'We have a moral duty': IHM, lung doctor, pastors speak about air ... - Monroe Evening News

IHM, lung doctor, pastors speak about air pollution

'We have a moral duty': IHM, lung doctor, pastors speak about air pollution
Suzanne Nolan Wisler

Michigan’s air is among the dirtiest in the country, and “everyone is harmed by toxins in the air,” Dr. Alex Rabin said.

Rabin, a University of Michigan lung doctor, was one of several speakers at Tuesday’s We Can’t Breathe: EPA Action Day at the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Motherhouse.

Other speakers were Pastor Heather Boone from Monroe’s Oaks of Righteousness; the Rev. Alex Steinmiller, a Catholic priest in Detroit; the Rev. Bill O’Brien; and Sister Ginny King, O.P., from the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

While the panelists applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s and DTE Energy’s recent efforts to curb air pollution, all urged both to do better.

“We need the EPA to truly be an environmental protection agency, no matter who’s in the White House or Congress. They need to be about protecting the environment, not about protecting the fossil fuel industry," Barbara Stanbridge, IHM, a member of the IHM Laudato Si’ Task Force, said in her opening remarks.

Stanbridge also encouraged DTE to make difficult decisions. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to retire its coal-fired Monroe Power Plant in 2032, three years earlier than planned.

“We really appreciate that; we think it’s commendable. We think they can do better. It’s nine years away. Keep encouraging DTE to step up,” she said.

Rabin discussed health problems caused by air pollution, including the burning of coal.

“Large participles go in our nose and mouth. Tiny particles go deep into our lungs and alveoli and enter into the bloodstream, causing asthma to flare. It can provoke heart attacks,” he said.

Rabin said air pollution is especially harmful in Black communities.

“Everyone is harmed by toxins in their lungs, but not all are equally harmed. Black children are 34% more likely to have asthma resulting from climate change,” he said.

Rabin encouraged the audience to speak out.

“We need to act urgently to address the sources of pollution. There’s still nine more years of burning coal, and Monroe is just one of hundreds of plants. We are jeopardizing our children’s futures. Michigan’s air is some of the dirtiest in the country. EPA rules matter so much to all of us. The new EPA standards would prevent 13,000 deaths and (many) asthma attacks," he said.

Boone gave a summary of the Bible's 2 Kings to illustrate many people’s response to air pollution. In 2 Kings, Isiah warned King Hezekiah that the Babylonians were going to take all that belonged to him.

The king’s reaction: “That’s not going to happen to me, in my lifetime,” Boone paraphrased.

“That’s pretty much what we’ve all done with environmental issues,” she said. “Kicking this can on down the road as much as we could, saying, ‘It doesn’t affect me. It affects those people.’ We’ve got to do something. We can no longer just turn our head and have a blind eye. COPD is real, asthma is real, cancer is real. We’re enjoying electricity, but we have to think about our future. What’s going to happen after we’re gone?”

Steinmiller, a Catholic priest, discussed Pope Francis’ antipollution encyclical, which called pollution a moral issue and climate change “the principle challenge facing humanity today.”

“Don’t accept what’s going on, but do something about it,” Steinmiller said. “Can we trust living near these power plants and breathing the air? Each of us has to wrestle in some way as to how to contribute to this climate crisis. What we do as individual does make a difference.”

King from the Adrian Dominican Sisters said her congregation has teamed up with the Monroe IHM community to advocate for change. They are urging the EPA to put limits on power plants and to limit emissions.

“That’s what we’re doing here today, asking the EPA to enact the strongest possible standard,” she said. “We have seen the EPA shrink back on other pollution matters – soot pollution this spring. We are urging them to stay strong in the face of pressure from the fossil fuel industry.”

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Attendees were given a card to fill out that urged the EPA to enact its new proposal. The public comment period on the proposal ends Aug. 8. Comments can sent to the EPA at tinyurl.com/bdh8ypue

In May, the EPA announced new proposed standards for coal and new natural gas-fired power plants that would avoid more than 600 million metric tons of CO2 pollution from power plants while also preventing 300,000 asthma attacks and 1,300 premature deaths in 2030 alone, the EPA said in a written release on its website.

“The EPA does care. This is a hot issue,” O’Brien said. “Tell them to save lives and tackle the climate crisis. Enact the strongest possible standards for power plants. Limit carbon pollution on power plants. Prevent deaths and asthma attacks. We have a moral duty.”