JACK BERGMAN

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman has called on the Canadian government to take immediate action on the ongoing wildfire smoke pollution that’s created dangerous air quality conditions in the Upper Peninsula and other parts of the United States.

Bergman, a member of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, sent a letter Monday to Canadian Senator Michael MacDonald, chair of the group, expressing deep concern about the smoke caused by Canadian wildfires, which has again blanketed much of the Midwest this summer.

The National Weather Service had the region under an air quality advisory Tuesday and Wednesday into today.

“For three summers in a row, residents in my District have dealt with hazardous air quality, limited outdoor activities and real threats to public health — all caused by wildfires burning across the border,” Bergman, R-Watersmeet, wrote in the letter. “It’s time for Canada to take this seriously and implement the forest management strategies needed to protect both their citizens and ours.”

The letter stresses that inaction is not acceptable, and that modern forest management practices – including prescribed burns and proactive mitigation – can significantly reduce the risk and scale of these fires.

In his letter, Bergman said communities in his district, which includes the entire Upper Peninsula and 20 counties in northern Lower Michigan, have struggled with “the devastating effects of wildfire smoke originating in Canadian forests. While wildfire activity is a natural occurrence, the volume, frequency and intensity of recent smoke events are unlike anything we’ve experienced before. These events have resulted in widespread air quality alerts, school closures, outdoor activity cancellations, and serious public health risks throughout Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.”

Bergman said the public health effects have been especially troubling. “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. The combination of chronic exposure and limited local control over the source of the problem has left many of my constituents feeling frustrated and forgotten.”

Citing a long and productive history of cooperation between Michigan and Canada, the five-term congressman urged the Canadian government to take “active steps to manage and mitigate wildfire risk-including forest thinning, fuel reduction and the use of prescribed burns where appropriate.”

He concluded the letter by writing that as members of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, there is a responsibility to address issues of shared concern.

“The air our citizens breathe does not respect international boundaries. It is critical that forest management and wildfire mitigation be treated as a bilateral environmental and public health priority.”