Environmental activists are praising the new state budget proposal, announced last week by the governor. They say the budget shows a historic state investment in climate resiliency and a continued backing of water infrastructure.
More than $2 billion dollars are set aside in the proposed budget for investments in climate mitigation, renewable energy, and clean water. Funding for lead service line replacements, water filter distributions, and contaminated site clean-ups are also included as part of a state commitment to environmental justice.
Charlotte Jameson is the chief policy officer for the Michigan Environmental Council. She said the budget has the right priorities and supports necessary programs, and it's in line with past water infrastructure investments.
“On the water side, and these numbers really do stack up," Jameson said. "On the climate side, we’ve just started barely scratching the surface around some of the federal investments, and there’s so much more work to be done to mitigate climate change.”
However, Jameson said only time will tell whether it will be enough to address the scale of climate change.
“These are the right component pieces, but we're in a climate crisis," Jameson said. "I think that the scale of our investment and the scale of our policy solutions need to rise to that to that challenge, and it does do appear to do that, at least not on the housing side.”
The $79 billion budget still needs to be reviewed by state committees and approved by the legislature before it can be enacted. The large budget is due to a $9 billion surplus.
For the full budget breakdown, visit the Michigan State Budget Office here.
