Frustration mounts as seemingly constant Canadian wildfire smoke plagues Minnesota

Minnesota is once again under an air quality alert due to Canadian wildfire smoke traveling east over the northern United States.

The current air quality alert was issued Tuesday and will be in place until Saturday evening. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the entire state’s air quality is considered unhealthy for everyone. The MPCA recommends reducing outdoor activities.

In recent years, hazy skies and bad air have plagued Minnesota throughout summertime. The seemingly constant smokiness has become a major frustration for Minnesotans who would like to enjoy the state’s beautiful outdoors but are faced with awful conditions.

Since May, the MPCA has issued or extended air quality alerts nearly 20 times because of Canadian wildfire smoke. In some cases, those alerts pertained to the entire state and lasted for days.

Last month, Minnesota’s Republican members of Congress, and two GOP congressmen from Wisconsin, sent a letter to Canada’s ambassador to the United States about this matter. In their letter, the group said Canada’s wildfires have been particularly bad in recent years and a lack of forest management was a key cause.

“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,” wrote the Republicans. “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.”

The group noted that the “worrisome trend” of increased wildfires can be reversed with proper action and asked that their message be relayed to the Canadian government.

Three days alter, the premier of Manitoba dismissed the message even as he acknowledged American firefighters for assisting with wildfire response in the province.

Referring to the Republican lawmakers as “ambulance chasers in the U.S. Congress,” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the group was “trying to trivialize and make make hay out of a wildfire season where we’ve lost lives in our province.”

Manitoba has been under a province-wide state of emergency for several weeks due to the wildfires. The province of Saskatchewan is also dealing with active wildfires.

Rep. Tom Tiffany, one of the Wisconsin congressmen who signed the letter, has called for “proactive forest management” between the U.S. and Canada. On Wednesday, Tiffany noted that wildfire smoke in Wisconsin has “become a near-weekly reality.”

Lakeville Mayor Luke Hellier summed up the situation, saying, “The Canadians have completely ruined the Minnesota summer.”

Jensen criticizes Walz on wildfire smoke response

On Thursday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen addressed Gov. Tim Walz directly and criticized the Walz administration’s response to the wildfire smoke.

“Other than repeated and nebulous air quality warnings, your administration has offered little more than vague instructions about staying indoors and cautious travel,” said Jensen in a letter to Walz. “This is not an adequate response to a public health emergency that has now gone on for an extended period.”

Jensen, a physician and former Republican state senator, warned about the health risks of the wildfire smoke and denounced “the absence of a coordinated, statewide effort” to deal with the situation.

Among other things, the Republican candidate called on Walz to coordinate with Canada on how to respond to the wildfires, provide public health recommendations, improve access to medications for respiratory patients, develop an air quality emergency plan, and develop a comprehensive smoke response plan.

“Governor Walz, leadership is more than ‘checking the box’ by distributing a proclamation,” said Jensen. “It is data collection, action, coordination, and unwavering commitment to the well-being of all. I urge you to immediately take the above-mentioned steps to protect Minnesotans’ health and well-being.”

Jensen, who is running for governor in next year’s gubernatorial election, previously ran against Walz in the state’s 2022 gubernatorial election. Jensen lost by roughly 8 points.

Alpha News reached out to the governor’s office to ask if Walz had any response to Jensen. The governor was also asked if he had any comments regarding the awful air quality plaguing Minnesota. However, Walz’s office did not respond to a media inquiry.

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