LANSING — Today, state Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) announced a coalition of environmental and public health advocates has been working to advance a city ordinance addressing air pollution concerns, and is calling on the Dearborn City Council to take action.
“We promised the residents of Dearborn we would do whatever it takes to improve the air quality for our community, which has some of the highest asthma rates in the state,” said Hammoud. “Gridlock in Lansing has forced us to explore alternatives, and we believe we found a solution at the local level to address this public health crisis. We look forward to working together with our local partners to push back against corporate polluters and take a stand with our families.”
Hammoud worked with Ali Salah, community activist, and Nick Leonard, the executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, to develop the ordinance, which would set clear standards for the regulation of particulate matter from industrial material, such as from petroleum coke and steel, which heavily contributes to air pollution. The policy is modeled after actions that the cities of Detroit and Chicago took to address similar air quality concerns.
“Every American, no matter where they live, has a right to breathe clean air and be free from unnecessary pollution. In order to successfully improve air quality for our citizens, we must work together at the federal, state and local levels,” said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI). “This local ordinance will improve air quality in Dearborn through a common-sense approach that has proven successful in other cities. We’ve worked together in the past to keep Dearborn’s air clean by fighting a flawed plan to increase production at Dearborn Industrial Generation, and this will be another step in our efforts to improve air quality for our constituents. I want to thank Rep. Hammoud for his leadership on this initiative, as well as state Sen. Santana and County Commissioner Baydoun for their support. By working together, we will make real improvements for the residents of Dearborn.”
“The health impact of poor air quality is very real, and must be taken seriously,” said state Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit). “It is critical that we explore different paths to achieve the desired outcome, which in this case is protecting the air quality and health in our communities.”
“I am proud to have partnered on the development of this plan to improve air quality for our community,” said Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun. “It is great to see collaboration between several levels of government do right by families that depend upon having clean air to breathe.”
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