Latest news with #MichiganDepartmentofEnvironmentalQuality
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Alert Urging People To Monitor Themselves for Coughs Returns in One State
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A statewide Air Quality Alert was issued for Michigan through Monday cautioning residents across the state about elevated levels of fine particulate matter caused by continuing wildfire smoke from Canada. The alert impacts regions ranging from the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula to the southernmost counties, including major cities such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Traverse City. Residents were advised to monitor for key symptoms including coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, dizziness, and burning sensations in the nose, throat, and eyes as smoke continued to spread across the state. Why It Matters The alert, issued by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, signaled a renewed public health concern for millions of Michiganders as the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, depicted by an orange color, and unhealthy, depicted by red, in many northern and central areas. Wildfire smoke contains fine particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, posing heightened risks to vulnerable populations—including children, seniors, and individuals with preexisting respiratory or heart conditions. According to state health officials, widespread exposure to PM2.5 can exacerbate existing diseases and bring about acute respiratory symptoms, even in healthy individuals. A jogger runs along the shoreline of Lake Michigan with heavy smoke from the Canadian wildfires in the background, on June 27, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. A jogger runs along the shoreline of Lake Michigan with heavy smoke from the Canadian wildfires in the background, on June 27, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/Getty What to Know Both EGLE and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality reported that increased fine particulate levels from persistent Canadian wildfire smoke were observed Sunday morning in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Forecasts indicated continued movement of smoke east and south through the state as the day progressed, with additional plumes expected throughout Monday. Northern regions faced periods of unhealthy AQI readings, while central counties saw levels fluctuating for sensitive groups. Southern locations were advised that air quality could range from unhealthy to moderate for sensitive groups. State agencies recommended that all residents, particularly those with preexisting heart or respiratory disease such as asthma, avoid strenuous outdoor activities during the alert. Officials outlined several symptoms for residents and their families to monitor, including: Coughing Wheezing Chest tightness Dizziness Burning in the nose, throat, or eyes A 2023 study from University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences alumna found that there was an increased risk of emergency room visits with respiratory symptoms five days after a wildfire smoke event. Wildfire smoke events also increased the number of emergency room visits with cardiovascular symptoms. Air quality alerts urging people across Michigan to monitor themselves for symptoms such as coughs have been issued throughout the summer. When reached for comment, a spokesperson with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told Newsweek the department did not yet have data about smoke-related hospital visits but will have more information later in the week. The public was further advised to reduce activities that could worsen air pollution, such as outdoor burning and use of wood-burning devices. Residents were directed to keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke infiltration and, if available, to run central air conditioning systems equipped with MERV-13 or higher-rated filters. Air quality alerts also were issued in Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York. What People Are Saying The University of Washington study's lead author Annie Doubleday said in a report about the study: "For me the takeaway is we're all at risk of health impacts. Obviously some more than others, such as those with preexisting respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, but we all should be taking steps to reduce exposure and watching for any symptoms." Air quality alert issued in Michigan: "It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma. Monitor for symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness, or burning in nose, throat, and eyes." What Happens Next The statewide Air Quality Alert will remain in effect through the end of Monday, with officials set to reassess and update advisories as atmospheric and pollution conditions evolve. Residents were strongly encouraged to monitor local air quality forecasts, take recommended health precautions, and seek up-to-date information through official state and federal online resources. Similar alerts may be reissued if wildfire smoke continues to impact Michigan or neighboring states in the coming days.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan Republican unloads on Nessel over failure to provide Flint water documents
State Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia) speaks on the Michigan House floor. May 1, 2025. | Kyle Davidson Rep. Angela Rigas, chair of the Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government, released a scathing statement Wednesday evening blasting Attorney General Dana Nessel over continued delays in producing requested documents related to the Flint water criminal prosecutions. Nessel's office delivered numerous documents to Rigas's office on Wednesday, but the representative said it was not at all what she requested. 'Dana Nessel's office sent us an incomplete, incoherent mess of documents on a password-protected flash drive like they were bringing us the Holy Grail,' Rigas said. Rigas had requested documents related to the legal battles that ensued during Nessel's term and in the aftermath of Flint's water supply being contaminated in 2014. The contamination occurred due to a switch of the water supply without proper lead contamination prevention. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Former Attorney General Bill Schuette began an investigation and prosecution, the latter of which began in 2016. Schuette charged a city of Flint employee and two employees with what was then known as the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality [now known as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy]. Nessel became attorney general in 2018 and scuttled Schuette's investigation and prosecution to begin anew in 2021. She formed a Flint water prosecution team led by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and former Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud while Nessel spearheaded the civil litigation side, which resulted in a mammoth settlement. The criminal cases resulted in charges against former Governor Rick Snyder and several members of his administration, but those charges were later dismissed after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the prosecutorial team had used a one-man grand jury process to indict them without at first holding a preliminary examination that would have given the defendants a chance to poke holes in the attorney general's presentation of probable cause. Justices of the high court ruled the process as unconstitutional, and the charges were dismissed shortly thereafter. Rigas (R-Caledonia) as the chair of the House Oversight subcommittee, requested records from Nessel on March 12 with a deadline of March 25 to give the subcommittee various documents. The request included a comprehensive itemized list of all billable hours, legal fees and associated costs incurred during Nessel's tenure as attorney general, including personnel time, outside counsel and expert witnesses; a breakdown of all state funds allocated and expended on these cases; copies of contracts and invoices or memorandums of understanding with third parties retained by her office; and a summary of reimbursements, settlements or cost recoveries tied to the cases. Nessel requested an eight-week extension, which Rigas granted, with a deadline of Tuesday. Rigas in a news release issued Wednesday evening said the attorney general's staff brought a password protected flash drive to Rigas' office, which was also shared with some members of the Lansing Capitol press corps. Nessel's office also shared a copy of a letter sent to Rigas' office on Tuesday indicating that the document haul was just one half of those requested by Rigas and that the other portion would be delivered to the representative on or before June 17. Rigas said that the flash drive contained 'a mass array of unrelated documents that were never requested, mostly from [former Attorney General] Bill Schuette's tenure.' The documents delivered to Rigas mostly contained contracts with attorneys and appointed special counsel Todd Flood and various invoices from Flood's office. Needless to say, Rigas was unhappy with what was turned over to her office. '[Nessel] and her office have consistently failed to meet deadline after deadline, and it's unacceptable,' Rigas said. 'She has failed to follow simple directions and comply with what has so clearly been requested. There will be no more extensions. No more games. This ends now.' A request for comment was sent to the Attorney General's office, but has yet to be returned.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan House committee to look into AG's handling of Flint Water Crisis prosecutions
Flint water plant | Susan J. Demas Republican lawmakers in Michigan are asking for documentation on how much the state Attorney General's Office spent on the seven years of prosecutions related to the Flint Water Crisis that ultimately came up with no convictions. Due to a switch of the City of Flint's water supply in 2014 without proper care to ensure prevention of lead contamination, despite citizen concerns about the water they were drinking and cleaning with, many of the city's residents were effectively poisoned. The prosecution in regards to the crisis began in April 2016 when Republican then-state Attorney General Bill Schuette charged an employee of the City of Flint and two Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees for their roles in the crisis. Current state Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, took over the office in 2018 and in 2021 her office announced charges for Republican former Governor Rick Snyder, his aides and officials in Flint for their response to citizens' concerns about the water. Oversight Chair of the new Weaponization of State Government Subcommittee Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Alto) sent a letter to the Michigan Attorney General's Office Wednesday requesting itemized lists of costs and state funds spent on the Flint prosecutions. 'This request falls within the Subcommittee's mandate to ensure transparency, accountability, and the responsible use of state resources in governmental operations,' Rigas wrote. The subcommittee has three Republican members, Rigas and Reps. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) and Jason Woolford (R-Howell) while two Democrats also serve on the committee, Reps Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) . All Republican members of the subcommittee signed the letter. The Michigan Attorney General's Office has received the request and it is being reviewed, Danny Wimmer, a spokesperson for the office said Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday also marked the committee's first meeting with Rigas setting a mandate for the committee to address what she called a 'growing threat of political prosecution' by state departments and agencies. She said the issue of politically motivated prosecution escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic where many Michiganders railed against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's lockdown orders to slow the spread of the virus. As the state suffered economic hardship amid the pandemic, some restaurant and other business owners defied COVID safety protocols and kept their doors open in spite of Whitmer's executive orders, which were later deemed unconstitutional by the Michigan Supreme Court. Rigas herself was charged for her actions during a May 2020 protest on the State Capitol lawn called 'Operation Haircut' where she and other hairstylists and barbers gathered with hundreds of participants to rail against the orders. The charges were eventually dropped. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
