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By Latino Detroit --

As Trump moves to roll back environmental protections and clean energy investments, community leaders speak out

DETROIT – The Michigan League of Conservation Voters, elected leaders, environmental and community organizations, and hundreds of Michiganders today came together to make it clear to Congress and the Trump administration that slashing clean energy jobs and protecting our air and water are not up for negotiation.

“Clean air, safe drinking water, and a sustainable future are kitchen table issues. Federal investments from the Biden administration are helping boost our economy and move toward a balanced, affordable energy mix, but this is all at risk from the Trump administration’s attacks,” said Bentley Johnson, federal government affairs director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “The Trump administration is threatening our progress toward cleaner, more affordable energy by rolling back vital safeguards and giving handouts to corporate polluters. We’re rallying today to send a clear message: Michiganders demand clean energy investments, good jobs, and real action to protect our air and Great Lakes.”

“400 EPA employees were recently fired, including dozens from our region. Their job is to ensure the air we breathe is clean, the water we drink is safe, the ground our children play on won’t give them cancer. Downriver we have Superfund sites and Brownfield sites being cleaned up from dangerous chemicals. Everyone in the country knows what happened to children in Flint because of lead in the pipes,” said U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell. “Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill to get the lead out of every pipe in America so no child or American was ever in danger again. We cannot lose all the progress we have made. We must stand up against dangerous, unconstitutional undermining of our environmental protections to keep our land, air, and water safe for generations to come.”

“Republicans have already begun their long list of handouts for Big Oil executives to get richer while the rest of us get sicker, said U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib. “They are sending the message to frontline communities all across our country, including right here in Detroit, that corporate polluters’ profits are more important than your health. We have the right to breathe clean air.”

“The President’s administration is failing the American people. We are being robbed of our much-needed resources to address climate change and our aging infrastructure,” said Detroit City Councilmember Gabriella Santiago-Romero. “Trump is only going to make the ultra-rich even richer while leaving working-class families behind. We must demand for investments in our communities.”

“Many Michiganders already struggle to pay their energy bills, and Trump’s energy agenda will jack up energy costs for people struggling the most,” said Ebony Elmore, organizing manager for Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition and Clear the Air. “We need to be investing in our communities and cleaner more affordable energy sources, not giving big handouts to Big Oil and other fossil fuel interests.”

“We have a duty and a responsibility to make sure we are leaving this place better than when we found it. That means reducing our use of fossil fuels and transitioning to cleaner, more affordable energy,” said Lindsey Matson, deputy director for youth organizing for 482 Forward. “The Trump administration is putting big polluters and fossil fuel interests ahead of the people of this country. Instead of rolling back investments in clean energy and padding the profits of fossil fuel CEOs, corporations, and billionaires, our government should be funding our children, our schools, and our communities.”

In 2024, the planet experienced its hottest summer on record, alongside devastating hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, while Michigan faced worsening storms, historic flooding, poor air quality, and threats to public health. Despite these growing crises, the Trump administration is rolling back key protections for drinking water, halting Inflation Reduction Act clean energy investments that are creating jobs, and firing career government officials and replacing them with unqualified loyalists, all while expanding offshore drilling and fossil fuel production at the expense of clean air and water. Despite denying any knowledge of Project 2025 before taking office, Trump’s actions follow its extremist blueprint – a blatant power grab that prioritizes corporations polluters, and billionaires over people and communities.

Today’s rally, part of a national movement led by the Climate Action Campaign, brought together local, state, and national leaders to demand strong environmental protections and justice-focused policies. Speakers included U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib, Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition Organizing Manager Ebony Elmore, and youth activists from 482Forward, Industrious Labs, and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (UNI).

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This article first appeared at Latino Detroit.