Michigan Climate & Environmental Justice Briefing: Key Funding & Regulatory Impacts

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Check out native-land.ca to find out who’s land you’re on.

Land Acknowledgement

Just Solutions acknowledges that we occupy the stolen land of Turtle Island, indigenous to countless Native tribes and their people of the past, present, and future. We do not dismiss the silencing, exploitation, subjugation, forced eviction, and violence endured by the original people of this land and the threats that continue to this day. Indigenous people have much knowledge, wisdom, and care they bring to this land through ancestral practice, tradition, and activism. Just Solutions follows their lead, honoring the agency and power that their communities hold. We are endlessly learning and making efforts to support the owed justice for Indigenous people. We are in solidarity with Indigenous communities and are committed to reflecting this conviction in our work.

​

​

Add your name, organization, and location in the chat!

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

About Just Solutions

Just Solutions is a national organization that drives innovative, equitable solutions to the climate crisis in support of healthy, resilient communities and accountable democratic institutions. We ground our work in the broader movement for environmental justice and the guiding principle that frontline communities most harmed by climate change should lead in creating and implementing solutions.

​

🕐 1:00 – 1:05 PM | Welcome & Opening Remarks�

🕐 1:05 – 1:20 PM | Defending & Advancing Climate Justice in Michigan�Speakers: Sylvia Chi & Idalmis Vaquero

• Key threats: Air quality, flood risk, Line 5, federal assistance programs
• Federal opportunities: NCIF/CCIA, Thriving Communities, IRA/IIJA funding
• Justice40 updates & Michigan’s role

🕐 1:20 – 1:35 PM | Solar for All & Utility Affordability�

🕐 1:35 – 1:55 PM | Q&A & Open Discussion�

🕐 1:55 – 2:00 PM | Closing & Next Steps�

​

​

Agenda

Key threats and their impacts

Trump’s agenda is “Drill Baby Drill”: increase production and use of oil, gas, and coal.

MORE FOSSIL FUELS

Recent increasing interest in nuclear; billions already invested in Carbon Capture and Storage and hydrogen.

FAST TRACK FALSE SOLUTIONS

INEQUITABLE RESILIENCE

No federal assistance to address continued steep increases in energy rates and utility debt and disconnections.

ENERGY BURDEN & AFFORDABILITY

🛢️

⚡

⚖️

Climate disaster resilience and recovery policy and funding at the federal level will likely be reduced, delayed, less flexible, and politicized.

⚛️

Clean Air Act rollbacks

CONVENTIONAL

• Particulate Matter NAAQS
• Hazardous Organic NESHAP
• Mercury and Air Toxics Standard
• NOx NSPS

*some guardrails from litigation

Michigan impact: Increased health-harming air pollution from PM2.5, SO2, NOx from industrial sources and vehicles.

CLIMATE

• “Revise” 2009 endangerment finding
• Withdraw, weaken, or delay § 111(b)/(d) GHG standards for fossil power plants
• Withdraw or weaken § 111(b)/(d) methane standards for oil & gas sector
• Deny/revoke California’s waivers

End almost all federal regulation of climate pollution.

Disaster recovery & resilience

TRUMP 2.0

• Shift disaster recovery to states by capping federal cost share
• End and privatize National Flood Insurance Program
• End, reduce, or weaken FEMA and HUD grant programs for recovery and prep
• Reverse updated energy code requirements for new housing construction assisted by HUD/USDA/VA
• Politicize, place conditions on disaster aid
• Spread disinformation that undercuts recovery efforts

Increased risks for the most vulnerable communities.

TRUMP 1.0

• Delayed, politicized, and ignored state requests for disaster aid
• Deployed ICE to assist in recovery efforts
• Rebuilt Puerto Rico’s energy infrastructure to be centralized and fossil fuel-based, as opposed to a more resilient, decentralized network of solar, storage, and microgrids

Michigan impact: Increasing risk of floods, heat, and wildfire, with reduced resources to prepare and politicized responses.

More fossil fuels & false solutions

• Expedited permitting for pipelines and extraction, especially on federal lands
• “Tax relief” for fossil fuel companies
• Increased lease sales on federal lands, Outer Continental Shelf, and restart coal leasing
• Restart LNG exports

​

Increased health-harming pollution and safety risks for the most vulnerable communities.

Michigan impact:

US Army Corps of Engineers permit for Line 5 and Nuclear Regulatory Commission permits for new nuclear Small Modular Reactors may be fast-tracked.

Reduced agency funding & capacity

Deep (and illegal) cuts to EPA, Energy, Interior, FEMA, HUD, HHS, etc.

​

Little to no federal financial assistance or enforcement for environmental justice & energy equity priorities.

TRUMP 1.0 SOUGHT TOTAL ELIMINATION OF:

• HHS Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• HUD HOME Investment Partnerships
• EPA Safe Water for Small and Disadvantaged Communities
• DOE Power Marketing Administrations

Michigan impact: LIHEAP, WAP, and other energy assistance programs at risk of total cuts in the budget. Funding for water assistance (including additional amounts for Clean Water SRF, Drinking Water SRF, and Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program) unlikely.

Inaugural executive orders

• “Unleashing American Energy”: “pause” disbursements under IRA and IIJA; revokes EO 14008 (Justice40)
• Clarified by OMB Memo M-25-11: “Agency heads may disburse funds as they deem necessary after consulting with [OMB]”
• “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”: terminate all DEI and EJ offices and positions, Equity Action Plans
• “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”: terminate all DEI and EJ programs; pressure private sector to end DEI initiatives
• “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions”: revokes EO 13985 (Advancing Racial Equity)
• “Declaring a National Energy Emergency”: agencies to use emergency powers to facilitate domestic energy leasing, siting, production, generation, etc.
• “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects”

EOs cannot change law or regulations on their own. Generally, repealing/revising regulations will need to go through the rulemaking process and changes to statutes will need to be approved by Congress.

• BUT: some regulations finalized toward the end of the Biden Administration may be rescinded by Congress via the Congressional Review Act

ALL ARE STILL LIMITED BY APPLICABLE LAW

Michigan impact: Various grants (DOE, FEMA) to the state likely still inaccessible, despite court order. Funding for Michigan Saves (green bank) currently frozen. 7 national and regional TCTACs (including Great Lakes TCTAC) had agreements unilaterally terminated.

Resources

• Lawyers for Good Government: fund protection clinic
• Environmental Protection Network: best practices webinars, 1:1 technical assistance, and office hours for grant management
• Just Solutions/Equity Fund: Executive Orders explainer and guidance on anti-DEI EOs (coming soon)
• Great Lakes Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program
• Accepting applications on rolling basis through November 2026
• Grant amounts ranging from $75K to $350K
• Eligible activities include: Monitoring and mapping, community planning, strengthening cumulative impact protections, and creating community resilience hubs

​

Status of Justice40 Programs in MI

WATER JUSTICE

• State Revolving Funds
• Lead and Copper Rule Revisions under attack under the Congressional Review Act

ENERGY JUSTICE

• MI Solar Access Program
• Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP)
• Home Energy Rebates

Current status of MI Solar for All: Knowns

• Michigan has been awarded $156 million by the EPA for the MI Solar for All program.
• $117 million (75% of the total award) is expected to fund residential rooftop solar projects (21%), community solar (53%), enabling upgrades (20%), and storage (6%).
• $39 million (25% of the total award) will be dedicated to providing technical assistance.
• The program is expected to serve about 16,300 low-income households.

​

• The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is currently hosting a series of listening sessions related to the MI Solar for All Program.
• February 7: Program Overview and Pilots
• February 27: Community Engagement and Workforce Development
• March 20: Residential Solar, Enabling Upgrades, and Storage
• April 10: Residential-serving Community Solar, Enabling Upgrades, and Storage
• May 14: Geographic Distribution and Equitable Deployment

​

EGLE expects to launch a roughly $9 million pilot program in March or April, with full implementation in 2026.

​

​

MI Solar for All News

Questions and Answers

Thank you for attending!

Stay up to date with our work at justsolutionscollective.org

Pat.

Please be sure to follow us: