Clean Air & Safe Communities

Because the health of our people and the health of our land are inseparable

Clean air is not a luxury. It is not a partisan issue. It is not something we should have to fight for once the damage is already done. Clean air is a basic condition for life, health, and human dignity—and without it, no community can truly be safe.

When we talk about safe communities, we often limit the conversation to policing or emergency response. But real safety begins much earlier and much deeper than that. It begins with the air our children breathe, the water our families drink, and the environment our elders depend on to live with dignity.

In Buncombe County, clean air is not an abstract concern. It is about asthma rates in our children, respiratory illness among our seniors, and the long-term health costs borne by families who already struggle to make ends meet. It is about whether economic development protects people—or quietly puts them at risk.

Environmental Health Is Public Health

There is no meaningful separation between environmental policy and public health. Polluted air leads directly to higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and premature death. Communities exposed to poor air quality face increased healthcare costs, missed workdays, and diminished quality of life.

And these burdens are not shared equally.

Low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are often the first to experience the effects of pollution and the last to receive relief. Environmental harm compounds existing injustice, turning economic inequality into a health crisis.

If we are serious about safety, we must be serious about prevention—not just reaction.

Clean Energy Is a Safety Issue

Efforts to halt clean energy projects, including wind and renewable infrastructure, don’t just slow environmental progress—they put communities at risk. Clean energy reduces pollution, strengthens energy independence, and creates local jobs without sacrificing long-term health.

Opposing clean energy in the name of short-term convenience is a false economy. We end up paying later—through medical bills, environmental damage, and communities left behind.

Responsible stewardship means choosing solutions that protect both today’s livelihoods and tomorrow’s lives.

Community Safety Is About Trust and Wellbeing

A safe community is one where people trust that their government values their health more than corporate convenience. It is a place where children can play outside without fear of what they’re breathing in, and where elders can age without pollution accelerating illness.

Safety is not just about responding to harm—it’s about removing the conditions that cause harm in the first place.

That means:

• Prioritizing clean air and water in all development decisions
• Holding polluters accountable, regardless of their influence
• Investing in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure
• Listening to communities most affected by environmental risk

A Commitment to the Common Good

Clean air binds us together. No neighborhood, political party, or income bracket gets separate oxygen.

When we protect the environment, we protect workers, families, and future generations. When we ignore it, we pass the cost to those with the least power to resist.

I believe government has a responsibility to safeguard the conditions that make life possible—and that starts with clean air and healthy communities. Not someday. Not when it’s convenient. But now.

Because safe communities don’t begin with force.
They begin with care.