Capital Catch-Up: April 25, 2022

Governor Whitmer Releases Final MI Healthy Climate Plan!

After nearly two years of planning, stakeholder engagement, and public comments, Governor Whitmer and the Council on Climate Solutions released the final MI Healthy Climate Plan last Thursday in Traverse City. The MI Healthy Climate Plan is a huge milestone for conservation, and it positions Michigan to be a national leader in taking action on climate change. 

“We do not have to choose between prosperity or the health of our planet. We can and must do both.”

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Some highlights of the Plan include:

✅ 100% carbon neutrality by 2050

✅ 60% clean energy by 2030

✅ Close all coal plants by 2030

✅ Support 2 million electric vehicles by 2030

✅ Protect 30% of MI’s land and water by 2030

Now that the final version of the Plan has been released, it is up to us to make sure it turns into real action. The first step is to make sure people know about the Plan and are excited about its implementation. To get you started, Michigan LCV has put together this activist toolkit so that you can help spread the word about the MI Healthy Climate Plan and make sure lawmakers know Michiganders want the Plan to become a reality. 

We Need You To Spread the Word Now! Our activist toolkit empowers you to:

1. Share the news of the MI Healthy Climate Plan via social media with your friends, family, and colleagues
2. Personally thank Governor Whitmer for prioritizing the health of future generations with the MI Healthy Climate Plan
3. Urge your state lawmakers to make the Plan a reality
4. Pass on the toolkit to others!

Are you an Elected Official (sitting or aspiring)?

If yes, now is the perfect moment to take a stand and stake out a strong position on climate change. We ask that you share the Climate Plan and associated messaging through your own channels: constituent publications and newsletters, social media, on campaign platforms and in collateral, etc.   

As conservative pollster Frank Luntz told a bipartisan group of elected officials, aspiring leaders, and Lansing insiders Wednesday night, ‘Everyone wants a cleaner, safer, and healthier country; even a majority of Trump supporters believe in climate change and want to see climate action.’ 

MLCV in Action! — How We’ve Helped To Strengthen the MI Healthy Climate Plan

At Michigan LCV our dedicated staff and board members have played an important role in shaping and advocating for the MI Healthy Climate Plan from the start. Two of our board members — Kerry Dugan and Phil Roos — were members of the Governor’s Council on Climate Solutions. In this role, they were involved in every step of the process, including in the final stages of creating the draft plan, which was released in January. 

Two of Michigan LCV’s State Government Affairs team members also intimately participated in the development of the Plan through the Council on Climate Solutions’ Sub-Working Groups. Nick Occhipinti, our State Government Affairs Director, was part of the Natural Working Lands subgroup and played a key role in pushing for policies that leverage Michigan’s forests and wetlands as climate resiliency buffers. Additionally, our State Government Affairs Coordinator, Hallie Fox, was a member of the Energy Production, Transmission, Distribution, and Storage workgroup. In this group, Hallie pushed for aggressive decarbonization strategies including the widespread deployment of renewable energy (rooftop solar) and battery storage.

Finally, Michigan LCV staff and volunteers played a key role in driving public comments on the Draft Plan earlier this year. Together, we helped solicit over 100 comments to the Council on Climate Solutions, which resulted in big wins for our climate in the final version of the Plan. Our work once again showed that when we work together and push for change, we will make a big impact.

Storyteller Focus: What does the MI Healthy Climate Plan Mean for Michiganders?

Jim MacInnes is the CEO and co-owner of Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, MI. As CEO, Jim has prioritized increasing energy efficiency and clean energy generation at the resort. From making the switch to LED lighting to installing public EV charging and even investing in geothermal energy, Jim and Crystal Mountain have led by example through investing in a carbon neutral future. Under the MI Healthy Climate Plan, more businesses and residents across the state will be able to follow in his footsteps by easily investing in energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy, and other sustainable technologies. 

Bali Kumar is a resident of Detroit and Chief Operating Officer of PACE Loan Group, where he lends capital to property owners and real estate developers to retrofit existing buildings with energy efficient technology and construct more sustainable buildings. As part of his work, Bali loans funds to low-income households to help increase access to advanced energy technology. Upgrades in low-income households are essential to improve the lives of underserved residents, lower household energy costs, and improve indoor air health. The MI Healthy Climate Plan’s provisions seek to advance goals shared by Bali and uplift environmental justice communities across Michigan. 

“The Healthy Climate Plan is going to require all hands on deck, there’s no one broad brush.  We have to bring all the tools in the toolkit to solve this issue.  PACE is one example that will empower people and sectors.”