Tribes in Michigan receive $38 million from the Biden-Harris administration to take climate action, implement community-driven clean energy projects

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected four tribes in Michigan to receive more than $38 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) made available by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The awards to these four tribes in Michigan make up nearly 10 percent of the CPRG tribal award dollars nationally.

 

 

These awards will empower tribes across the state to implement community-driven climate solutions, supporting their efforts to lower costs, upgrade infrastructure, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate clean energy solutions. Projects will support solar installations, energy efficiency and electrification improvements, recycling services, electric vehicle infrastructure, and more.

“EGLE is committed and excited to continue working with federally recognized tribes in Michigan on our shared priorities to further advance the goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan,” said Phil Roos, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

In August, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that EGLE had received $129.1 million from the EPA under the CPRG program to launch the Renewable Ready Communities (RRC), a program that will provide financial incentives, technical assistance, and more to support the deployment of utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage that is permitted through local processes. The state’s award reserved at least $10 million for projects and support for tribal communities.

“Tribes in Michigan have been long-standing leaders in climate action,” Roos added. “These investments from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act will accelerate their efforts and further position Michigan as a national leader in clean energy, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for all.”

• Bay Mills Indian Community will receive $17.3 million to install a ground-mounted solar farm and battery storage system that will provide Tribal citizens in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan with clean, affordable, and reliable electricity. The award also creates a workforce development program to train Tribal members to fill new high-quality clean energy jobs.
• Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will receive $14.9 million to undertake energy efficiency assessments and upgrade low-income Tribal housing units and businesses. The award also supports the solar arrays on residential and commercial buildings, allowing the tribe to meet a majority of their energy needs with renewable energy.
• Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi will receive $1.2 million to take climate action across multiple sectors, including expanding Tribal recycling programs, converting the commercial vehicle fleet to electric vehicles, promoting energy-efficient lighting fixtures in the local greenhouse, and supporting habitat restoration efforts.
• Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians will receive $5 million to install solar, retrofit buildings with HVAC Air-source and ground source heat pumps, and develop and install electric vehicle charging stations across the Tribal government campus.

These four awards are among 34 applications and $300 million in funding from the CPRG program that will cumulatively reduce greenhouse gas pollution nationally by over seven million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050—equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted from nearly 1.4 million homes’ electricity use for one year. More information on CPRG tribal awards can be found on the EPA’s website.

The state of Michigan is committed to continuing to work toward shared climate priorities with tribal nations in Michigan by:

• Continuing monthly meetings to collaborate around shared climate priorities.
• Deepening our partnership in coordinated and complementary climate plans with the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan and individual tribes through the CPRG program.
• Identifying ways to collaborate through ongoing climate initiatives such as the MI Healthy Climate Corps and through our CPRG implementation award, which includes a specific carve-out of $10 million for tribes based on input directly from tribes in Michigan.

About the CPRG Program

The EPA’s CPRG program provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under the IRA, this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants.