“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.” 

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. 

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.

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.”

“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.”

“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.”

​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.”

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.