People have the right to live in healthy communities with clean air and safe water. No one wants their surroundings degraded, so it’s hard to understand why Republicans in the U.S. Congress have voted at least 54 times to defund environmental and public health protections approved through the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Since President Trump took office, much of the funding for air and water monitoring and public health protection has been canceled despite the risks to our well-being, food supply and higher energy bills. Rescinding funds for air and water monitoring projects corrodes efforts to modify climate change and promote a sustainable future. This elimination will increase household electricity bills, void planned economic investment and lead to fewer jobs. About 70% of Michigan has community water systems that often struggle to fund improvements for aging systems, remove polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) “forever chemicals” and protect our inland lakes and miles of rivers and streams.
Experts, policy makers, and competent scientists have spent years skillfully weaving law and science to create policies that protect our life support systems and stimulate economic growth. What we have now is a wholesale attack on this innovation. Government appointees from the chemical, fossil fuel and corporate industries are more concerned about the health of their industries than public health. This administration and the complacent Congress are making it easier for polluters to dump unsafe amounts of toxins in communities without being accountable, at the expense of our health.
The Flint water crisis is a reminder of what can happen with weak water quality oversight. Historically, there has been bipartisan support for protecting Michigan’s water resources, but the current Michigan House budget cuts millions from drinking water programs, weakens PFAS rules, and the final blow: slashes millions from public health programs.
The actions of federal and state decision makers convey that we are expendable, and our well-being is not important. Not protecting our life support system and the fundamental freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water and live in a healthy and safe environment is a far cry from being pro-life.
Evelyn Gallegos
Brighton
