Dr. Aisha Harris, a family doctor from Flint and MiCCA member, gave a powerful testimony on the Michigan Capitol steps on Sept. 10, 2025. We are grateful for Dr. Harris' leadership and commitment to her patients and community.

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"I am here today because the decisions made in Michigan—by our legislators—can either protect or endanger the well-being of families across our state. When we talk about health, too often the conversation stops at hospitals, clinics, and prescriptions," Dr. Harris said.

"But health begins long before my patients walk through my office doors. It begins with the air we breathe, the energy that heats our homes, the buses that carry people to work, and the opportunities we create to share resources across our communities. That’s why I am urging our legislators to support community solar, public transportation, and affordable and dependable energy in Michigan."

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Read her full speech by clicking the link above.

Speakers emphasized the consequences of reduced support for clean energy tax credits, Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and other critical programs, as well as increased subsidies for fossil fuels. These cuts disproportionately affect vulnerable communities already facing environmental and economic challenges.
 

“Every window you look out, you see a corporate polluter,” said Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), standing in front of Salina Elementary School in Dearborn.  “The Big Budget Betrayal bill doubles down on tax incentives for fossil fuels.”
 

“How can a healthy body be resilient in an unhealthy environment?” said Mary-Jacqueline Muli, the Climate Justice Nurse and a MiCCA board member, in one of several references to the public health threats of mold in flooded homes.

"As Rep. Bergman recently wrote in his letter to the Chairman of the Canadian-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, “hospitals and clinics across my district are seeing higher rates of respiratory distress, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions.” 
 

He goes on to point out that forest thinning, fuel reduction, and prescribed burns are essential tools. These are pertinent strategies that can mitigate wildfires, though many areas currently burning are so remote that forest management techniques may simply not be feasible, according to reporting from the New York Times.

Unfortunately, Rep. Bergman failed to mention the primary driver of these increasingly destructive wildfires: human-induced climate change. Fueled by our warming climate, vast Canadian forests have turned into tinderboxes, ready to ignite. 

From the devastating ice storm here in northern Michigan to recent flash flooding in Detroit, the fingerprints of a destabilizing climate are everywhere. Yet despite mounting evidence and growing public concern, our government has chosen to look away."

“Rolling back the EPA’s ability to regulate planet-warming air pollutants at a time when extreme heat and humidity coupled with wildfire smoke has become a common summer-day occurrence in Michigan is unconscionable. Doctors, nurses, and first responders know that these extreme conditions make air quality worse and exacerbate underlying health conditions, bringing more and more patients to our offices, clinics, and emergency departments,” stated Dr. Elizabeth (Lisa) Del Buono, founder and board chair of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action. “But it doesn’t have to be this way when there are cheaper and more abundant alternative fuel sources like solar and wind that don't make people sick.”

“I am part of the chorus of organizations and individuals who urge the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to reject attacks on clean energy legislation. To roll back these laws is a disservice to Michigan residents,” said Mary-Jacqueline Muli, a Detroit registered nurse, founder of Climate Justice Nurse and board member of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action. “Climate change is harming Michigan residents’ health and will continue to do so until we make a change.” 

Lisa DelBuono, executive director of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action, called the move “an overt step to dismantle a federal office designed to ensure all people have equal access to a healthy, sustainable, and resilient environment.” She added, “Dismantling the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice is an egregious act of racism and one that fundamentally goes against the principles that most Americans hold dear.”

Dr. Lisa Del Buono, head of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action, emphasizes, “Fossil fuel pollution is detrimentally impacting Michigan residents today. These new standards represent a crucial step forward in safeguarding the health of disproportionately affected communities like Detroiters who are hospitalized for asthma at least four times as frequently as Michigan residents as a whole.”

“In the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, we are reminded of the terrifying human toll of the climate crisis,” says MiCCA’s Interim Executive Director, Lauren Church. “It is beyond time that we meaningfully regulate carbon emissions to preserve our chances for a livable planet. The EPA’s regulations are common-sense rules that respond to the public health and environmental needs of our time. The Court's decision affirms the EPA’s responsibility to regulate major polluters, which is essential to protecting clean air and meaningfully reducing climate-change-inducing emissions.”

The International Transformational Resilience Coalition, and more than 160 other organizations listed at the end of this letter, request that Congress enact HR 3073/S 1452, the bi-partisan Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act during this Congress. 

“Data centers use huge amounts of energy and water, so failing to provide rate payer protections or stipulations for clean energy threatens a healthy future for Michiganders,” said Dr. Lisa DelBuono, MD, MiCCA’s Board Chair and Founder. “This issue has been framed as a job issue but working people still need breathable air, affordable water and energy, and a livable planet.”

Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action commends President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan for finalizing strong methane standards on Dec. 2, 2023. As practitioners who see the health impacts of our changing climate in our offices, clinics, and hospitals each day, we recognize the urgent need to quickly and justly transition to a healthy clean energy future, and this is a substantive step in the right direction.

“We need to utilize every legislative and regulatory tool possible to urgently address climate change. EPA must move as quickly as possible to set the strongest carbon pollution standards for new and existing power plants, as well as set standards that reduce air and water pollution. These standards, along with the equitable implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, will save lives, avoid costly hospital and clinic visits, and improve the health of all Michigan residents today and into the future.” 

“From the consequences of poor air quality related to the wildfires in Canada to exacerbation of lung and heart problems from extreme weather events and their frequent subsequent power outages, practitioners in Michigan are seeing the health impacts of our changing climate in their offices, clinics, and hospitals today,” said Dr. Lisa Del Buono, Executive Director of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action.

Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action (MiCCA)  strongly encourages the EPA to strengthen the proposed SOOT standards to the level set by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee of 8 µg/m3 annually and a 24-hour range of 25 µg/m3 to ensure the health and well-being of citizens throughout the United States.