As Cleveland-Cliffs pauses operations at the Dearborn Works steel facility, a powerful new poll shows what the community really wants: bold investment in clean manufacturing that protects both people and the planet.
Commissioned by the Sierra Club and conducted by Lake Research Partners, the poll surveyed residents in Wayne County. The results are striking: voters overwhelmingly reject the outdated idea that we must choose between a strong economy and a healthy environment.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 77% support investing in clean steel technologies.
- 72% believe we can create good-paying union jobs and reduce toxic pollution.
- 78% are concerned about industrial pollution from plants like Dearborn Works and DTE’s Coke Works in River Rouge.
- An astonishing 99% believe Michigan residents have the right to know what pollutants are released in their communities.
- Only 11% believe elected officials are doing enough to protect public health, while 67% said they would be more likely to support candidates who prioritize pollution safeguards.
- 76% of voters rejected the idea that the state must choose between jobs and clean air. Instead, they support a path that delivers both economic growth and environmental health.
Wayne County voters are united across party lines in demanding change. They want leaders who will stand up to polluters, invest in clean industry and fight for healthier communities. And when it comes to who should pay for cleaning up emissions? Nearly half say polluting industries should foot the bill, not the public.
We don’t have to sacrifice our health for jobs, we can have both. It’s time for Michigan’s leaders to step up and deliver the clean, just and prosperous future voters are calling for.
To learn more about the poll, click on the link here.