Author: Eden Bloom

March 8, 2023

Representative Helena Scott,

I’m writing this morning to insist that you use your powers as the Chair of the Energy, Communications and Technology Committee to call a public hearing and demand that DTE executives answer to their customers. I live in District 10 and over the last 9 years we have experienced not only poor service, but also personal loss of property. There is also the impact of trauma on our family, friends, and community.  More than any inconvenience or nuisance, repetitive long-term outages have deeply impacted our lives.

Where we live, we almost always retain power through the worst of the storm but lose power the next day. My assumption is that they turn us off to turn other areas on, but I’m not a line worker. It does create a loss of trust and a great sense of disparity. All efforts should be made to retain power for those who have it. My neighborhood is 90% Black and many of my neighbors struggle to make ends meet or are on fixed incomes. If this “after the fact” outage is the result of a decision being made, I wonder if this also happens in more white and affluent areas of DTE’s service?

We’ve lost lighting, ceiling fans, small appliances and (new) power strips in surges during outages or more specifically when the power comes back on. I’ve now learned to turn everything off at the box during an outage. Refrigerator and freezer food loss is also substantial when you have 3 kids. After losing refrigerators full of food, we decided to save up for a generator. We’re blessed to be able to do so as many of our neighbors cannot. Last week, once again I was running cords over fences in the middle of an ice storm to try to get some power to our neighbor’s homes. 

One of our elder neighbors lost heat last week. She was too concerned to leave her house over fear that a fire would start while away. I not only understand but share her fear. A few years ago, after a long-term outage, the power came back on and caused simultaneous house fires in the neighborhood. It was chaos with neighbors running hoses, bringing ladders, and holding down a house fire on the block until the overwhelmed Detroit Fire Department arrived on the scene. The house was so damaged that the family haven’t returned to the street.

I think what angers me more than anything else is the indirect impact of these outages on my kids, my elder neighbor, and the rest of my community. My kids don’t sleep well, sometimes even when there is a minimal storm, for fear of outages and fire. Our children and our elders have enough challenges with the state of our neighborhood, city, and world. That this level of trauma and abuse comes from a service that we pay for seems inherently unjust. 

Again, I’m writing to insist you do everything in your power to call a public hearing and demand that DTE executives answer to community.

Thank you for your time and for taking action.

Eden Bloom, Detroit Eastside Resident

To: helenascott@house.mi.gov
JoeTate@house.mi.gov

CC: JoeyAndrews@house.mi.gov
PaulineWendzel@house.mi.gov
kevincoleman@house.mi.gov
karenwhitsett@house.mi.gov
cynthianeeley@house.mi.gov
ErinByrnes@house.mi.gov
JaimeChurches@house.mi.gov
JennHill@house.mi.gov
SharonMacDonell@house.mi.gov
MikeMcFall@house.mi.gov
PatOutman@house.mi.gov
JosephAragona@house.mi.gov
BrianBeGole@house.mi.gov
JaimeGreene@house.mi.gov
DavePrestin@house.mi.gov

March 6, 2023
Eden Bloom – Public Comment
Docket ID No. EPA-R05-OAR-2023-0058
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Detroit Area attainment redesignation

Environmental Protection Agency,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the request from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to ignore ozone data. I will also comment on the related proposal for the redesignation of the Detroit area attainment of the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone.

My name is Eden Bloom, my family and I live on the eastside of Detroit in the impact area of the Stellantis Assembly Complex. I’m requesting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) DENY the request from EGLE to ignore ozone data from Detroit’s East 7 Mile air quality monitor.

Since 2019, I’ve been vocal in my opposition the expansion of the Stellantis expansion and have advocated for reduced emissions and better protections for our neighbors and ourselves. I’ve been vocal because I have 3 kids and because I do not believe that private projects should be financed with public tax dollars.

Over these years, I’ve witnessed the dangerous intersection of complacency and failure on the part of the regulators and most of our elected officials. I’ve also seen a lack of adequate compassion or concern for residents from repeat offenders like Stellantis, US Ecology, and others.

Living through ongoing violations and a non-responsive enforcement order, many of us have zero confidence in the perpetrators or regulators of the pollution that is impacting our quality of life.

VIDEO – Stellantis Positions Redesignation Eastside residents first learned of the proposal for ozone redesignation from Stellantis rep Al Johnson in the 2021 Annual Update for the FCA Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). The redesignation information was shared to underscore Stellantis claims of zero public health risk for residents living closest to the plant.

“We are very proud of the role that Stellantis has been able to play in that reduction (of ozone)” and “in conclusion the data demonstrates that the air quality in the area is safe”, stated Mr. Johnson.^[1][2]

The concept of redesignation was as disturbing to me then as it is now. While not a data or environmental scientist what I looked at the downward trend in emissions, the spikes from the wildfires, and the years in question (2020-2022) I arrived at a different analysis.

If the EPA is going to consider EGLEs request to clean the data based on a non-localized event like the Canadian wildfires, the EPA should also consider two other non-localized events that impacted the data, emissions, and public health; the covid pandemic and the subsequent chip shortage.

The impact of covid on pollution has been well documented.^[3]  The national data quickly pulled from a map from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences projects a relative change of -37.5% in Nitrogen Dioxide, -25.5% in PM2.5, and a 12% drop in Ozone.^[4] In addition, Nasa satellite informed modeling data has also been positioned to determine deviations from the norm.^[5] VIDEO – NASA Studies How COVID-19 Shutdowns Affect Emissions

In addition, supply chain issues and subsequent chip shortages further reduced production. A report from Auto Forecast Solutions cites that 875,000 cars were pulled from production. “Detroit is bearing the brunt: Ford alone is estimated to have canceled production of a planned 324,616 vehicles; GM, 277,966; Stellantis, 252,193.”^[6]

These decreases in production, along with a decrease in sales due to lockdowns, have impacted company profit margins. Another concern is that we will see an increase in emissions as industries strive to make up for lost profits. Less rigorous protections seem counter to business trends and the pursuit of the bottom line.

If the EPA considers cleaning the data to remove spikes from these wildfires it would be consistent for the EPA to adjust the data to reflect the pandemic and chip shortage. NASA’s normalized emissions data can be used to make this correction.

Another factor in my personal concern over the proposed redesignation is the current political climate in Detroit, in the state of Michigan, and the entire US. This is due to the highly politicized nature of environmental regulation, the climate crisis and the failure of elected officials, state regulators or corporations to do the right by everyday people.

The concern is well founded. Eastside Detroiters on Beniteau St., the street immediately adjacent to Stellantis’ improperly engineered paint plant, have had their health and quality of life pitted against jobs and economic opportunity by decision makers. The Justice for Beniteau Residents group has had to fight to be heard every step of the way^[7] and they are not alone, or maybe the point should be that residents ARE alone.

To say our elected officials have failed us is an understatement. Detroit’s mayor and his administration have placed blame on the state while insisting that, despite ongoing air quality violations, Stellantis is in compliance with the Community Benefit Agreement (CBA)^[8]. The city council member seated during the Stellantis/FCA deal resigned from office after pleading guilty to a bribery charge^[9]. Residents were without a district council member when the violations started. Funds, federal and otherwise have been diverted from needed services to the demolition of housing and blight reduction^[10].

One could make a strong argument that pollution and blight have been positioned to encourage displacement of long term, or legacy Black Detroiters. We need more eyes on what is happening in Detroit, not less. We also need more stringent protections that stand no matter who is in office at the White House, in Lansing or in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, our city hall, downtown. Again, this is simply not a time to reduce regulations.

Finally, and most importantly I’ll enter here another plea for the consideration of culminative impacts and public health/quality of life measures in decision making. Since my first public comment with EGLE in 2019, I’ve been arguing for a paradigm shift. Detroit is undergoing a massive transformation. The city’s “rebirth” has been widely promoted but the changes have been far from equitable. They have increased discrepancies between race and class and have perpetuated economic and environmental racism.

To gain jobs that mostly go to suburbanites and tax revenue that is in part diverted to fund private projects there is an effort to expand industrial development, to push reindustrialization in certain areas of the city. There are numerous neighborhoods and clusters of population density among and between these developments. While there are opportunities for more walkable neighborhoods, closer employment opportunities, increased mobility with increased density, these opportunities need to be protected.

As an example of the increased vulnerability of Detroiters due to cumulative impacts, I’m highlighting the area where my family and I live. It’s important to note that similar residential clusters run through the city and region should also be considered by decision makers.

VIDEO – Eastside Industrial Tour From the chemical processing plants and logistics and distribution centers on the riverfront, up the factory-covered Conner Creek through Stellantis’ massive Detroit Assembly Complex to Lear’s new Northpoint developed plant, across Detroit City Airport to Chrysler Transport, over toward steel production sites and repeat violator US Ecology, through GM’s Factory Zero in what was Poletown, and then back toward the river through the area around the old incinerator, another US Ecology horror show and even more historical and active industrial sites.

The 16 sq mile area between these corridors is home to just over 50,000 people^[11], 80% of the population is Black and there are 23 schools and over 80 places of worship^[12]. Some of the worst zip codes for asthma in Michigan; 48213, 48214 and 48215 overlay the corridors. Asthma rates among Detroit adults were 46% higher than in Michigan as a whole; Detroiters were four times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than Michigan residents more broadly; Black Detroiters were more than three times more likely to be hospitalized than white Detroiters; and Detroit’s childhood asthma rate rose to 14.6%, compared to 8.4% of children across Michigan.^[13]

Some of these sites are notable polluters with multiple violations but others contribute to air quality issues more indirectly. There are times I walk out of the door and can’t tell if I’m smelling Stellantis, Aevitas some other combination of emissions from who knows where. The paradigm shift required is to consider cumulative impacts and existing public health factors when making decisions.

I’m not sure if those asthma numbers above will hit others the way they do someone whose kid was pulled out of class last week because he couldn’t breathe. Again, I’m requesting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) DENY the request from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to ignore ozone data from Detroit’s East 7 Mile air quality monitor. Do not move this forward and please do not open the door for an increase in reindustrialization without more stringent regulation. Thank you for considering my public comment.

 

Endnotes:

[1] City of Detroit: FCA CBA 2021 Annual Update – Dec 15, 2021

https://cityofdetroit.zoom.us/rec/play/MOhbG-FM_vkAUUODIKEE18lLFe7dEelyoUE0-PrFtBr_2pFFk6xlJD0Ks7srxAY691UjP8KMU7DrvsSY.xHA035e4eER5Ixzj

[2] Isolated Video of Mr. Johnson’s Statements: https://youtu.be/3ZabfmKSUtM

[3] The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) – COVID-19 lockdowns cause global air pollution declines: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2006853117

[4] NINA Lockdown Pollution MAP  https://nina.earthengine.app/view/lockdown-pollution

[5] Nasa: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-model-reveals-how-much-covid-related-pollution-levels-deviated-from-the-norm

[6] Automotive News: https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/microchip-crisis-takes-big-toll-detroit-3

[7] https://www.detroitpeoplesplatform.org/economic-justice/recognizing-justice-for-beniteau-residents-wins-and-organizing-work/

[8] https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1gh8DxukOkuBJYNdslHLrS0Pc4KGy1iKT

[9] https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/detroit-city-councilman-andre-spivey-sentenced-prison-bribery-conspiracy

[10] https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/06/28/detroit-blight-program-13-million-unsubstantiated-costs/5372675001/

[11] https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/

[12] https://egle.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b100011f137945138a52a35ec6d8676f

[13] Detroit: The Current Status of the Asthma Burden, 2021 Update

My name is Eden Bloom, I live on the Eastside and work with Detroit People’s Platform. This morning I want to briefly check the developers claims of misinformation. It’s important to clearly state that Detroiters are not misinformed. Many know exactly how this works, they recognize it as a hustle and don’t want the developers to use public money, our money, to play the game.

Assumptions are positioned as gospel in the dominant economic development model in Detroit. The entire “but for” analysis is an assumption. As we’ve heard over and over it is an assumption that development cannot happen without without the use of public tax incentives, but a fact is that they would simply be less profitable for the developers. 

We understand that these are models and projections. We’re not concerned about the project not getting built, because we’re not going be be the ones that benefit from it, we’re more concerned about it being built and the projects impact. Detroiters feel exploited when public resources are used to reimburse billionaires private projects. 

What we have is a difference of vision in the way the city should be using public funds. What is happening here isn’t misinformation, what is happening here is that Detroiters are organizing to stop an economic development model that doesn’t benefit them and the developers and the city are willing to say anything to get it done anyway.