Appointed by a Democrat governor, Commissioner Katie Dykes dutifully echoed the party’s talking points: “It is settled science that greenhouse gases pollute the air.”
In the real world, smoke from neglected Canadian forest fires is polluting American air and triggering health alerts in multiple states.
But in Dykes’ reality, the real crisis is Trump rolling back an EPA rule. Not a word from her about the toxic haze millions are breathing — because blaming Trump gets her more headlines than holding Canada accountable.
Over at DEEP, Commissioner Katie Dykes dutifully echoed the talking points. “It is settled science that greenhouse gases pollute the air,” she declared, before noting that Connecticut “suffers from some of the worst air quality in the United States.” Eliminating the Endangerment Finding, she warned, would make the state “less safe” and more vulnerable to extreme weather — though curiously, she didn’t explain why her department’s years of climate regulations haven’t improved any of it. READ MORE
States Affected by Canadian Wildfire Smoke (August 2025)
Smoke from poorly managed wildfires in Canada — especially in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba — is drifting into the U.S. and polluting the air across much of the Midwest and Great Lakes region. The following states are under Air Quality Alerts:
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
Illinois (all 102 counties under alert)
Iowa
Missouri (northern areas)
Northern Indiana
Parts of Nebraska
Major Cities Impacted
Chicago, IL
Minneapolis, MN
Milwaukee, WI
Detroit, MI
These cities recently ranked among the worst in the world for air quality due to the Canadian smoke.