In recent weeks, Rep. Fred Upton, the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has been working with energy industry lobbyists and the former oil and gas industry employees on his staff to undermine or overturn safeguards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency against air pollution.

Unfortunately, his actions could dramatically impact many of his constituents, particularly children, elderly and others suffering from asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

Rep Upton’s district includes Kalamazoo County, which received a failing grade from the American Lung Association (ALA) for high ozone days. Those high ozone days hurt everyone in the county, of course, but those most vulnerable are young children and the elderly. In fact, according to the ALA, there are more than 18,000 people in Kalamazoo with adult asthma.

President Obama said it best during his State of Union address earlier this week: “I will not hesitate to create or enforce commonsense safeguards to protect the American people. That’s what we’ve done in this country for more than a century. It’s why our food is safe to eat, our water is safe to drink, and our air is safe to breathe. It’s why we have speed limits and child labor laws.”

Without government protections, we’ll have higher rates of lung cancer, emphysema and other illnesses. Our air will be dirtier, toxic sludge will again invade our waterways and many poorer communities will be left even more powerless to stand up against nearby industrial polluters.

Instead of caving into the Tea Party and its industrial backers, Rep. Upton would better serve his constituents by modeling his actions after places like Pittsburgh, PA, which recently banned a controversial natural gas drilling technique over concerns about public health.

Darlene Harris, President of the city council, said that her colleagues rejected industry arguments that jobs would be lost if drilling was not allowed to proceed. “There’s going to be a lot of jobs for funeral homes and hospitals,” she told CBS News “That’s where the jobs are.”

Rep. Upton needs to decide if he’s willing to disregard such concerns about public health. Are you, Rep. Upton?