Discussion · House of Representatives
Marcy Kaptur Democrat
“Canadian wildfires are causing dangerous air pollution in Ohio and harming people's health. We need to work together with Canada to manage forests and fight wildfires.”
“Mr. Speaker, a serious issue is facing our continent. Right now, wildfires are ravaging our neighbors in the Canadian Province of Ontario which Ohio adjoins through Lake Erie. Many First Nation communities have been forced to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests have burned. However, our northern neighbors were not the only ones who suffered. Just last week, in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, hazardous air quality ranked among the highest levels in our Nation. As winds blew the smoke into northwestern Ohio, our community was at risk for the grave health concerns that accompany wildfire smoke: asthma attacks, heart attacks, and weakened immune systems. Burning forests remind us that environmental challenges like air pollution and wildfires, which will continue to be exacerbated by climate change, do not stop at national borders. We in the Great Lakes nation must continue to work with our continental neighbor and strongest trading partner to share expertise on forest management and wildfire response. Joint efforts and collaboration are necessary to make both of our countries safer, healthier and more resilient. America belongs to all of us, no matter what side of the border one lives on. As allies working together, we can heal our freshwater and forest systems in our precious, bountiful, and life-sustaining freshwater region.”
Mr. Speaker, a serious issue is facing our continent. Right now, wildfires are ravaging our neighbors in the Canadian Province of Ontario which Ohio adjoins through Lake Erie. Many First Nation communities have been forced to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests have burned. However, our northern neighbors were not the only ones who suffered. Just last week, in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, hazardous air quality ranked among the highest levels in our Nation. As winds blew the smoke into northwestern Ohio, our community was at risk for the grave health concerns that accompany wildfire smoke: asthma attacks, heart attacks, and weakened immune systems. Burning forests remind us that environmental challenges like air pollution and wildfires, which will continue to be exacerbated by climate change, do not stop at national borders. We in the Great Lakes nation must continue to work with our continental neighbor and strongest trading partner to share expertise on forest management and wildfire response. Joint efforts and collaboration are necessary to make both of our countries safer, healthier and more resilient. America belongs to all of us, no matter what side of the border one lives on. As allies working together, we can heal our freshwater and forest systems in our precious, bountiful, and life-sustaining freshwater region.