Minnesota
Related: About this forumMinnesota's 4 GOP representatives write to Canadian ambassador over wildfire smoke
The Republican representatives joined 2 Wisconsin Republicans to send the letter Monday
WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, who represents Minnesotas 1st Congressional District, co-led a letter to Canadas ambassador to the U.S., writing to know how your government plans on mitigating wildfire and the smoke that makes its way south.
The letter, dated Monday, July 7, asks Ambassador Kirtsen Hillman to relay the representatives concern over Canadian wildfires and their smoke to the Canadian Forest Service and Natural Resources Canada.
Our constituents have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe due to the dangerous air quality the wildfire smoke has created, the letter says. In our neck of the woods, summer months are the best time of the year to spend time outdoors recreating, enjoying time with family, and creating new memories, but this wildfire smoke makes it difficult to do all those things.
Other signers include Minnesota Reps. Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber and Wisconsin Reps. Glenn Grothman and Tom Tiffany, the other co-lead.

dflprincess
(28,926 posts)We write to you today on behalf of our constituents who have had to deal with suffocating
Canadian wildfire smoke filling the air to begin the summer. As we are entering the height of the
fire season, we would like to know how your government plans on mitigating wildfire and the
smoke that makes its way south.
As Im sure you know, this is not the first year Canadian wildfire smoke has been an issue. In
2023, Canada had its worst year for wildfires on record, last years fire season was considered
one of the worst, and this year seems to be a continuation of these previous years. While we
know a key driver of this issue has been a lack of active forest management, weve also seen
things like arson as another way multiple large wildfires have ignited in Canada. With all the
technology that we have at our disposal, both in preventing and fighting wildfires, this
worrisome trend can be reversed if proper action is taken.
Our constituents have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe due to the
dangerous air quality the wildfire smoke has created. In our neck of the woods, summer months
are the best time of the year to spend time outdoors recreating, enjoying time with family, and
creating new memories, but this wildfire smoke makes it difficult to do all those things.
Canada has been a friendly neighbor of the United States and the states we represent, so given
the significance of this issue we urge you to relay this message to your government, in particular
Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Forest Service.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to your response.
JMCKUSICK
(3,161 posts)LakeVermilion
(1,364 posts)I'm embarrassed to live in Minnesota. Especially because I've breathed the smoke that was generated in Stauber's district this spring.I don't think I wrote to him to control the smoke from the fires north of Duluth.
I'm surprised that they haven't asked TSF to build a wall to keep the smoke in Canada.
dflprincess
(28,926 posts)We have 4 other reps and 2 senators who are not idiots.
slightlv
(6,127 posts)don't we control the weather... wind direction, hurricanes, and everything else? I'm surprised CA didn't include that bit of information! trump would probably yell for someone to get right on it... only to find out he fired all the people! /snark
Mawspam2
(995 posts)...killing school lunches/cutting SNAP to families with children, insane corporations killing tariffs leading to a recession/depression, ending due process and dissappearing brown-skinned people, but, yeah, focus on another country's global warming.
OldBaldy1701E
(8,391 posts)Distract, dissuade, and disperse.
Just anything to make sure no one looks at what they are up to.