Advocacy News – Oct. 6
Governor Gretchen Whitmer last week announced MI Clean Water, a $500 million plan to address water infrastructure investments to Michigan’s water systems.
The plan will support over 7,500 Michigan jobs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Funding will be prioritized towards communities in need of improving their drinking and wastewater pipeline infrastructure, but will also support wastewater facility upgrades and plan development.
The MI Clean Water funds generally fall into two buckets:
1) $207.1 million investment in drinking water quality, including:
- Lead Service Line Replacement in Disadvantaged Communities Program – $102 million
- Lead and Copper – Drinking Water Asset Management Grants – $37.5 million
- PFAS and Emerging Contaminants – Contamination and Consolidation Grants – $25 million
- Non-Lead Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants – $35 million
- Affordability and Planning Grants – $7.5 million
2) $293 million investment in wastewater protection, including:
- Clean Water Infrastructure Grants (eliminating sanitary sewer overflows; correcting combined sewer overflows; increasing green infrastructure) – $235 million
- Substantial Public Health Risk Grants (removing direct and continuous discharges of raw sewage from surface or ground water) – $20 million
- Failing Septic System Elimination Program – $35 million
- Stormwater, Asset Management, and Wastewater Grants – $3 million
Roughly half of these funds require legislative approval and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce will be working with Department officials and the legislature as the process moves forward. Businesses that are significant wastewater producers in their community may be able to benefit from these funds. As new and emerging contaminants continue to be added to the Department’s regulatory scope, there have been concerns that some businesses may experience rate increases as their local waste water treatment facility Invests in necessary upgrades. These funds could potentially be used to offset those costs.
For more information, please contact Mike Alaimo at malaimo@michamber.com