The MPs for Essex and Windsor West hope federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna steps in to stop an oil refinery in Detroit from getting a permit that could increase emissions by 40%.
Marathon Petroleum has applied to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to install a gasoil hydrotreater. The company says it will improve efficiency, but Windsor West MP Brian Masse says it will also increase sulphur dioxide emissions by up to 22 tonnes a year.
Essex MP Tracey Ramsey says with the refinery's proximity to the Canada-U.S. border and prevailing winds in the region, there is a very real concern about the health impact for residents.
"For people that have respiratory issues, that have asthma, cardiac issues," she says. "But let's be honest, if we're talking about increasing sulphur dioxide by 40% into our airflow, it's going to have an impact on people who are healthy."
In a letter to McKenna, the two MPs ask the environment minister to invoke the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement, a mechanism the federal government can use to object to the issuance of the permit.
"We're looking for the minister to respond as quickly as possible so that we can start this process before the permit is actually granted," says Ramsey.
The Town of LaSalle has recently written a letter asking McKenna to intervene, and Ramsey says it would help if other municipalities in the region did the same.
