FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2025
Governor candidate Dr. Scott Jensen has issued the pointed letter below to Governor Tim Walz, regarding the administration’s inadequate response to the ongoing health risks posed by Canadian wildfire smoke blanketing the state.
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The Honorable Tim Walz
Governor of Minnesota
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Re: Failure to Address Health Risks from Canadian Wildfire Smoke and Haze
Governor Walz:
As a physician and an ex-Minnesota State Senator, I am dismayed by the absence of concerted efforts on your part to protect Minnesotans from the ongoing and potentially dangerous concentrations of smoke and haze resulting from forest fires to the north. Our state has been under challenging air quality standards for several weeks, and the health consequences to our residents - especially children, fragile seniors, asthma sufferers and those with ongoing respiratory or cardiovascular disease - mount daily.
Other than repeated and nebulous air quality warnings, your administration has offered little more than vague instructions about staying indoors and cautious travel. This is not an adequate response to a public health emergency that has now gone on for an extended period. The absence of a coordinated, statewide effort is not just disappointing; it threatens health and well-being, infrastructure stability, ongoing micro-economies, and exposes medical facilities to surging and unpredictable patient needs.
Your administration's inaction on this problem does not make Minnesotans safer.
I am requesting that you:
1. Implement a comprehensive smoke/haze response plan by contacting Canadian Government officials to obtain timeframe and details regarding their mitigation efforts and reporting findings to Minnesota residents, health care workers, and health care facilities.
2. Provide ongoing public health recommendations to Minnesotans addressing actionable strategies for minimizing likelihood for exceeding exposure to established thresholds for dangerous particulate concentrations.
3. Authorize and encourage pharmacies and health systems to provide emergency medication refills for patients with known respiratory ailments and to maintain adequate inventories of oxygen measurement devices, thermometers, respiratory OTC medicines, and oxygen supplies.
4. Collaborate and coordinate with federal and Canadian partners to improve cross-border response efforts.
5. Develop a long-term air quality emergency plan to avoid the recent too little/too late response.
Governor Walz, leadership is more than ‘checking the box’ by distributing a proclamation. 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.
Sincerely,
Dr. Scott Jensen, Physician & Former Minnesota State Senator
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To Arrange an Interview with Scott Jensen Contact:
Rita Hillmann Olson
952-491-0672
[email protected]
Website: drscottjensen.com ([link removed])
Prepared and paid for by Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor
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