Michigan

Director Liesl Eichler Clark joins our 2020 Stay In and Speak Out for Climate Action.

On October 28, 2020, Moms Clean Air Force Michigan’s organizer Elizabeth Hauptman spoke with Liesl Eichler Clark, Director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) about clean air, climate action, and how EGLE is working to advance the goals laid out in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan Healthy Climate Plan.

Moms Clean Air Force applauds Governor Whitmer’s Michigan Healthy Climate Plan.

On September 23, 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an Executive Order to create the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan to protect the health and future of Michigan’s children. The plan puts the state on a path to being carbon neutral by 2050. In response, Michigan field organizer Elizabeth Hauptman issued this statement of support:

Michiganders are excited by the release of the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan. The Governor’s move will protect our families and combat the climate crisis, a public health emergency that disproportionately impacts communities of color, low-income communities, and our children. This is a victory for our health and climate.

Michigan Moms join Moms Clean Air Force members from across the country to demand EPA protect our families from dangerous smog.

On August 30 and September 1, 2020, Moms Clean Air Force Michigan joined more than 50 Moms Clean Air Force staff and volunteers from 14 states and DC to deliver testimony at EPA’s virtual public hearing on ground-level ozone, or smog. Smog is a widespread and largely preventable form of air pollution that is a powerful lung irritant and asthma trigger. In July 2020, in the midst of a global respiratory pandemic, EPA chose to keep the standards for smog the same—in spite of strong evidence showing significant health harm at levels below the current standards—and opened a public comment period that would be considered notably short even if we were not in the midst of a global respiratory pandemic. This continues a disturbing trend at EPA, led by Administrator Andrew Wheeler, of sidelining science, ignoring environmental injustice, and stifling public participation in the rulemaking process.

Moms Clean Air Force Michigan field organizer Elizabeth Hauptman and 5 Michigan volunteers offered testimony. In her testimony, Elizabeth called EPA out for failing to protect children with asthma:

As a mom with a son and niece who have asthma, I can say that this proposal would put the health of Michigan’s 254,583 kids with asthma at risk—not to mention the thousands of others whose health is tied to the quality of the air they breathe. This proposal means more asthma attacks, missed school days, missed family outdoor activities, and an increased burden on our already strained heath care system. EPA’s refusal to protect children from ozone pollution, making them more vulnerable to severe illness, especially during a respiratory disease pandemic, is just deeply troubling.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib joins our 2020 Stay In and Speak Out for Climate Action.

This year, we aren’t playing around. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we aren’t holding our happy, crowded, buzzing, and bubbling annual Play-In for Climate Action in Washington, DC. Instead, we’re asking legislators across the country to join us for virtual events and conversations with their constituents to talk about air pollution, climate action and what we can do to fight the climate crisis where we live.

On July 15, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib joined Michigan field organizer Elizabeth Hauptman and moms and children from Michigan’s 13th District to discuss air pollution, climate change, and how the congresswoman is working to protect our families from these threats that impact health and well-being.

Michigan Moms join members of Moms Clean Air Force across the country to demand stronger protections against deadly soot.

In May 2020, Moms Clean Air Force Michigan joined more than 65 Moms Clean Air Force staff and volunteers from 18 states and DC to deliver testimony at the EPA’s virtual public hearing on PM 2.5, or deadly soot. In April 2020, Trump’s EPA proposed to retain the current standards for particle pollution, ignoring science and putting thousands of lives at risk. Even in the midst of a national public health emergency from COVID-19, moms participated in the public hearing in record numbers. It’s one of many ways Moms Clean Air Force Michigan is continuing to engage in serious and consequential advocacy and outreach during the coronavirus pandemic.

Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman offered testimony, as did five Moms Clean Air Force members from around the state.

Moms Clean Air Force Michigan joins Rep. Slotkin’s Environmental Advisory Board

Michigan field organizer Elizabeth Hauptman is representing Moms Clean Air Force on Representative Elissa Slotkin’s Environmental Advisory Board, which advises the congresswoman on crafting strong environmental and energy policy. In this capacity, Elizabeth is working to ensure our children’s and our communities’ health will remain top priorities for the congresswoman.

Elizabeth participated in her first board meeting on July 14, 2020. She asked the Congresswoman how Congress was ensuring our families’ health and safety amid the onslaught of EPA regulatory rollbacks during the global pandemic. 

Moms Clean Air Force helps Michigan push for bold climate legislation.

In November 2019, Congressman Donald McEachin (VA-04) introduced the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 with Representatives Deb Haaland (NM-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Chellie Pingree (ME-01). This ambitious national bill aims to eliminate all climate pollution—including from transportation, electricity, buildings, and agriculture—by no later than 2050.

In the months leading up to the release of the bill, Michigan moms met with Members of Congress across the state to urge them to join as co-sponsors. Moms Clean Air Force Michigan thanks Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Dan Kildee (MI-05), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Andy Levin (MI-09), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), and Haley Stevens (MI-11) for being among the over 150 original co-sponsors leading on this issue.

Click here to learn more about the bill.

We are fighting for cleaner cars—and air—for our children in Michigan.

Moms Clean Air Force has been working for years to aggressively defend our Clean Car Standards. These standards, adopted in 2012, reduced greenhouse gas emission from cars and light trucks. In 2020, the Trump administration finalized a dangerous rollback of these standards, with a reckless plan that will make our families sicker, increase climate pollution, and cost consumers money at the pump. As the heart of the U.S. auto industry, Michigan is critically important in the fight against this rollback.

To urge automakers to oppose the rollback, we delivered thousands of signatures to the Big Three automakers in Detroit, published op-eds, and launched a social media accountability campaign. Moms Clean Air Force members also attended the September 2018 EPA hearings in Dearborn, Michigan, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to make it clear that moms across the country want cleaner cars and expect our automakers to provide them.

Moms Clean Air Force continues to mobilize parents throughout the state, as we work with Michigan elected officials to urge them to take action on this important issue.

We are working to prevent the rollback of mercury protections that are critical in Michigan.

Moms Clean Air Force has been a leading voice in the fight against the rollback of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. The standards, which were finalized in 2012, set the first-ever national limits on hazardous air pollutants from coal-fired power plants, which used to be the single largest source of such pollution in the U.S. The standards have been incredibly effective; mercury levels have dropped 91% in Michigan since 2011. But these lifesaving standards that prevent toxic mercury from getting into the brains and bodies of our babies are under attack by Trump’s EPA.

The Great Lakes have long been plagued with mercury advisories for fish. Michigan moms are concerned about the food their children eat because contaminated fish can threaten fetuses and children’s health. Moms Clean Air Force members are mobilizing and rallying in Michigan to demand that these lifesaving standards stay in place.

Read more about mercury in the Great Lakes here.

Our children breathe polluted air.

Over 36,464 children in Wayne County (Detroit) have asthma. With an F grade for ozone pollution and a C for particle pollution from the American Lung Association, the county is a dangerous place for these children—and everyone—to breathe.

Air pollution issues in Michigan are not limited to the state’s largest city. Of the 25 counties that monitor ground level ozone, or smog (out of 83 counties total), over half received an F grade based on the number of high ozone days. Smog is a harmful lung irritant that is formed in the atmosphere when pollutants combine with heat and sunlight. It triggers asthma attacks and increases lung infections. As climate change causes summer temperatures to rise, dangerous breathing days due to smog will become more frequent.

As in most states, Michigan’s air pollution comes largely from coal-fired power plants, cars, and trucks. But because Michigan is the home of Motor City—and the heart of the US auto industry—Michigan’s moms have a special role to play in advocating for a clean car future. Moms Clean Air Force is educating Michiganders on the dangers of air pollution, as well as helping to push for stronger national air pollution standards.

Our lakes are at risk.

Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth. The source of drinking water to more than 40 million people, the Great Lakes are threatened by pollution and declining water levels, which is already resulting in increased algal blooms. Scientists predict that climate change will cause water levels in the Great Lakes to drop significantly in coming decades, threatening this source of not only vital drinking water, but also transportation, tourism, commercial fishing operations, manufacturing operations, and sportsmen industries.

We have immense renewable energy potential.

The Great Lakes provide huge potential for offshore wind energy production. Michigan has the second most shoreline of any state in the country, and has already begun to capitalize on this resource. Michigan is currently one of the top 15 states in the country for wind energy production.

But despite growing renewable energy production, Michigan still relies heavily on coal. Coal is the state’s top energy source, creating two-fifths of the state’s electricity. Moving to renewable energy would help limit dangerous climate warming pollution as well clean up Michigan’s air by reducing particulates, smog-forming pollutants, toxic mercury, lead, and arsenic—all of which are byproducts of burning coal.

Past Events

October 2020

On October 28, Moms Clean Air Force Michigan’s organizer Elizabeth Hauptman spoke with Liesl Eichler Clark, Director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) about clean air, climate action, and how EGLE is working to advance the goals laid out in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan Healthy Climate Plan. Watch the replay.

September 2020

Michigan moms joined Moms Clean Air Force members across the country to testify in EPA’s virtual hearing on its proposal to retain the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ground-Level Ozone. Michigan field organizer Elizabeth Hauptman and 5 Michigan volunteers urged EPA to follow the science and strengthen the existing rule.

August 2020

On August 18, Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman joined Zero Hour’s Detroit fellow Khadija Khokhar to discuss the climate crisis, the #Vote4OurFuture campaign, and how all generations can unite to fight for clean air and climate action in 2020 and beyond. Watch the Facebook Live video here.

July 2020

On July 15, Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman hosted the first roundtable in our summer 2020 Stay In and Speak Out series. The event was with Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Watch the video here.

On July 14, Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman participated in her first meeting as a member of Rep. Slotkin’s Environmental Advisory Board. She asked the Congresswoman how Congress was ensuring our families’ health and safety amid the onslaught of EPA regulatory rollbacks during the global pandemic.

June 2020

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman attended the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s virtual hearing on Pollution and Pandemics: Covid-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Environmental Justice Communities. Rep. Debbie Dingell’s remarks during the hearing acknowledged environmental injustices in Michigan; the congresswoman wants to “make change now.”

May 2020

Michigan Moms joined Moms Clean Air Force members across the country to testify in the EPA’s virtual hearing on its proposal to retain the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman and five Michigan supermoms testified in favor of following science and strengthening the existing rule.

On May 5, Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman joined environmental leaders from around the state for the 2020 Michigan Climate Action Network Digital Summit. During her presentation, Elizabeth spoke about the EPA’s dangerous rollbacks.

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman and her son attended Representative Elissa Slotkin’s (MI-08) kids virtual town hall.

April 2020

From April 22-25, Moms Clean Air Force worked with the organization, Whatever It Takes Sanctuary, to create a series of Earth Week videos.

February 2020

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman attended the Downriver Environmental Town Hall meeting hosted by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) focused on air pollution and PFAS in Trenton, Michigan.

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman attended National Service, National Security, and the Value of Mentorship, a conversation with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Rep. Elissa Slotkin. Elizabeth was able to ask a question about climate and national security.

Members of Moms Clean Air Force Michigan attended a town hall for Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11).

Moms Clean Air Force Michigan attended the 2020 Oakland County Climate, Jobs and Justice Platform to discuss local solutions to climate and pollution issues in Oakland County.

January 2020

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman attended an environmental justice round table with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) and other climate action groups.

December 2019

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman attended a Town Hall event with Representative Elissa Slotkin (MI-08).

Moms Clean Air Force Michigan spoke at a meeting for Citizen’s Climate Lobby about the power of naptime activism and the work of Moms Clean Air Force.

October 2019

Michigan Organizer Elizabeth Hauptman tabled at the Michigan State Medical Society Annual Scientific Meeting to share information about the impacts of air pollution on children’s health.

Moms Clean Air Force Michigan held two guest book readings of Senorita Mariposa with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12).

September 2019

Michigan Moms and Kids joined the Global Climate Strikes in Detroit, Brighton, and Ann Arbor.

July 2019

Members of Moms Clean Air Force Michigan attended the sixth annual Play-In for Climate Action on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

May 2018

Michigan Moms and Clean Air Kids testified in opposition to the rollback of the Clean Car Standards at the EPA hearing in Dearborn, MI, May 2018.

Midwest Field Organizers, Laura Burns and Kelly Nichols, traveled to Detroit to deliver over 13,000 petition signatures from Moms Clean Air Force members demanding that the Big Three Automakers—Ford, Chrysler, and GM—continue enforcing Clean Car Standards.

2020

• Press release, Michigan Moms Laud Governor Gretchen Whitmer for Her Commitment to Climate Action
• Michigan Live, Odor violations mount at Kalamazoo paper mill seeking major tax break
• WKZO, Kalamazoo City Commissioners approve tax break for Graphic Packaging with new reporting requirements
• The Touch, Kalamazoo City Commissioners approve tax break for Graphic Packaging with new reporting requirements
• FOX17, “These trees are our everything” says Kzoo resident about removal of 700 trees
• Lansing State Journal, EPA changes jeopardize the health of my son, all children with asthma
• Press Release, Michigan Moms are outraged at EPA’s attack on the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in the midst of a global respiratory pandemic: Sabotaging these standards is an unforgivable assault on our health
• Detroit Metro Times, Trump Takes Heat for Dialing Back Fuel-Economy Standards
• Public News Service, Trump Takes Heat for Dialing Back Fuel-Economy Standards
• AP News, Trump rollback of mileage standards guts US climate change push
• Tech Century, Cousteau lecture, rally highlight UM’s ‘Earth Day at 50’ celebration

2019

• Press Release, Moms Clean Air Force’s Michigan Chapter Applauds Introduction of the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019
• Michigan Radio, Climate Crew: Kids inspired Detroit mom to join fight for clean air, climate change solutions
• Press Release, MI Moms Join Members of Congress on Capitol Hill as Part of Sweeping Movement for Climate Solutions
• Detroit Free Press, Ford in Group to Reach Emissions Deal
• Daily Republic, 4 Automakers Reach Emissions Deal With California, Bucking Rollback