1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I’m reaching out as a resident and voter in Marquette to urge you to speak out against the EPA’s proposed repeal of greenhouse gas and air toxics standards for power plants (Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0124). This rollback threatens public health in communities like mine. Although our local coal plant closed in 2019, the legacy of pollution is still with us. Mercury remains in our waterways and fish, and fine particulates continue to affect our air. In 2024, a new PM2.5 monitor was installed in Marquette County to track these pollutants — a vital tool as wildfire smoke becomes a growing threat in the Upper Peninsula. This is also a personal issue. My daughter has reactive airways and is particularly vulnerable to air pollution. During last year’s Canadian wildfires, many families here, including mine, experienced hoarseness, coughing, and breathing problems. Rolling back clean air protections now is reckless and harmful. The EPA’s own 2024 analysis found that the standards being repealed would generate $390 billion in health and climate benefits. Weakening them contradicts the agency’s own data and undermines its mission. Please continue to defend science-based public health protections. I hope you’ll do everything you can to ensure these standards remain in place.