With smoke from Canada’s wildfires causing poor air quality across much of Michigan, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller sent an open letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, asking him to press Canadian officials to increase efforts to combat wildfires.
Miller, a former Republican congresswoman, called on Hoekstra, who is also a former Michigan Republican representative, to “make some noise” about the issue.
“(We’re) trying to make some noise and bring attention to this. We can rally together to try to do something more effective,” she said in her letter dated August 1. “I do understand that it's a natural disaster. However, their natural disaster seems like it is happening every summer.”
An advisory for poor air quality in Michigan was set to end on Wednesday, although the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said it’s possible smoke could return later in the summer because fire season typically lasts through September.
Miller said she is worried the wildfires causing smoke across the state could become the new normal.
“If this is going to be the new norm, we just can't accept that. They are going to have to do better,” she said.
In response to Miller’s letter, Hoekstra said in a statement that he recognizes the hardships faced by people in both Canada and the U.S.
“Poor air quality here in Ottawa, across Canada, and in the United States caused by the wildfires is a stark reminder of the shared challenges we face and the importance of working together to protect lives, communities, and natural resources,” the statement said.
Miller recommended better forest management, firebreaks and more firefighters as ways to help prevent fires in the upcoming years.
“We have to do this cooperatively because we all live here,” she said. “We can't just shrug our shoulders and hope they'll go out in the winter.”
Hoekstra noted the ongoing work by both the U.S. and Canada to prevent the spread of the wildfires.
“I am proud of the more than 800 U.S. firefighting personnel who stepped up to assist Canada during this difficult wildfire season. U.S. resources mobilized to Canada include airtankers, firefighting crews, complex incident management teams, and overhead staff,” his statement said.
Miller said climate change could be the root cause of the wildfires, but added that blaming climate change is not an excuse for inaction.
“You can't just go, ‘Oh, well, we told you it’s climate change and therefore you’ve got to suffer the consequences,’” she said. She added that the health effects of the poor air quality are unacceptable.
Miller said she hopes leaders from both the U.S. and Canada will work together to find a solution.
“This is wrong. We have seniors, we have children and infants who are trying to live and breathe clean air and fresh air. We need to work cooperatively toward a solution,” she said.
Hoekstra said he is committed to standing with Canada, as the U.S. has done in the past.
“The United States and Canada have a long history of supporting one another in times of crisis. Canadians stood with us during the tragic California wildfires earlier this year, and we are committed to standing with Canada now,” he said.
