COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Four Republican members of the Congressional delegation from Michigan have issued a joint letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declaring that “patience has run out” over Canada’s management of cross-border wildfire smoke.
Representatives Jack Bergman, John James, Lisa McClain, and John Moolenaar demanded immediate action as dense smoke once again blanketed Michigan, triggering severe air quality alerts and overwhelming healthcare facilities.
Bergman says the smoke is impacting one of the best times of the years in Michigan
The lawmakers say that this marks the third consecutive year they have reached out to Canadian officials about the preventable crisis. They heavily criticized Canada’s leadership for “chronic under-investment in forest thinning, fuel reduction, and prescribed burns,” adding that American families are bearing the physical and economic consequences of Canadian policy failures.
Bergman says if no action is taken on the part of the Canadians, it may be time to try a different approach
The congressional representatives signaled a shifting dynamic in bilateral relations, warning that the U.S. is “done accepting apologies in place of action”. They cautioned that if Canada fails to implement meaningful forest management strategies, the United States will explore direct independent measures, including cross-border fuel reduction and deploying unilateral firefighting assets.
While Canada’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the letter, agencies like Parks Canada have previously pointed to escalating climate change and prolonged droughts as the main drivers behind the intensifying wildfire seasons.
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