Governor Whitmer’s proposed budget prioritizes clean water, energy infrastructure, cleanup

 

Lead line replacement, cleaning up contamination, increasing government transparency, and strengthening the state’s energy infrastructure are a few of the priorities represented in Governor Whitmer’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) portion of the proposed budget includes 1,786 full-time employees and $1.19 billion in funding — more than half of which is passed through to local communities in grants and loans.

“The Governor’s budget proposal is a continuation of her commitment to strengthen Michigan communities and safeguard our world-class natural resources,” said EGLE Director Phil Roos. “By replacing more lead service lines, cleaning up contamination, strengthening energy infrastructure, and modernizing government systems, these investments will ensure Michiganders have access to safe drinking water, communities are prepared for investment, and the department can provide more transparent, efficient service to everyone we serve.”

Highlights of the Governor’s proposed EGLE budget:

Ensuring Clean Drinking Water, Rebuilding Michigan’s Water Infrastructure:

Since 2019, the State has invested over $5.3 billion to rebuild local water infrastructure, supporting over 75,000 jobs.

• Lead Service Line Replacement: $50 million in one-time dollars to help communities replace lead service lines and upgrade their water systems, improving the quality of our drinking water and reducing lead exposure.
• Water Infrastructure Grants: $30 million in ongoing annual funding to support communities’ efforts to replace lead service lines and upgrade associated infrastructure and expand resources to support locals with stormwater management and stormwater infrastructure upgrades, reducing the impacts of extreme weather like flooding and sewer overflows.
• Drinking Water Safeguards: $5.95 million in ongoing program support to enable the department to strengthen implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, ensuring all families have confidence in their drinking water.

Protecting Our Waters, Cleaning Up and Preventing Contamination:

• Solid Waste Surcharge or “Tipping Fee” Increase: $80 million in ongoing fee revenue that promotes recycling and reduces out of state waste, while raising funds for materials management, addressing contaminated sites, and brownfield redevelopment.
• Contaminated Site Clean Up: $22.6 million for brownfield redevelopment grants and loans and to add to the progress in cleaning up the Detroit River Area of Concern, reducing pollution in the Great Lakes.
• Fee Updates: $12.8 million in annual fees to align program revenue and address declining fund balances while supporting the department’s work to protect water resources, manage hazardous waste, and ensure safe underground gas storage.
• Septic Code Implementation: $7 million one-time investment to support the implementation of a statewide septic code with the creation of a database and septic permitting and assessment program, reducing sewage and E. coli in our waterways.

Strengthening Energy Infrastructure, Providing More Resources for Communities:

• Renewables Ready Communities Program: $129.1 million federal competitive grant to deploy more affordable, clean energy resources to the electric grid by supporting communities who choose to host these facilities with technical and financial resources and incentivize the deployment of energy facilities on brownfield properties. 

• Clean Fuel and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: $10.3 million in investments to expand clean transportation options for more families and businesses by accelerating the deployment of clean fueling infrastructure and new fast chargers for passenger and commercial vehicles, including along the Lake Michigan Circuit.

• Community Energy Resources: $2.7 million in federal grant funding for Michigan Renewable Energy Academy and MI Clean Energy Corps, programs that provide communities with the tools they need to make smart energy planning decisions and grow Michigan’s clean energy workforce respectively, and $370,000 ongoing annual support to increase capacity to develop and implement energy programs and provide assistance to communities, businesses, and schools.

Making State Government More Modern and Transparent:

• Increasing Records Transparency: $39 million one-time investment to improve processes, digitize, and index the department’s extensive records to create a publicly accessible database, modernizing processes, improving transparency, and saving taxpayers $4 million annually.

For more information about the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, visit www.Michigan.gov/EGLE.