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Multidisciplinary Workgroup Advances Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Priorities in Michigan
OVERVIEW
Michigan established a Healthy Climate Plan in 2020 outlining greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction targets and strategies. The State's Council on Climate Solutions (the "Council) established workgroups to provide technical expertise and recommendations to facilitate plan implementation. The workgroups have developed actionable recommendations for the Council to review, adopt, and recommend to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
BACKGROUND
In 2020, the Governor issued an Executive Order and Executive Directive forming a Michigan Healthy Climate Plan and a Council on Climate Solutions. The role of the Council on Climate Solutions is to advise the governor and EGLE in formulating and overseeing the implementation of the plan. The Plan covers sectors such as energy, agriculture, buildings, and transportation as well as objectives for job creation, increasing economic development, improving public health, protecting nature resources, and mitigating climate impacts. The goal of these efforts is to reduce GHG emissions and transition toward economywide carbon neutrality in Michigan.
The Council on Climate Solutions is separated into five different advisory workgroups developing strategies for different sectors for achieving the goals set out in the Healthy Climate Plan. The workgroup membership consists of representatives from EGLE, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and other State agencies. The Council meetings are open to the public and have been attended by advocacy groups promoting issues such as zero-emission vehicles, environmental protection, clean cities, and transit expansion. One of the workgroups is dedicated to generating recommendations for the Transportation and Mobility sector.
GOALS AND TARGETS
Following energy production (29%), transportation (25%) is the second largest source of the GHG pollutants in the State and is set to become the leading source in the coming years. Michigan has a statewide GHG emissions reduction goal of 28% below 2005 GHG levels by 2025 and 52% by 2030. Achieving the 2030 goal will require the State to reduce annual GHG emissions by approximately 92.95 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent based on today's (April 2022) emissions levels. The State aims to
achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050. Figure 1 demonstrates how five of the State's key sectors have changed in emissions from the 2005 baseline to 2019. Natural and working lands are shown in the negative in the Figure to demonstrate their ability to capture GHG emissions.
Figure 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Source Source: MI Healthy Climate Plan
INTEGRATION WITH TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Submitted in 2021, one of the recommendations set forth by the Transportation and Mobility workgroup was for regional transportation plans to include GHG budgets. The workgroup determined electrifying transportation will not be enough to meet the State's GHG reduction targets, and regional planning that reduces transportation GHG emissions will also be needed. A GHG budget sets out a maximum amount of GHG emissions that a metropolitan planning organization's (MPO) project portfolio must stay beneath. MPOs in the State would then be tasked with accounting for each project's proposed GHG emissions and the cumulative GHG impact of the region's project portfolio. MPOs would be required to demonstrate plan performance in line with the GHG budget or risk funding reductions. If an MPO pursues projects that do not serve to reduce GHG emissions, they would have the option to include in their plan strategies for mitigating emissions, such as expanding mobility options, adding bicycle facilities and infrastructure, and carpool programs. MPO-specific GHG reduction targets and budget would be established by the MPOs in coordination with EGLE or the Michigan Transportation Commission. Additionally, the Transportation and Mobility workgroup recommended that "MDOT, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and local transit providers should develop comprehensive plans to
expand access to convenient, zero emission public transit throughout the state of Michigan, with a goal of increasing the state's investment by an amount great enough to support the mobility needs of the state's residents."1 In their recommendation, the workgroup indicates that increasing the resource allocation and emphasis at the regional level for expanding public transit is likely to have a positive impact on reducing GHG emissions. NEXT STEPS Implementation of the Healthy Climate Plan will continue to rely on coordination with workgroup members, the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, and other key community stakeholders. The Council will review, adopt, reject, or modify workgroup recommendations. If the recommendations are administrative in nature, they could be implemented through executive action. If the recommendations are legislative in nature, implementation will be a more extensive process.
1 Michigan Council on Climate Solutions, Transportation and Mobility WorkgroupRecommendations, October 2021