. The Federal Aviation Administration funding will support airports experiencing severe economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

$256-million dollars in grants will be distributed to help airports get through the crisis and prepare for when people resume normal air travel.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every business sector — big and small — across Michigan and these grants will provide much-needed resources to help airports across the state weather this public health crisis and be prepared when more people resume air travel,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a written statement. “I want to thank our congressional leaders for securing this critical funding.”

You might think that 264 airports / 44 states = 4 airports per state? And you might also think that all of the airports accommodate normal air travel, right?

Or maybe you would think the median or average distribution of funding w/b each of 44 states would receive funding for 4 airports for a total of 264 airports. NO, Michigan had 90 airports or 22.5 times the National average for state that did receive funding! A quarter of a billion dollars, $256 Million dollars in addition to the already bloated many Millions of dollars of wasted budget, we can’t be sure where the money is wasted due to lack of visibility as to the true amount. First, nobody knows how much is being spent, and secondly nobody knows where it is being spent! Thirdly, the grants are based on out-of-date amateur estimates that no longer apply, clearly deceiving taxpayers along the way. Here’s some back of the envelope calculating:

$477m, 44 states, 264 airports

$477m / 264 = 1,806,818.18 US average airport payout

$256m / 90 = 2,844,444.44 MI average airport payout

MI 90 airports = 34% of total airport 264

MI $256m 53% of total grants $477m

44 264 100% $477m 100%

MI 90 34% $256m 53%

Of the 439 AIP Grants MDOT also received more additional funding:

AIP SUPPLEMENTAL TOTAL

Michigan $47,278,711 $9,366,667 $56,645,378

Astonishing amounts of money! Just because MDOT ‘requested’ and ‘received’ money does NOT constitute an ‘endorsement’, ‘approval’ or any indication of ‘validity’ from US DOT or FAA at all, for what was requested! Using the 80/20 rule, generously, for MDOT:

MDOT Commercial Airport requests – 80% might be valid, 20% probably phony?

MDOT Non-Commercial airstrip requests – 80% probably phony, 20% might be valid?

Nobody knows for sure, there is ZERO transparency in the MDOT Fiefdom [define], MDOT is basically an area over which someone exercises control [NOT taxpayers] as or in the manner of a [personally biased non-essential hobby, sport, recreational MDOT aviation] Feudal Lord. MDOT is propping up ‘Zombie Airstrips’ all over the State of Michigan.

Taking advantage of Taxpayer generosity is no longer an option at a time of shrinking budgets, especially at the expense of education, jobs & a sustainable future for all Michigan residents.

MDOT continues blatant malfeasance, abuse, malpractice, negligence with multiple conflicts of interest, using outdated exaggerated National Airspace System (NAS) inventory assets & stats:

MDOT continues to invest in outdated, unsustainable technology they and their friends, family, contractors, consultants, Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists are personally heavily over invested in equipment & facilities that have no verifiable ROI for generating revenue or jobs growth for Michigan taxpayers.

Many close-by alternate ‘real’ airports that highlight Canton Plymouth Mettetal (1d2) is unneeded based on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements and guidelines, however MDOT & MAC members DO live close by to ‘protect’ their turf.

MDOT supports 100’s of Non-Essential Non-Commercial Hobby, Sport, Recreational airstrips that are NOT taxpayer concerns.

Own, finance & operates airports for the wealthy (html) including Canton Plymouth Mettetal (html) (1d2), Linden’s Price’s Airport (html) (9G2) (html), how many others are? Even Michigan lawmakers can’t figure it out!

Ignore ‘Duty to Intervene’ in fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers Fraudulent non-verifiable biased amateur estimates, e.g. made by people that own & operate aircraft, based on obsolete decades old market size & demand that is common knowledge and well known in the industry.

Ignore ‘Duty to Intervene’ in terms of Health, Safety and Welfare of vulnerable populations Conspire, acquiesce with other State of Michigan Departments, bureaucrats & politicians to actively coverup Leaded Aviation 100LL Tetraethyl Lead & PFAS contamination & poisoning referencing Blood Lead Level (BLL) data from 1,043,391 Michigan children to 448 nearby airports in Michigan (html), as well as a subset of airports with detailed data on the volume of piston-engine aircraft traffic. Aggressive Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip expansion & growth directly correlates to 47% increase (html) in the number of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) students at Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (PCCS).

MDOT Retirement Home & Concierge service for Special Interests & industry Lobbyists creating one gigantic MDOT ‘conflict of interest’.

Abuse Federal, State & Local funding including CARES Act money with Four-Star Luxury Resort Hotel parties, weekend overtime for lawn cutting and installing landscaping mulch, paying & supplying equipment including cell phones, etc. to State compensated third party Contractors, Special Interest & Industry Lobbyists to work on their own aircraft and others, hosting, advertising & facilitating semi-private Special Interest & Industry Lobbyists parties on State owned property.

Ignore ‘Duty to Intervene’ Failed to notify Michigan Medical Systems & General Public of Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning dangers, Duped Henry Ford Medical System with Plymouth & Canton townships, exposing government failures at every level across multiple departments.

MDOT actively providing false contacts, web sites, addresses, emails & phone numbers owned by Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists NOT owned or operated by the State of Michigan. Actively supporting, facilitating, executing weekend Special Interest & Industry Lobbyists Activities, Events, etc.

MDOT Enabled by Problems at Every Level of State Government

Reports and references are available here:

US Department of Transportation (DOT)

Office of Inspector General (OIG)

DOT Employee Whistleblower Protection (html)

Report Fraud Hotline – Report Fraud, Waste & Abuse (html)

BTW: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) appears to have more OIG reports than any other US Agency at (1336). There is also an unusually large number of Michigan aviation related reports (html).

January 28, 2020, Audit Initiated of FAA’s Oversight of the National Airspace System Inventory (html) (pdf). OIG initiating an audit of FAA’s oversight of its National Airspace System (NAS) inventory. The audit objective was to determine if FAA has effective oversight controls for managing the NAS inventory, including controls to appropriately account for excess, obsolete, or unserviceable items.

The results were disturbing. Recent reports from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and an independent public accountant have found weaknesses in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) internal controls for tracking inventory. In December 2019, OIG reported that the Agency’s Logistics Center does not have a detailed aging report for tracking its inventory supporting the National Airspace System (NAS), which might include items that are 30 or more years old. As such, OIG could not determine if FAA had overstated the inventory value, reported as $656 million in 2018. In addition, in a review of FAA’s financial statements for fiscal years 2018 and 2017, KPMG LLP found that the Agency’s controls were not designed and implemented to ensure the accuracy of inventory data.

April 20, 2020, Memorandum to the Secretary: Supporting DOT’s Efforts To Meet CARES Act Responsibilities (html) (pdf). Additionally, as the Department is aware, the volume of CARES Act funds and the speed with which they must be disbursed puts them at a higher risk for fraud, waste, and abuse. The volume of CARES Act funds and the speed with which they must be disbursed puts them at a higher risk for fraud, waste, and abuse.

June 17, 2020, Memorandum to the Secretary: Key Potential Risk Areas for the Department of Transportation in Overseeing CARES Act Requirements (html) (pdf). By maintaining focus on these risk areas early on and putting in place key internal controls, DOT can promote efficiencies; help ensure compliance; and better prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.

Congress Created Virus Aid, Then Reaped the Benefits | US News (html) | AP News (html).

Unfortunately, much of the CARES Act funding is bogus and hurts taxpayers with fraud, waste, and abuse. Besides the ridiculous MDOT funding levels based on phony decades old amateur stats, here are more examples:

Similar MDOT ‘Like Examples’ of CARES Act Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

Why Is Humboldt County’s $17M Windfall in CARES Act Funding for COVID Relief Going to the Airport, Of All Places? (html) | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County News. If that sounds like a lot of money for our little regional airport, well, it is. The figure represents four times the airport’s annual operating expenses. All of which raises the question: Is the airport really where federal relief funds are most needed right now? Our local airport isn’t the only one to haul in an unexpectedly large sum. Regional airports across the country have received what Politico dubbed (html) “CARES Act Bonanzas,” with figures that left airport administrators and industry experts scratching their heads (html). ‘Windfall’: Funding formula allows some small airports to cash in big on stimulus money. Some facilities receive enough money to pay for decades of operations – others just a few months, many shouldn’t receive any taxpayer dollars at all.

Feds sending $108 million to Ohio airports as part of CARES Act (html) | Ohio | thecentersquare.com. The Buckeye State received less than half of that of Michigan, where 94 airports received a total of nearly $257 million.

Avoiding Improper Use of CARES Act Airport Grants (html) – Law360.

FAA takes back 80% of CARES Act funding for Merced Regional Airport (html) | YourCentralValley.com.

California City of Santa Monica might forgo airport grant to guarantee 2028 closure (html) | Santa Monica Daily Press.

Why some small airports got Cares Act bonanzas (html) – POLITICO.

Covid-19: GAO Can’t Solve the $2.7 Trillion Federal Aid Mystery (html) – Bloomberg. A lack of transparency and accountability means few know where federal money is landing, what impact it’s having and how the effort to battle the virus is going. Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued the first comprehensive analysis (html) (pdf) of how trillions of dollars of taxpayer money is being spent to protect Americans, the economy and public services from the ravages of Covid-19. Its broad conclusions aren’t reassuring.

U.S. GAO – Airport Infrastructure: Information on Funding and Financing for Planned Projects (html) (pdf) (highlights pdf), Feb 13, 2020. “Inadequate funds” translates to “Taxpayer Dollars Wasted” with no ROI especially for Non-Commercial superfluous duplicate airstrips that generate no revenue or jobs, e.g. located within short distances of other airports that do generate revenue and jobs.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Transportation Research Board, Financing Airport Improvements (html) (pdf), 2019-3-15.

U.S. Airport Infrastructure Funding and Financing: Issues and Policy Options Pursuant to Section 122 of the 2018 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act (html) (pdf), appendixes (pdf)| RAND. Smaller airports by definition have a smaller user base that offers fewer opportunities for raising revenue. These airports are therefore more reliant on federal grants than larger airports for paying the high fixed costs related to runways, taxiways, aprons, safety, and security. Taxpayers should NOT be paying for any of these Non-Essential Non-Commercial Hobby, Sport, Recreational airstrips and the associated high fixed cost necessities.

A ‘rare’ good example use of FAA funds: Final Environmental Assessment (pdf): Runway 14-32 Closure and Removal, Willow Run Airport (YIP), June 2014, Ypsilanti, MI. Prepared on behalf of: Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) Wayne County (html), Michigan (html).

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Financing Small Commercial-Service Airports: Federal Policies and Options (pdf), April 1999. Applies to Commercial, NOT Non-Essential Non-Commercial Hobby, Sport, Recreational airstrips that fall thru the cracks and leech taxpayer dollars on useless MDOT “Pork Barrel” projects.

Michigan State Airport System Plan (now called MASP) from 1990 (pdf). Canton-Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 wasn’t even on the radar so to speak. Report shows roughly 1 airport per county for counties with aircraft requirements including existing Very High Frequency (VHF) Omni-Directional Range (VOR) VORs requirements are probably pretty much still the same. MDOT aggressively expanded 1d2 because several MDOT & MAC members live close by, and otherwise is not strategic or required for any transportation plan at the State or National (Federal) level, and never has been.

State Aviation Journal (html) – might help to try to figure out what the MDOT Clown Patrol is thinking, but then again probably not?

It’s not even possible to make this stuff up, zero checks & balances, incredible largest waste of taxpayer money in the history of the State of Michigan that continues!

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Immune From All COVID-19 Limitations

In a matter of months, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has killed more than 112,000 Americans, cost more than 41 million people their jobs, based on initial jobless claim filings, and completely upended the longest economic expansion in U.S. history.

An unprecedented physical and financial toll over the very short term that led Congress to pass and the president to sign the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law more in under two months.

Now the State of Michigan, counties, and municipalities are deep in red ink, hemorrhaging money and the State of Michigan Department of Transportation continues to fund & operate Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip, a major source of Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning in densely populated neighborhoods closely surrounded by many schools abusing Local, State and Federal taxpayer money openly laughing.

Plymouth Canton Community Schools (PCCS) facing massive state funding decrease (html) – Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (PCCS) leaders brace for potential devastating cuts to state funding. The severity of funding cuts was uncertain, however, estimates as high as $2,000 per student are possible while MDOT flaunts the abuse of Local, State and Federal dollars for weekend overtime to cut the lawn and add new landscaping mulch to facilitate, plan, execute and support Parties (Fly-Ins) for Wealthy Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists! This most certainly is MDOT malfeasance of the highest degree on display!

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues their decades old journey wading further and further into the private sector, and has not learned a thing continuing to support and subsidize un-needed non-essential Recreational, Sport, Hobby Airstrips across the State of Michigan. When the MDOT folly is revealed it will amount to the largest single waste of taxpayer money in the history of Michigan, millions and millions of taxpayer dollars with no provable benefits or ROI, only biased phony stats and fabricated testimonials made up using amateur estimates with multiple conflicts of interest. MDOT continues to condone, support, acquiesce, and even openly advocate and encourage sickening Michigan residents with Tetraethyl Lead from Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel damaging & destroying the Health, Safety & Welfare of vulnerable populations.

It’s all about Privilege, Wealth, and Connections judging by the number of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Administration and Michigan Aeronautical Commission (MAC) officials that live close by protecting their ‘sponsored’ non-essential Hobby, Sport Recreational select ‘pet project’ airstrips of their choice across the State of Michigan. In the case of Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip, MDOT/MAC officials live very close minutes away in Dearborn, Canton, Plymouth Townships etc.

Nobody will miss any of these hostile clowns once they can no longer destroy the Health, Safety and Welfare of Canton and Plymouth Township Michigan. Taxpayers will realize they’ve been duped by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the last 20 years. It’s just a matter of time until all these turds (html) get flushed from our neighborhoods and communities, the sooner the better! Nationwide Flint Michigan is synonymous with Lead Poisoning and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Owned & Operated Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 is synonymous with Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning!

Why is Michigan in The Airport Business? (html) – Michigan Capitol Confidential. Michigan Lawmakers have been asking questions but not finding answers. Nobody can get straight answers (from the Michigan Department of Transportation MDOT) about what the costs are and why taxpayers and the State of Michigan continue to be ripped off by MDOT malfeasance, negligence and malpractice.

With more than 200 airports in Michigan available for public use, which is way too many per capita btw, nobody in the State of Michigan is convinced that State ownership of any of these ridiculous airstrips is critical. Besides Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2, Linden’s Price’s Airport (9G2), largely serves the needs of a private group of people who own homes with attached hangars, adjacent to the state-owned runway. Non-essential Hobby, Sport, Recreational airstrips, a travesty and blatant abuse of taxpayer money the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) thinks they can continue to fund, operate, and hide.

James Hohman (html) [Facebook], director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (html), said operating the airports without annual subsides is laudable, but “these are private purposes that can be provided by the private sector without the state needing to get involved.” Taxpayers demand investments in Schools & Infrastructure for the good of all, not continued special MDOT treatment for wealthy Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists across the State of Michigan. Favoritism, bias and multiple conflicts of interest appear to be the typical MDOT modus operandi and show a continuing pattern of negative MDOT behavior resulting in the largest waste of taxpayer dollars in the history of Michigan.

Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 openly ridicules and mocks the FAA including local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO), laughs at FAA “Safety Classes” and boasts of FAA, aka “the Feds”, and their inability to enforce any rules as 1d2 locals are protected from Federal abuse or intervention at a State of Michigan Department of Transportation owned and operated airstrip. This includes not only MDOT clowns & bullies and their appointed third-party contractors, but also Special Interests, Industry Lobbyists plus family and friends. Helicopter Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) [Wikipedia] [pdf] should have never be allowed to operate in densely populated neighborhoods surrounded by schools under any circumstances.

MDOT makes archaic public statements regarding misleading test findings, facts, statistics and conceals information related to Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning from Leaded 100LL Aviation fuel. Michigan taxpayers must be given accurate, complete and timely information to understand, respond to and limit the impact of Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning from Leaded 100LL Aviation fuel and its devastating effect on Vulnerable populations across the State of Michigan.

MDOT continues to perpetrate the largest waste of taxpayer money over the last 25 years sickening local communities, defying logic, all common sense, financial, scientific, and medical facts, all with no end game in sight. It’s desperate times like these that make it clear to examine every line-item in any Michigan or MDOT budget for waste, abuse and mis-use of taxpayer funds at every airport & airstrip with any MDOT involvement across the entire State of Michigan.

MDOT has run rampant for too long prioritizing MDOT personal agendas at the expense of Public Education and the Health, Safety and Welfare of children, neighborhoods and families. The special interests and industry lobbyists that benefit from using these facilities must pay for them themselves, NOT Michigan taxpayers.

It’s also clear that air pollution, like that from 100LL Lead Aviation Fuel exacerbates Covid-19 (html)(html) (html)(html) – A recent study found that even small increases in fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, have had an outsized effect in the US. An increase of just 1 microgram per cubic meter corresponded to a 15% increase in Covid-19 deaths (html) (pdf), according to the researchers at the Harvard University (html) T.H. Chan School of Public Health (html). Areas With More Air Pollution Do Have Had More Covid-19 Fatalities (html). COVID-19 PM2.5 Project (html) – Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States (Updated April 5, 2020). The latest on the coronavirus (html) | News | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Is air pollution making the coronavirus pandemic even more deadly (html)?

Experts are predicting that the crisis (medical & financial) will persist for two more years – Covid-19 Pandemic Likely to Last Two Years, Report Says (html) – A report from University of Minnesota (UMinn) Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) – COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint (pdf) predicts the coronavirus pandemic is likely to continue in waves that could last beyond 2022. Additionally, the Pandemic’s Long-Term Pain Is Just Becoming Clear to Markets. Investors Beware, Virus’s Long-Term Pain Just Becoming Clear (html). Study sees need for some social distancing into 2022 to curb coronavirus (html). Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period (html) (pdf) | American Association for the Advancement of Science. Analysis suggests states need to plan for second wave of COVID-19 (html).

It’s certainly way past due to shut down Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip to protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of surrounding communities and protect Michigan taxpayers hard earned money!

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) & Michigan Regional Aviation Cuts

American Airlines suspends service to 15 U.S. cities, August 19, 2020 (html) – CBS News. 15 cities including Kalamazoo, Michigan. Travel industry experts have predicted that the pandemic could cost domestic airlines more than $20 billion in lost revenue this year. The industry globally could lose up to $84 billion this year, according to the International Air Transport Association. More than 80,000 pilots, flight attendants and other airline workers could be furloughed as carriers attempt to navigate catastrophic losses stemming from COVID-19.

Delta will stop flying to 11 US cities indefinitely: list (html) – Business Insider. The US Department of Transportation (html) approved the cuts, scheduled to take effect on July 8, which primarily affect small regional destinations across the US.

Delta Air Lines announced the suspension of service to 11 American cities indefinitely as part of an effort to reduce its route network after a devastating first half of 2020. Effective July 8, the cuts come as part of Delta’s plan to reduce domestic flying by 80% for the second quarter and international flying by 90%.

Flint, Michigan: Flint Bishop International Airport (html) (KFNT) will no longer see Delta service to Atlanta, the airline’s Detroit hub is less than an hour drive away.

Delta to suspend flying in select U.S. cities (html) | Delta News Hub. Flint, MI (KFNT) Bishop International Airport, Flint Michigan.

Airlines seek to cut service at these cities due to the coronavirus (html) | USA Today. Cities push back as airlines seek dozens of new service cuts. Is your airport on the list? Three airports in Michigan landed some congressional support in their bid for clout with the DOT. Michigan’s two senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, teamed with Reps. Fred Upton, Daniel Kildee and Elissa Slotkin in a bipartisan protest cuts service in Lansing, Flint and Kalamazoo/Battle Creek. Their letter said the proposed cuts “do not comport with Congress’ intent to preserve aviation service” in having passed the federal stimulus bill that bailed out the airline industry.

Press Releases | Newsroom | U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan. Peters, Stabenow, Upton, Kildee, Slotkin Urge Trump Administration to Reject Requests to Halt Service at Airports in Lansing, Flint & Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (html). Text of the letter is copied below and available (pdf).

Delta Airlines aims to suspend flights in Lansing, officials push back (html) | Lansing State Journal. Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, Rep. Dan Kildee, all Democrats, and Rep Fred Upton, a Republican, Monday sent a letter to federal transportation officials asking them to preserve service to the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing, as well as airports in Flint and Kalamazoo.

$10M to help offset losses at Capital Region International Airport (html) | Lansing State Journal. More than $10 million from the federal government will help sustain Lansing’s Capital Region International Airport (html) (KLAN) during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Capital Region International Airport will get $10.3 million of the $256 million provided to Michigan through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to offset any impact from the COVID-19 outbreak. The Mason Jewett Field Airport (KTEW) will get roughly $30,000 through the grant program.

The Economy Will Not Soon Return to Normal: Here’s Why (html) – Friday May 22, 2020 the FAA granted airlines the right to halt service to regional cities. As many as 60 cities face flight shutdowns, some may be cancelled for good. This includes Flint Michigan (Delta) and Kalamazoo Michigan (United) for now, and probably many more to come. An objection period lasts through next Thursday May 28, 2020 when the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) will make a final ruling. The airlines have targeted 60 cities. Airlines should certainly decide, not the government, and there should be complete transparency so taxpayers know what’s going on with their tax dollars.

Michigan Regional Impact – Taxpayers may be inconvenienced a bit, having to drive an additional hour or less, the FAA should announce more details shortly.

Airlines to Abandon Dozens of Regional Cities (html).

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information from the FAA (html). For latest FAA updates refer to: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update (html).

Essential Air Service (html) | US Department of Transportation. Essential Air Service (EAS) – Abused program shows total waste of taxpayer dollars when people can drive a car a short distance to a major airport.

Congressional Research Service (html) – R44176 – Essential Air Service (EAS), Updated December 19, 2018 (pdf). The 70-Mile Rule and Measures to Shrink the Program. Over the years, Congress has sought to limit the scope of the EAS program, mostly by eliminating subsidy support for communities within a reasonable driving distance of a major hub airport and by imposing a cap on the per-passenger subsidy. Although numerous communities have been removed from the program, these efforts have generally failed to contain overall spending on EAS.

The Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000 prohibited DOT from subsidizing carriers that provide EAS service to communities in the 48 states plus Puerto Rico that are located fewer than 70 highway miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport.

These measures are meant to protect Air Carriers AND taxpayers. Taxpayers get stuck footing the bill at the Local, State, and Federal level by design.

This would eliminate large amounts of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) taxpayer waste for phony, misleading and fraudulent justification & support for airports & airstrips on life support that are absolutely NO LONGER required, and really never have been! Michigan taxpayers have been duped long enough.

It’s time to get the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) involved along with the Federal Inspector General to reveal Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) fraud on the grandest scale. Phony, misleading, fraudulent Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Michigan Aviation System Plan (MASP) (pdf) tries to support & justify Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip generates higher benefits & ROI than Flint Michigan FNT (KFNT). The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues the largest waste of Local, State, and Federal tax dollars in the history of Michigan!

Aviation (html) | Office of Inspector General (html) | U.S. Department of Transportation (html).

USDOJ Office of the Inspector General (html).

USDOJ/OIG | Report Waste, Fraud, or Abuse (html).

USDOJ/OIG | Whistleblower Rights and Protections (html).

Oversight.gov (html) | All Federal Inspector General Reports in One Place.

Report Fraud Hotline (html) | Office of Inspector General | U.S. Department of Transportation.

FAA Hotline Information System (FHIS) | US Department of Transportation.

POGO.org Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

Report Waste, Fraud, Abuse, or Retaliation (html) | Oversight.gov.

U.S. GAO – Commercial Aviation: Effects of Changes to the Essential Air Service Program, and Stakeholders’ Views on Benefits, Challenges, and Potential Reforms (html).

Previous MDOT Updates

Stuck in an infinite loop : Plymouth Canton mettetal 1d2 — Still Open for “Business as Usual.” — Wealthy Cirrus & Helicopter owners, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and other Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist clubs and groups continue their Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning barrage on the Canton & Plymouth Communities, neighborhoods and PCCS schools thru a very busy Sunday March 1, 2020. Truly arrogant, entitled, vengeful, vindictive evil clowns, and creeps believing they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want.

The 1d2 people that live locally are embarrassed, humiliated and ashamed that friends, neighbors and the surrounding communities know they’re responsible for poisoning everyone with Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead with their hobby, sport, recreational activity. Others that live outside the local communities really do NOT care at all since it’s not in their backyard, on top of their schools, families and children, and their neighborhoods and friends.

It seems this is how these 1d2 people roll [define], embarrassing themselves and other respected & responsible aviation communities across the entire United States.

The State of Michigan continues in providing absolutely NO protection for vulnerable populations from MDOT owned uncontrolled airstrip that cannot be controlled whatsoever.

There is absolutely no sense of urgency, no public comments, and certainly no protection for vulnerable populations whatsoever from any official Michigan source! The MDOT “Tetraethyl Lead is Harmless” campaign & reign of “Tetraethyl Lead is innocent” continues.

Another busy year goes by as the “MDOT Pure Michigan Lead” campaign at Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 aisrtrip continues, brought to you by Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and some of the same cast of evil grinning clowns that helped cover up MDOT Lead Poisoning during the Flint Lead Poisoning Debacle time period!

It’s pretty clear in light of the massive volume of indisputable medical, scientific, and technological evidence that in Michigan “Lead Poisoning is INNOCENT until proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt!” Perhaps we should ask the parents of the PCCS School children with Autism Spectrum Disorder how they feel?

Sadly, the battle over the State of Michigan budget & spending bills do not address Governor Whitmer’s largest single veto and the one directly related to the roads — a proposed $375 million shift in discretionary general funds to the laughable $5 BILLION Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) transportation budget. The proposed MDOT budget contains the single largest waste of taxpayer dollars in the history of Michigan devoted to the hobby, sport, recreational pastime for MDOT employees, friends, family, third party contractors, Special Interests, Industry Lobbyists, Michigan Aeronautics Commission (MAC) and MDOT Administration members (html), many local in Plymouth and Canton!

There is absolutely ZERO visibility to the massive ongoing waste of taxpayer money carefully and skillfully hidden amongst $5 BILLION DOLLARS containing many bureaucratic driven pet projects, including many un-needed State of Michigan MDOT owned hobby, sport, recreational airstrips! A tragic waste of money that could be better invested in education, infrastructure, sustainability and the environment to fix Michigan’s almost irreparably damaged image and reputation on environment and sustainability.

This is a perfect example of the “Tail wagging the dog” [define]. Since the Flint Lead Poisoning Debacle in the not too distant past, NOBODY wants to talk or have ANY open conversation or even acknowledge Lead Poisoning from 100LL Leaded Aviation Fuel and continue to Acquiesce to the abundantly obvious and indisputable medical, scientific, and technological evidence while still contributing and blatantly increasing the level of continued Community Health Malpractice and Negligence.

The effects of the phony bloated MDOT budget can be felt stretching from the City of Detroit (Mike Duggan) in Wayne County (Warren Evans), to Dearborn, home of Ford Motor Company (Ford) and lifelong futurist on urban mobility and the environment Executive Chairman Bill Ford (Fontinalis) (Ford), Canton Township (Pat Williams), Plymouth Township (Kurt Heise) (Ford) (Rivian) (Rivian CEO & Founder RJ Scaringe), Ypsilanti (City| Township), and on to Ann Arbor.

Henry Ford Health System Duped by Plymouth Township, Canton Township, & Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)!

The Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit health care organization in Metro Detroit. The corporate office is at One Ford Place, Detroit, Michigan 48202, and operates many other locations such as 2799 West Grand Boulevard Detroit, Michigan 48202, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S. and has over 32,000 employees (2019), and includes 6,200 + nurses (2019).

An affiliation with Wayne State University Medical School (html) provides more than 400 medical students that train at the Henry Ford Hospital each academic year. One of the largest Health Systems in Michigan and one of the most highly rated in the county.

Wright L. Lassiter III (html) is the President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, oversees the $7.5 billion health system comprised of six hospitals, a health plan and a wide range of ambulatory, retail, and related health services consisting of more than 250 locations and 32,000 employees.

Inconceivably Henry Ford Health has plans for a new Health center at former Plymouth Township Kmart at 40855 Ann Arbor Rd, Plymouth, MI 48170, and it’s not clear if senior management including Richard Chip Davis, PhD, EdM, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Henry Ford Health System South Market and Henry Ford Hospital, and Robert G. Riney, President, Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO) have been presented the real facts and really appreciate the magnitude of what’s going on? Whom would build a Medical facility practically right on top of a significant source of Lead Poisoning to children? What doctors and nurses would want to work there? And would anyone in the surrounding communities actually want to go there to get healthy? It would be great to hear the President and CEO Wright L. Lassiter III’s opinion!

BTW: This is common knowledge and is well known in the aviation industry for almost a decade, and is well known by elected Michigan officials and MDOT bureaucrats, past and present, from the time of the Flint Lead Poisoning Debacle!

The MDOT Health, Safety, and Welfare threats also affect and influence other critical & important local businesses such as Art Van, Bosch, IKEA, Rivian, Webasto, Yazaki, and the list goes on . . .

University of Michigan Health System, Beaumont Health System, Trinity Health and All Other Michigan Health Systems Should be Notified of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Lead Coverup!

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues to ignore, obscure, hide, and lie about the Effects of Leaded Aviation Fuel on Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) of Over 1 Million Children in Michigan (html), all while Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (PCCS) show a 47% increase in the number of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) students (html). MDOT actively implies, states, and maintains that there are safe levels of Lead!

The State of Michigan Constitution provides obligations to protect & warn taxpayers about the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Lead Coverup and related Health, Safety and Welfare effects including property damage. Shamefully Michigan Lawmakers and Departments, MDOT bureaucrats, County, and especially Local Plymouth Township and Canton Township Officials have done absolutely nothing to warn anyone at all.

Who can citizens and specifically our vulnerable populations count on for protection from Lead? The medical, scientific, and technological evidence is overwhelming and crystal clear. Lead is NOT acceptable for anyone at any level!

Health Systems across the State of Michigan should be alerted regarding any potential Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) related Lead exposure and poisoning to be on the lookout for Lead poisoning symptoms in children that they might not otherwise look for, suspect, recognize, or test for.

Four Prominent Michigan Health Systems:

University of Michigan Health System – Michigan Medicine – Excellence in Patient Care, Medical Education and Research. Michigan Medicine continues to deliver the Michigan Difference through cutting-edge research and premier patient care. According to U.S. News and World Report, we’re among the best in the nation in a broad range of adult and pediatric specialties. We’ve earned national recognition from other hospital-quality organizations, too. University of Michigan | Michigan Medicine 1500 E Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (html) Michigan Medicine | University of Michigan 7300 Medical Science Building I — A Wing, 1301 Catherine St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5624 (html) University of Michigan | CS Mott Children’s Hospital | Michigan Medicine 1540 E Hospital Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (html) Canton Health Center | Michigan Medicine 1051 N. Canton Center Rd. Canton, MI 48187 (html) Adult Medicine and Pediatrics Clinic at Canton Health Center | Michigan Medicine 1051 N. Canton Center Rd. Canton, MI 48187 (html) General Medicine at Canton Health Center 1051 N. Canton Center Rd. Canton, MI 48187 | Michigan Medicine (html) MLabs (Blood Draw Station) at Canton Health Center 1051 N. Canton Center Rd. Canton, MI 48187 | Michigan Medicine (html)

Beaumont Health System – Beaumont Health is Michigan’s largest health care system (based on inpatient admissions and net patient revenue) and provides patients with compassionate, extraordinary care, no matter where they live. With eight hospitals, 145 outpatient locations, nearly 5,000 physicians and more than 38,000 employees, Beaumont’s commitment to patient and family-centered care contributes to the health and well-being of residents throughout the community and beyond. Beaumont Health | Determination Lives Here 44201 Dequindre Rd, Troy, MI 48085 (html) Beaumont Professional & Medical Education, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine 586 Pioneer Dr, Rochester, MI 48309 (html) Beaumont Medical Center – Canton | Beaumont Health 7300 N. Canton Center Rd. Canton, MI 48187 (html) Beaumont Imaging Center – Canton | Beaumont Health 2050 N. Haggerty Rd., Suite 180, Canton, MI 48187 (html)

Henry Ford Health System – Henry Ford Health System is committed to improving the health and well-being of our diverse Michigan community and is comprised of hospitals, medical centers and one of the nation’s largest group practices, the Henry Ford Medical Group, which includes more than 1,200 physicians practicing in over 40 specialties. The System’s flagship, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, is a Level 1 Trauma Center recognized for clinical excellence in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, sports medicine, multi-organ transplants and cancer treatment. With more than 30,000 employees, Henry Ford Health System is the fifth-largest employer in metro Detroit, and among the most diverse. Henry Ford Health System | Henry Ford Health System – Detroit, MI One Ford Place, Detroit, Michigan (html) Henry Ford Medical Center – Canton | Henry Ford Health System – Detroit, MI 6100 N Haggerty Rd, Canton,MI 48187 (html) Henry Ford Medical Center – Plymouth | Henry Ford Health System – Detroit, MI 14300 N Beck Rd, Plymouth,MI 48170 (html) HAP | Affordable Michigan Health Insurance | Michigan Health Insurance | HAP 2850 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202 (html)

Trinity Health – Livonia, Michigan (MI) – Trinity Health (html) • 20555 Victor Parkway, Livonia, Michigan 48152 – Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 106 continuing care locations that include PACE programs, senior living facilities, and home care and hospice services. Its continuing care programs provide nearly 2 million visits annually, with annual operating revenues of $19.3 billion and assets of $27 billion, the organization returns $1.2 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs about 129,000 colleagues, including 7,500 employed physicians and clinicians. Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (html), A member of Trinity Health – Saint Joseph Mercy Health System is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. St. Joe’s has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $115 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs. St Joseph Mercy Health Center Canton (html), 1600 S Canton Center Rd, Canton, MI 48188



Aggressive MDOT Airstrip Expansion Equals Plymouth Canton Community School System (PCCS) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Double-Digit Increase

The dramatic double-digit increase of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) enrolled in PCCS Schools (html) Directly Corresponds with aggressive expansion at Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) owned Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip since 2010.

Out of control and costly to taxpayer expansion secretly, stealthily and almost unnoticed by the community doubled hangar foot print, which more than doubled aircraft including several twin engine aircraft that don’t belong there, several owners with multiple aircraft, many additional helicopters, which more than doubled yearly operations (take offs/landings), coupled with MDOT promoted and advertised Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist events including fly-in Boondoggles, Picnics & Pancake Breakfast Carnivals with expanded parking, free aircraft & helicopter rides, Swivel Chair (Swivel Chair Patrol) oops I mean Civil Air Patrol (CAP) meetings, events, outings, airplane and helicopter training classes still conducted in January 2020, etc.

Industrial Helicopter MROs should never be allowed embedded in any densely populated neighborhoods and are not allowed to anywhere else in the United States. It’s all MDOT friends, family, third party contractors, Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists, one big happy incestuous family!

All of this MDOT sponsored activity embedded in densely populated neighborhoods extremely close to 3 local schools with thousands of children, with many more schools in the local vicinity with the singular goal to increase State & FAA funding on behalf of local cronies. Truly sad behavior from a once proud Michigan department and the so-called Michigan Aeronautics Commission (MAC), another complete joke! Is this the price taxpayers pay for phony MDOT progress, expansion & growth with astonishing and seemingly fraudulent budgets & fictional ROI.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – Reproducible Biomarker: Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead in Canton Township and Plymouth Township Neighborhoods, Schools and PCCS Students

Who poisoned Flint? No one held accountable after 4 years – mlive.com (html). Many understand what happened is shocking & criminal, but you have to make sure it’s the right people that are punished for this mess. However, equally important is testimony that revealed key facts regarding Lead Poisoning that should be very concerning to every Canton Township, Plymouth Township and Michigan parent.

A spokeswoman for Michigan Solicitor General Hammoud who declined to comment on the status of the solicitor general’s current investigation, mentioned that Hammoud herself said during the Shekter-Smith plea review that what happened in Flint was a crime.

“This court heard the testimony regarding lead and the impacts of lead poisoning, which can devastate health throughout a lifetime and may even alter DNA to affect future generations,” she said. “That’s what this crime is about.”

It seems that “Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead” is a reproducible, repeatable, demonstrable biomarker [define], e.g. a measurable substance in an organism whose presence is indicative of some phenomenon such as disease, infection, or environmental exposure that is present in Canton Township and Plymouth Township Neighborhoods, Schools and PCCS Students. Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead has manifested itself and is repeating as shown in student enrollments in PCCS since 2010 in parallel with Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip expansion doubling since 2010.

Plymouth Canton Community Schools (PCCS) students and families right to “bodily integrity” has been and is still being violated under the U.S. Constitution.

A serious concern echoed by Dr. Doug Ruden, Wayne State University (html) (html) (html) (GoogleScholar) (LinkedIn), who leads a team of scientists who test blood samples to study the way lead impacts people. His team found that babies are impacted by moms who were exposed to lead. “The way you think about it is: if a mother is pregnant with a baby, she’s also carrying the baby’s children too” Ruden says.“It’s like Russian nesting dolls.”

When Dr. Ruden was asked if he could send one message to Detroiters based on what you know about Lead, what would you say? “All kids under the age of 6 should be tested for Lead.” High Lead levels may not show symptoms for awhile, but once you know lead is a problem, you can take steps to address it.

See Lead Safe Home: Fact Sheet (pdf)

In partnership with: Detroit – Wayne County Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors (CURES) – Wayne State University (WSU) Center for Urban Studies (html) :: Wayne State University (WSU)

Sponsored by: The Kresge Foundation (html) | Expanding opportunities in America’s cities CLEARCorps/Detroit (html) Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (html)

While Many Communities Openly Fight MDOT and Other Michigan Polluters Michiganders find solidarity in fighting hazardous waste (html) Sterling Heights seeks long-term sustainability (html) | macombdaily.com Michigan Legislators unveil legislation to hold polluters accountable (html)



The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Guidelines Have Changed

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of autism for the first time in 12 years. The changes are based on the latest research for early identification. AAP: Autism Treatment Should Be Early, Intense, and Family-Driven.

AAP also recommends ongoing surveillance, performed by pediatricians and primary care providers, through school age.

Dr. Susan Hyman, MD, of the University of Rochester in New York stated “One of the reasons we’re so strongly recommending screening is, it’s a structured way to listen to parents and their concerns.” She went on to say “In the absence of a Reproducible Biomarker that will let us know who is at risk for autism in infancy, the clinical diagnosis requires that human interaction that pediatricians have 13 times in the first three years of life in the context of well-child care.”

However, continuous local Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) increases show that a Reproducible, Repeatable, Demonstrable Biomarker is present: Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead in Canton Township and Plymouth Township Neighborhoods, Schools and PCCS Students. The State of Michigan should focus on eliminating Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning caused by Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 airstrip!

Here is American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2020 updated recommendations report:

Full Report: Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (html) (pdf)| American Academy of Pediatrics. Susan L. Hyman, Susan E. Levy, Scott M. Myers and Council on Children With Disabilities, Section on Developmental And Behavioral Pediatrics, Pediatrics January 2020, 145 (1) e20193447; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3447

Executive Summary: Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (html) (pdf) | American Academy of Pediatrics

Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) previous 2015 recommendations report:

Early Identification and Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Executive Summary (html) (pdf), PEDIATRICS Volume 136, Supplement 1, October 2015| American Academy of Pediatrics, PediatricsOctober 2015, 136 (Supplement 1) S1-S9; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-3667B

Early Identification and Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Executive Summary (html) – PubMed – NCBI

Related Key Reports from the US Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), US Department of Health & Human Services (USDHHS), USA.gov

2017 IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research (html) (pdf) | IACC. Answers Essential Eight Questions for Parents.

International Portfolio Analysis 2016 (html) (pdf) (News Release) | IACC

Report to Congress – on Activities Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities (html) (pdf) Thursday, April 11, 2019 | IACC

DRAFT Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — 2018 Update (pdf). [MONTH] 2019. Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee website

Essential Autism Resources

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Autism Initiatives (html)

University of Michigan U-M (UMich) & Michigan Health System (html) Autism Spectrum Disorders (html) – Mary A. Rackham Institute (html) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (html) Autism Spectrum Disorders (html) | CS Mott Children’s Hospital (html) | Michigan Medicine (html)

Finding approved autism evaluation centers and licensed behavior analysts (pdf), Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and Blue Care Network of Michigan (html), For Blue Cross PPO (commercial) and BCN HMOSM (commercial) members Revised January 2020

Autism spectrum (html) – Wikipedia

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (html) | Autism | National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) | CDC Recommendations & Guidelines (html) | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Community Report on Autism 2018 (html) (pdf)| Autism | National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) | CDC

Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Every Parent Needs to Know (html): 9781610022699: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

National Autism Association (NAA) | Providing real help and hope for the autism community since 2003.

What is Autism? (html) | American Autism Association (MyAutism)

State of Michigan (SoM) Autism – Autism (html) Autism – Resources (html)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (html) – Michigan Alliance for Families (html)

Autism Alliance of Michigan (html). Navigating Autism Today!

Autism Society of Michigan (html)

Michigan Autism Conference (html), 8th Annual Michigan Autism Conference, October 8-9, 2020

Other Important Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Studies

More Guidelines than states: variations in U.S. lead screening and management guidance and impacts on shareable CDS development (html) (pdf)| BMC Public Health | Full Text | 29 January 2020 – Pediatric lead exposure in the United States (U.S.) remains a preventable public health crisis. Shareable electronic clinical decision support (CDS) could improve lead screening and management. However, discrepancies between federal, state and local recommendations could present significant challenges for implementation. Current variability across guidance poses challenges for clinicians.

Early Autism Screening: A Comprehensive Review (html) (pdf), 2019 Sep; 16(18): 3502. Published online 2019 Sep 19. doi: 3390/ijerph16183502 (html) (pdf)

Promoting early autism detection and intervention in underserved communities: study protocol for a pragmatic trial using a stepped-wedge design (html) (pdf), BMC Psychiatry. 2019; 19: 169. Published online 2019 Jun 7. doi: 1186/s12888-019-2150-3

Life After Lead: Effects of Early Interventions for Children Exposed to Lead Life After Lead: Effects of Early Interventions for Children Exposed to Lead (html) (pdf) | IZA – Institute of Labor Economics. July 2017, Stephen B. Billings Kevin T. Schnepel, IZA DP No. 10872 Life After Lead: Effects of Early Interventions for Children Exposed to Lead (html) | Leeds School of Business (html) | University of Colorado Boulder (html) Life after Lead: Effects of Early Interventions for Children Exposed to Lead (html) (pdf) – American Economic Association (AEA) Life After Lead: Effects of Early Interventions for Children Exposed to Lead (html) (pdf) | Semantic Scholar

Optimizing Outcome in Autism Spectrum Disorders – Deborah Fein, Marianne Barton, Thyde Dumont-Mathieu, 2017, (html) (pdf), Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2017, Vol. 4(1) 71–78, © The Author(s) 2017, DOI: 10.1177/2372732216685098 https://journals.sagepub.com/home/bbs

Identification and Evaluation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (html) (pdf) | American Academy of Pediatrics, Chris Plauché Johnson, Scott M. Myers and ; and the Council on Children With Disabilities, Pediatrics, November 2007, 120 (5) 1183-1215; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-2361

Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) – Officials Covering Up Lead Poisoning NOT Immune, and Are Accountable!

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) – Officials covering up Lead Poisoning are NOT immune and can and should be held accountable!

The SCOTUS Justices turned away two appeals by City, State and Local officials of a lower court ruling that allowed lawsuits to move forward. The lower court rejected a demand for immunity by the officials, finding that they violated the residents’ right to “bodily integrity” [define] under the U.S. Constitution.

The cases center on the Constitution’s 14th Amendment guarantee of due process under the law, which can protect people from government-induced harm to their personal security or health, a legal principle known as “bodily integrity.” However, calling the water crisis a “government-created environmental disaster” in a 2019 ruling, the 6th Circuit green-lighted the constitutional claims and rejected immunity for the officials. SCOTUS confirmed.

The lawsuit claims the officials failed to protect residents from a foreseeable risk of harm from exposure to Lead. Everyone except MDOT seems to know that Lead really is poison, really it is. The lawsuit and others like it claim that the public has a constitutional right to “bodily integrity” that was duly violated.

Supreme Court won’t take case prompted by Flint water crisis – Detroit News (html), January 21, 2020

Supreme Court won’t take case stemming from Flint water crisis – Detroit Free Press (html), January 21, 2020

Supreme Court won’t hear case related to Flint water crisis – mlive.com (html), Jan 21, 2020

Supreme Court lets Flint, Michigan residents sue over water contamination – Reuters (html), January 21, 2020

Supreme Court allows lawsuit against Flint city officials to advance | The Hill (html), 01/21/20

Attorney says Supreme Court decision on Flint water brings federal trial closer to reality – mlive.com (html), Jan 21, 2020

Supreme Court Allows Flint Water Lawsuits To Move Forward, Officials Not ‘Immune’ : NPR (html), January 21, 2020

Relevant SCOTUS and Sixth Circuit Court Lead Poisoning Legal Documents

SCOTUS Petition (pdf) Questions Presented: Whether the 14th Amendment’s constitutional right to “bodily integrity” extends to encapsulate a right to be protected by state regulators from a foreseeable risk of harm from exposure to contaminants in public drinking water, or to be free from allegedly false statements by an agency spokesperson. If so, whether such a bodily-integrity right was clearly established at the time the defendant officials were fulfilling their official duties. Whether mere alleged mistakes and regulatory inaction by state regulators, or allegedly false statements by an agency spokesperson, are sufficiently “conscience shocking” to strip a government official of qualified immunity.

SCOTUS Motion for Stay docket to review Sixth Circuit Court Decision, Dated: June 7, 2019 (pdf)

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (html) Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Ann Arbor. No. 5:16-cv-12412—Judith E. Levy, District Judge. Argued: June 6, 2018, Decided and Filed: January 4, 2019 (pdf)

Bodily Integrity 14th Amendment Claim Allowed by 6th Circuit Court (html) Friday, March 8, 2019 | The National Law Review (html)

Environmental Injustice/Racism in Flint, Michigan: An Analysis of the Bodily Integrity Claim in Mays v. Snyder as Compared to Other Environmental Justice Cases (pdf) Pace Environmental Law Review (html), Volume 35, Issue 1 Fall 2017, September 2017, Article 3

Approximately 25,000 people have sued over the Flint Lead Poisoning Crisis, in which a change in the source of the city’s water resulted in lead contamination. The lawsuit and others ‘like it’ are expected to go forward in lower courts. In principle Lead Poisoning from 100LL Leaded Aviation Fuel is basically the same, the contaminants are not in water but in soil & air, and it’s some of the same evil clowns doing the same thing all over again. One major difference is that Officials have known of Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Lead Poisoning for almost a full decade!

MDOT Negligence, Malpractice & Sad Pathetic Recycled Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist Excuses

MDOT Nefarious Actions, Dastardly & Repugnant Deeds:

MDOT Secretly Doubled 1d2 Airstrip activity

MDOT hid study of 1,000,000 (1M) Michigan Child BLLs linking Lead to Airports

Double-Digit ASD/ADHD Increase at PCCS Schools

MDOT response: “based on soil-lead concentrations observed, there does not appear to be a health risk to site workers or the public under the current site use conditions.”

A patently false bold-faced lie! MDOT is just a mouthpiece for Special Interests and Industry Lobbyists that much is clear. MDOT regurgitates the same old tired worn out, ‘nobody really believes this crap anyway’ Special Interest & Industry Lobbyist boilerplate mumbo-jumbo garbage. These MDOT clowns really think the public is stupid, and that vulnerable populations have no intrinsic value.

BTW: there are so many things wrong here, for starters MDOT Lead testing (if you can even call it that) was done in the completely wrong part of the year with very limited ops. Michigan just had the wettest water year in 119 years of records (html). Anyone could see samples taken in standing water, anyone within .5 km could see that MDOT hired teams armed with highly advanced precision fence post augers mounted on the back of old model rusty pickup trucks that were literally dripping mud & water! Just ask the third-party service that performed the MDOT’s highly technical sounding field work. This was not high-end certified laboratory work with people in white lab coats like in the movies, quite an amateur operation at best.

Additionally, Lead testing is NEVER a single isolated event by any stretch of the imagination as MDOT would have you believe! Besides MDOT has zero Lead testing history at this site, or in the local vicinity ever! In fact, MDOT does not track Leaded 100LL Aviation Fuel Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning at ANY airport in Michigan whatsoever! There is no public history or logs to show any MDOT sustainable activity regarding Lead Poisoning inventories performed or Lead evaluations anywhere in the entire State of Michigan period.

However, there is a very long and rich future schedule and documented history of MDOT sponsored & advertised Fly-in activities including picnics, parties, barbecues and other useless boondoggles. This includes more never-ending meaningless and totally bogus MAC meetings to wax philosophic about Non-existent Pilot Shortages and how it affects the overall aviation hobby, sport, recreation outlook with Special Interests, Industry Lobbyists and MDOT’s own MAC ‘Living Legends’ all while arguing about the next gourmet menu for future Fly-in Picnics & MAC coffee klatsch’s to celebrate their own highly touted but imagined and totally fictional contributions to the corpus of Aviation, Aerospace & Defense knowledge & industry market outlook in such places as Traverse City, truly pathetic!

This (typical Lead Poisoning coverup verbiage) is common knowledge and is well known in the aviation industry for almost a decade, literally nobody in the industry believes any of it for a second! What else is perfectly clear:

MDOT does not have medical, scientific, or technological qualifications to render such a public opinion, misleading, fraudulent, would be met with a cease & desist order in the real world, people would be fired immediately for implying and defending Lead is safe in any form/quantity/concentration.

MDOT does not provide data, evidence, or proof that Lead is NOT a health risk under ANY conditions or even stated conditions using descriptions specifically by Special Interests & Industry Lobbyists. Of course, these descriptions are worded by very skillful wordsmiths.

MDOT opinion is diametrically opposed to a voluminous amount of contradictory medical, scientific, and technological data, testing, measurements, substantial evidence and proof from many expert SME sources worldwide that Lead IS a known health risk at any concentration level or amount. Clearly PCCS kids have been sickened and damaged

MDOT clearly has multiple conflicts of interest

It appears that the Flint Lead Poisoning Debacle is just warming up! These same MDOT clowns and anyone that is complicit, colluded or conspired with MDOT will be held accountable for double digit increase of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at PCCS Schools! There is absolutely no excuse for a totally preventable disaster like this.

MDOT is Clearly Responsible, but Whom Else is Accountable as ‘Officials’?

The SCOTUS response to an appeal filed on behalf of City, State and Local officials and basically stated that anyone acting in an official capacity, an agency spokesperson [define], an agent [define] or representative cannot claim immunity to violating the PCCS students “bodily integrity”.

The term ‘official capacity’ could be construed to include those that provide MDOT Subject Matter Expert (SME) consulting, testing services, providing data, measurements, public statements or endorsements (implied or otherwise), verification or validation of safety, authenticity, operate or conduct business on behalf of MDOT, e.g. third-party contractor with titles such as Airport Manager (Mgrs), Assistant (Asst) Managers listed on official MDOT document ‘Airport Manager and Fixed Base Operators (FBO)’ list showing contact names and numbers in the Michigan Airport Directory (pdf) or Canton Plymouth Mettetal 1d2 documen