AG Nessel Intervenes in DTE’s Requested Gas Rate Increase

AG Nessel Intervenes in DTE’s Requested Gas Rate Increase

by | Jan 10, 2024 | Regional News

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 9, 2024

Media Contact:
Danny Wimmer

Michigan AG Nessel Intervenes in DTE’s Requested Gas Rate Increase

LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel intervened in DTE’s recently filed gas rate case as an advocate for DTE’s natural gas customers across the state.

In the case, docket number U-21291 before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), DTE requests a $266 million annual increase in gas rates, a nearly 10% increase for residential customers. The Attorney General, along with her expert witnesses, will carefully examine DTE’s request and will argue against any increases in costs that are not reasonable and tailored to provide benefits to DTE’s customers.

“We will approach DTE’s latest gas rate increase request as we have every one that has come before it, and work to ensure that natural gas costs are affordable for our state’s utility customers,” said Nessel. “This is yet another in a continuing string of multi-hundred-million-dollar cases brought by the company. My team and its experts will carefully examine DTE’s requested increases and strongly object to any that are unreasonable or are more aligned to shareholder benefits than ensuring ratepayers can keep their homes warm all winter. I remain concerned about the clear pattern of repeated rate increases that come before the Commission, one right after the last.”

The Attorney General’s intervention in DTE Gas’s last rate case, U-20940, helped save customers more than $110 million. Since taking office, the Attorney General has helped save Michigan consumers more than $2 billion by intervening in utility cases before the MPSC. Tuesday’s intervention reaffirms her commitment to affordable energy for customers.

DTE provides natural gas to 1.3 million customers across the state and electricity to approximately 2.2 million customers in Southeast Michigan.
Michigan school Districts buy clean and electric school buses

Michigan school Districts buy clean and electric school buses

by | Jan 10, 2024 | Environmental
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2024
Contact: Jeff Johnston, EGLE Public Information Officer, [email protected], 517-231-9304

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help Michigan school districts buy clean and electric school buses

Second year of $5 billion U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program supports purchase of more than 65 clean school buses, improving air quality and lowering costs for schools

Michigan’s transition to clean- and electric-energy school bus fleets has shifted into a higher gear with the announcement of millions coming to the state from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Clean School Bus Program (CSBP) grants.

Detroit, Lansing, and Pontiac public school systems will each receive $5,925,000 in federal funding to buy 15 clean-powered school buses apiece.

Funding through third-party multistate grantees First Student Inc. and Highland CSB 1 will help purchase electric buses in five additional Michigan public school systems: 10 buses in Flint; five in Redford Union No. 1 near Detroit; and two each in Mason County, Brimley, and the West Shore Educational Service District in Ludington.

“These EPA Clean School Bus Program grants will help Michigan schools buy and use new, clean school buses to take kids to school safely, protect clean air in and around our schools, and power the future of our mobility industry,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Thanks to these federal investments in buses that cost far less to fuel and maintain, Michigan schools can redirect some of their transportation budgets back into the classroom to buy new textbooks, support educators, and reduce class sizes. Together, we are taking action to meet the goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan and the historic clean energy package I signed late last year to lower household utility costs, create thousands of jobs, and protect our air, land, and lakes as we meet a 100% clean energy standard by 2040. Let’s keep working together to chart the future of clean energy while protecting the health and safety of our kids and communities.”

“The Michigan Infrastructure Office applauds Detroit, Lansing, and Pontiac for their Clean School Bus Program wins. These federal dollars will purchase new, electric school busses for these school districts, providing a safer and cleaner ride to school for students,” said Michigan Chief Infrastructure Officer Zachary Kolodin. “A single electric bus can eliminate 1,690 tons of CO2 over its lifespan, the equivalent of taking 27 cars off the road. These busses will save schools money on maintenance costs while meaningfully advancing the state’s climate goals.”

“This announcement is just one more example of how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver for Michiganders,” said 7th District U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin. “The Lansing School District will receive funds for 15 new electric and low-emission buses that will reduce harmful air pollution for Lansing students who take the bus to school. And other school districts across the state will benefit, as well. As Michigan continues to lead the way when it comes to electric vehicles, it will be great to see the next generation taking them to school.”

“I am overjoyed that the city of Pontiac was selected by the EPA as a recipient of the Clean School Bus Program grants, providing our district with 15 much-needed electric and low-emission school buses,” said 11th District U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Michigan is a step closer toward securing its clean energy future. As we all breathe the same air, this is a win for the health and safety of all of the Pontiac community, especially our children.”

“The EPA’s allocation of Clean School Bus Program grants to Detroit Public Schools is a significant investment in our community and the health of our students,” said 13th District U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar. “This move toward cleaner, sustainable transportation marks an important step in enhancing the environment and securing a healthier future for the youth of Detroit.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the awards Jan. 8 as part of the agency’s first CSBP Grants Competition, made possible through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This is year two of five for the $1 billion-a-year CSBP. Awards in year one took the form of rebates.

“Before the new funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Michigan only had 17 electric school buses,” said Phil Roos, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). “This grant program has greatly accelerated Michigan’s transition to clean school buses, helping implement Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan while lowering costs for schools; keeping Michigan on the leading edge of advanced mobility; and, most importantly, protecting the state’s most precious resources, our children, from harmful air pollution.”

Since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November 2021 and the federal Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022, Michigan has brought home billions of dollars in federal investments for transformational projects to grow the state’s economy; create thousands of good-paying jobs; and usher in a cleaner, brighter future. A 2023 report from Atlas Public Policy found that Michigan has invested over $1.28 billion federal dollars to drive climate infrastructure projects — more than any state except California.

The transportation sector accounts for almost 28% of Michigan’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Most of those emissions come from combustion of gasoline and diesel fuel, including by school buses. Reducing GHG emissions from transportation is vital to meeting the MI Healthy Climate Plan goal of making Michigan 100% carbon neutral by 2050.

Clean school buses in Michigan

Nearly 17,000 school buses transport more than 800,000 Michigan students each school year.

In 2019, EGLE’ s Fuel Transformation Program awarded a $4.2 million grant toward the purchase of the first 17 electric school buses and charging stations in Michigan for seven school districts across the state.

In November 2022, the EPA invested $54 million from the CSBP rebate competition toward 138 new electric school buses and infrastructure for 25 Michigan school districts, from Southeast Michigan to the Upper Peninsula.

Governor Whitmer’s bipartisan fiscal year 2024 state budget included $125 million to help school systems transition to clean-energy buses, with a focus on the communities that need them most.

About the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program

The CSBP provides an unprecedented $5 billion of funding over five years to transform the nation’s fleet of school buses. The program funds clean school buses – including those powered by electricity, compressed natural gas, and propane – that produce lower or zero tailpipe emissions compared to diesel predecessors.

Air pollution from older diesel engines is linked to asthma and other conditions that harm students’ health and can cause them to miss school. Phasing out these older diesel engines, which disproportionately affect communities of color and tribal communities, ensures cleaner air for students, bus drivers, school staff working near bus loading areas, and the communities through which the buses drive each day. The CSBP is reducing GHG emissions, saving money for school districts, and producing cleaner air.

The EPA said the selection of 67 applicants nationwide for $965 million in CSBP grants will improve air quality for children and families and advance environmental justice by accelerating the transition to low- and zero-emission vehicles while boosting the economy and creating good-paying jobs. The grants will help selectees purchase more than 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts serving over 7 million students across 37 states.

Grantees will work with EPA regional project officers to finalize project plans and purchase their awarded new buses and eligible infrastructure. As grants are finalized, total amounts awarded and numbers of buses may be adjusted.

The CSBP’s 2022 rebates totaling $875 million funded the replacement of 2,366 buses at 372 school districts nationwide.

Prioritized school districts in low-income, rural, and/or tribal communities make up approximately 86% of the projects selected for funding. The program delivers on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.

Applications for the current Clean School Bus Rebate Program round are open through Jan. 31. The EPA encourages applicants not previously selected and schools that have not yet applied to participate in current and future funding rounds.

For more information, including about applying for funding, email [email protected]. For technical assistance, email [email protected].
Michigan blazes a trail in federal climate investments

Michigan blazes a trail in federal climate investments

by | Jan 10, 2024 | Environmental
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2024
Contact: Jeff Johnston, EGLE Public Information Officer, [email protected], 517-231-9304

Michigan blazes a trail in federal climate investments and transformative clean energy policy

Annual MI Healthy Climate Plan Report details Michigan’s historic legislative victories and key efforts establishing Michigan as a national leader in clean energy and climate action

Michigan leads the nation in federal climate investments, strategic initiatives, and groundbreaking legislative victories that put our great state on track to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040 while creating thousands of jobs. Michigan’s commitment is exemplified by the MI Healthy Climate Plan 2023 Report, an annual report developed by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Office of Climate and Energy (OCE). The report provides a summary of 2023 progress on the implementation of the State’s MI Healthy Climate Plan (MHCP).

“Michigan is leading the nation on clean energy and climate action,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Last year, I signed a game-changing package of clean energy legislation including a 100% clean energy standard by 2040, efficiency upgrades to lower costs for consumers, and the strongest labor standards in the country so we build American energy using American workers. Our commitment to taking climate action while creating jobs and lowering costs will make a real difference in people’s lives. This report caps one of the most productive years in EGLE history. Together, let’s keep building a brighter future for Michigan.”

Anchored in legislative victories, state investment and action, and federal investments, the MHCP positions Michigan as a national leader in clean energy and climate action. By implementing policies that reduce costs; protect land, air, water, and public health; foster equity; and create family-sustaining jobs, Michigan is creating a blueprint for a more sustainable, just, and prosperous future for all.

According to the 2023 Clean Jobs Midwest report, Michigan was No. 1 in the Midwest for clean energy jobs, and the sector is growing twice as fast as the overall economy.

“Michigan’s investment in climate initiatives is not just about policy; it’s about creating a positive and lasting impact on the lives of Michiganders today and for generations to come,” said EGLE Director Phil Roos. “Through strategic investments outlined in the MI Healthy Climate Plan, we are charting a path toward a more sustainable future while ensuring real benefits for our communities. From creating high-quality jobs to reducing energy costs and improving the overall quality of life, these initiatives are a commitment to making Michigan a better place for everyone who calls it home.”

Michigan has an all-of-government approach to climate and has worked to incorporate climate into existing programs and launch new programs including the new MI Healthy Climate Corps and the EGLE climate liaisons. Below are some of the accomplishments and initiatives highlighted in the MI Healthy Climate Plan 2023 Report.

Legislative victories set Michigan on path to success

The passage of key legislation reflects a dedication to reducing carbon emissions and a comprehensive approach to fostering economic growth, job creation, and energy affordability.

Key legislative highlights include:

  • Michigan’s Clean Energy Leadership: Michigan’s commitment to a 100% clean energy standard by 2040 positions the state as a national leader, making it one of the most progressive states in the nation on clean energy and the strongest state on clean energy policy in the Midwest.
  • Historic Commitment to Renewable Energy: The new laws drive progress by establishing a 50% renewable energy standard by 2030 and 60% by 2035. They also streamline the siting process for large-scale wind, solar, and storage projects.
  • Increased Access to Rooftop Solar: The new law expands the cap for distributed generation to 10%, allowing more families and businesses to generate electricity with rooftop solar.
  • Lower Energy Costs: The new laws increase Michigan’s Energy Waste Reduction (EWR) standard to 1.5% and set a goal of 2% for electric and gas utilities. It is expected to save Michigan households an average of $145 annually in energy costs.
  • Environmental Justice and Equity: The new laws prioritize environmental justice and equity in clean energy programs, ensuring that the state’s utility regulator, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), considers climate, environmental justice, and nondiscrimination in decision-making.
  • Connecting and Training Michiganders for Jobs of the Future: The new laws created the Office of Worker and Community Economic Transition. The new office will support workers and communities to ensure they can take full advantage of the good-paying clean-energy jobs of the future.

Strategic state funding for a sustainable future

Michigan is committed to a sustainable future and is working to implement the strategies and initiatives proposed in the MHCP. The combined FY 2023 supplemental and the FY 2024 budget allocated over a billion dollars on climate and clean energy-related initiatives, further solidifying Michigan’s position as a national leader. This comprehensive funding package covers deploying more clean energy, increasing access to clean transportation, repairing and upgrading homes, reducing disparities in environmental justice communities, and more, showcasing the state’s dedication to economy-wide decarbonization and a greener and equitable tomorrow.

Key funding initiatives will:

  • Clean the Electric Grid: $265 million in investments to generate clean energy, enhance the electric grid, and incentivize local communities to host utility-scale solar.
  • Electrify Vehicles and Increase Public Transit: $261 million for mobility upgrades, including helping school districts buy clean buses and expanding clean transportation options.
  • Repair and Decarbonize Homes and Businesses: $312 million invested in weatherizing homes, clean energy upgrades, and energy efficiency initiatives.
  • Protect Michigan’s Land and Water: $14.4 million invested to protect forests and wetlands and encourage the purchase of Michigan-grown and -raised products.
  • Commit to Environmental Justice and Pursue a Just Transition: $21 million for environmental justice initiatives, including improving air quality and expanding activities that reduce environmental impacts in frontline communities, or communities that experience the most immediate and worst impacts of climate change.
  • Foster Cross-Sector Collaborations: $383.1 million was invested in climate action initiatives, including $2.1 million to launch the MI Healthy Climate Corps, which will help communities take climate action while creating jobs.

Michigan: A national leader in clean energy

Michigan is a national leader in bringing federal tax dollars home – particularly on climate-related funding, surpassed only by California. The state has secured nearly $1.3 billion to help lower energy costs, reduce power outages, create thousands of jobs, and more. Under the Biden Administration, Michigan has invested $9.6 billion in public infrastructure and clean energy. According to a recent report by Climate Power, Michigan is No. 1 in the nation, with 24 new clean energy projects.

Find a link to the MI Healthy Climate Plan 2023 Report and more information on the plan’s hub page, https://mhcp-egle.hub.arcgis.com/.

Background

In 2020, Governor Whitmer issued Executive Directive 2020-10, which charged EGLE, through its OCE, with developing the MCHP. The MHCP committed Michigan to 100% carbon neutrality by 2050 with interim greenhouse gas emission reductions of 52% by 2030 and 26% by 2025 as compared to 2005 levels. The MHCP was released in April 2022, after extensive stakeholder engagement that included consultation with tribal governments; meetings with the Council on Climate Solutions, workgroup members, and key stakeholders; and consultation from the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice.