Michigan awarded $129M in federal funding to push forward renewable energy goals 

Yereth Rosen/States Newsroom

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) received over $129 million in federal funding to bolster local and tribal governments’ renewable energy projects. 

The funding comes from the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Tasked with awarding the grants, the Environmental Protection Agency gave 25 projects $4.3 billion in the funding announced Monday.

“Federal funding has really changed the game in Michigan for what we’re able to do, not only on climate but growing our broader manufacturing and clean energy economy,” Kara Cook, Michigan’s chief climate and energy strategist, said during a virtual event Thursday.

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Alongside Cook, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley and Evergreen Action policy advisor Rachel Patterson discussed plans for CPRG funding during the virtual event, hosted by Evergreen Action, a climate policy non profit think tank. 

CPRG gives state, local and tribal governments, in addition to coalitions of organizations, funding to distribute to projects that improve environmental conditions or address discrimination perpetuated by climate change. The goal is to create jobs, improve economic conditions and reduce carbon emissions in a variety of sectors, including transportation, agriculture and manufacturing. 

“The premise behind this grant program in particular is there is no pollution in our communities that we have to settle for,” White House climate advisor Ali Zaidi said. “Every ton of greenhouse gas emissions has a solution, on the other side. It’s just about getting the right team together and getting them the resources to do the job.”

Cook said the grants will support Michigan’s current plan to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050, started by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. A package of bills signed by Whitmer last November set environmental standards to reach that goal and pushed up the clean energy deadline to 2040. 

One of the biggest barriers to reaching decarbonization goals is finding locations, and getting permission, for renewable energy sources at the local level, according to Cook. EGLE’s application to the EPA focused on addressing these challenges. 

EGLE will use both state and federal funds for these projects, according to Cook. 

EGLE plans to use part of the grant to expand the Renewable Ready Communities Program, which provides financial incentives for local communities that host utility scale renewable energy projects, like wind or solar plants. The grant will also provide incentives for renewable energy projects on industrial or brownfield sites.

“We want to make sure that every community can benefit from this, not just our suburban and rural communities that have easier land to develop on and that we’re really revitalizing sites across the state,” Cook said. 

She said the financial incentives for the local governments could go towards other community needs, like repairing roads or staffing a police department. 

Training local governments and potential union workers in the skills needed to develop renewable energy sites will also be funded by the grant. The state will also develop a more comprehensive plan with additional feedback from stakeholders to reach the goals set by Whitmer and lawmakers.  

Ten million dollars will also be set aside specifically for tribal governments in Michigan. Cook said the funding will go towards environmental justice goals and reaching communities that have been particularly impacted by climate change. 

“We want to make sure that this is really focused on the communities that need it most and the communities that haven’t seen as much development or as much of the benefits of clean energy,” Cook said.

Zaidi said that making sure everyone in the country benefits from climate initiatives is an important aspect of the grant programs. 

“It’s not just about reducing the pollution,” Zaidi said. “It’s about bringing all the people up to be able to get the benefit, and that’s really at the heart of [President] Joe Biden, [Vice President] Kamala Harris’s vision for how we tackle the climate crisis.” 

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