Michigan Weighs in For Clean Air with 16,000 Comments to EPA

Michigan submitted more than 16,667 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in favor of cleaner air and setting stronger standards for particulate matter pollution as part of a public comment period in February and March as part of a Climate Action Campaign partnership with multiple Michigan organizations, including the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.

“The Biden administration has a real opportunity to make a huge difference in our air quality, our families’ health and to advance environmental justice in Michigan and across the country,” said CAC Director Margie Alt. “I hope President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan will listen to the thousands of Michiganders including doctors and nurses and business owners, as well as their own Science Advisory Committee and set the strongest possible soot pollution standards. Not only will this help to prevent the deadly impacts of toxic soot pollution, especially in overburdened communities, it will also have some benefits for our climate as well.”

The EPA is considering updated standards to ensure safer air and protect our health against soot pollution – also known as particulate matter, or PM 2.5 – from power plants and other industrial sources. Exposure to soot is linked to many health risks and chronic conditions, including asthma, heart disease, COPD, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, low birth weight, greater risk of preterm birth, and higher rates of infant mortality.

“Michigan businesses and their communities are increasingly concerned about the impacts of particulate matter to air quality and public health, especially in frontline neighborhoods.  We need to stand with impacted communities and demand stronger standards that will encourage actions toward healthier neighborhoods,” said Daniel Schoonmaker, Executive Director of Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.  “As it stands today, the Soot Rule isn’t doing much to protect these communities.  A stronger standard will improve public health and ultimately lower costs, while promoting investments in sustainability practice and related infrastructure.  It’s a win for our economy.”

“Michigan practitioners treat patients suffering the consequences of fine particulate pollution in our clinics and hospitals on a daily basis, especially in urban areas like Detroit, which experiences at least four times more hospitalizations for asthma when compared to the rest of the state.” said, Lisa Del Buono, MD, President of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action. As practitioners whose mandate it is to protect the health of our patients, especially those disproportionately impacted by particulate pollution, Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action calls on the EPA to finalize the strongest possible SOOT (PM 2.5) standards, consistent with the consensus data provided by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee of 8 µg/m3 annually and a 24-hour range of 25 µg/m3. 

As part of the Climate Action Campaign’s Solutions for Pollution coalition, the campaign delivered nearly 600,000 comments to the EPA from Americans nationwide.  Approximately 2,500 of those were from business and community leaders, including MiSBF members.