Michigan Lawmakers blame Canada for smoke
Bergman joins Reps demanding \'immediate action\'
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WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, joined fellow representatives John James, Lisa McClain and John Moolenaar, all Republicans, in addressing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand “immediate action” on wildfires in Ontario which are causing hazardous air quality across the state of Michigan.
“Our constituents in Michigan are once again under air quality alerts,” reads the letter. “Our hospitals are once again treating children, dialysis patients and older residents for the effects of smoke that did not originate anywhere near them. This is the third consecutive year we have had to write to Canadian officials about a crisis that Canada has the tools to prevent and has chosen not to.
“We were told last year that this would be treated with urgency. It was not. We were told the causes, chronic under-investment in forest thinning, fuel reduction, and prescribed burns, along with inadequate enforcement against arson, were being addressed. They were not, or not adequately enough to matter to the people we represent. Provincial leaders have offered excuses instead of results, and in some cases have openly dismissed the health of American citizens as an inconvenience to their own summer. That attitude is unacceptable from a neighbor and an ally.”
The U.S. government, under the direction of U.S. Forest Chief Tom Schultz, closed 55 out of the country’s 77 Forest Service Research labs in June, according to the USFS. Two of those labs were in the Upper Peninsula. Part of what the Forest Service does is manage wildland fires on National Forests and Grasslands through prevention and fire management strategies.
“We are done accepting apologies in place of action,” continued the letter from Bergman, James, McClaim and Moolenaar. “If Canada will not manage its forests to prevent these fires, the United States will look elsewhere, and act on our own, to protect our people. That means our own agencies exploring direct involvement in cross-border fuel reduction and firefighting capacity. It means reconsidering how much benefit of the doubt this relationship continues to earn on an issue where American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year. Sovereignty comes with responsibility, and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country's airspace has not been met.”
Carney released a statement on Thursday in response to the fires, unrelated to Bergman’s letter, stating that “The wildfire situation has escalated significantly over the last three weeks across the country and particularly in Northwestern Ontario. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their communities, not knowing if their homes will survive.
“On behalf of Canadians, I want to thank the brave firefighters, first responders, Indigenous and local leaders who are working tirelessly to keep people safe. Our government is in close contact with provincial, municipal, and Indigenous partners and stands ready to provide any additional support as needed.”