What to know about Whitmer emissions plan (and how to weigh in)
After a year of work, the Council on Climate Solutions released its first draft of a statewide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.
The advisory body within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) was created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a September 2020 executive order. The council met 14 times throughout 2021 to develop the MI Healthy Climate Plan, which also draws input from the state's equity-focused Climate Justice Brain Trust, state employees and earlier public comment.
EGLE is seeking public input on the draft by email through Feb. 14 at EGLE-ClimateSolutions@Michigan.gov and at two virtual listening sessions from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 26 and 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 8.
Here are takeaways from the plan's recommendations in key areas. (The full 45-page draft can be read here.)
Transportation
The transportation sector leads the state in emissions as of 2020, making up almost 28% of the gases Michigan puts into the atmosphere, according to the EPA's greenhouse gas reporting program.
The plan urges building infrastructure to support 2 million electric vehicles by 2030, including all public transit vehicles and school buses sold that year. It also recommends funding electric car purchase incentives for customers and state support to electrify vehicles used by government, small businesses, schools and NGOs.
The state is also tasked with transitioning its own fleet to all zero-emission vehicles, with light-duty vehicles given a deadline of 2035 while medium- and heavy- duty ones have until 2045.
The plan also recommends expanding public transit access and bicycling infrastructure and tasking the the private sector with reducing carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon emitted per unit of energy consumed.
Energy production
Michigan's energy sector creates 27% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, second only to transportation.
The plan's energy recommendations include increasing solar and wind capabilities , ending coal-fired electricity production by 2025 and a pledge for state-owned facilities to use 100% Michigan renewable energy by the same year.
The council also calls on the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), the regulatory body that oversees the state's utilities, to expand oversight to include a broader integration plan as energy production moves away from large plants to decentralized sources like wind mills and solar panels.
Additionally, it calls for either the MPSC or the state legislature to formalize a renewable energy standard — a requirement for utility companies to source energy from renewable sources — by 2030.
Businesses and homes
According to the Council's research, Michigan homes and commercial buildings make up 19.8% of the state's carbon dioxide emissions as of 2018 thanks to natural gas combustion for space and water heating.
The plan recommends modernizing building codes for new construction to be more energy efficient, including provisions to support electric vehicle charging. The state is called upon to upgrade older buildings to be more energy efficient by improving electric service, insulation and ventilation and attempting to incorporate more renewable energy sources going forward.
The plan also recommends exploring state funding for these projects for households and small businesses.
"Families struggling to cover their current month’s utility bill cannot contemplate larger energy saving investments that pay off over time – unless they have significant support," the plan reads. "There will be different needs and plans for different people and places."
Environmental justice
The plan recommends that at least 40% of climate investment to go to communities affected by poverty and pollution. That state funding could go to upgrades to houses for lower-income families, to under-resourced communities decommissioning energy plants or other equity-focused projects.
The plan expects renewable energy initiatives to create a slew of new jobs in the state (on top of an existing clean energy workforce of around 110,000). The plan urges developing clean energy businesses with a focus on recruiting employees currently underrepresented in the industry.
How to submit a public comment
Submit comments and suggest changes at any time by sending an email to EGLE-ClimateSolutions@Michigan.gov.
Members of the public can attend one of two virtual listening sessions from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 26 and 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 8.
Contact reporter Annabel Aguiar at aaguiar@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @annabelaguiar.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: What to know about Whitmer emissions plan (and how to weigh in)
