LANSING, MI-- There is still time to register for the public listening session that the Office of Climate and Energy has scheduled for Wednesday to receive input from members of the public in shaping the MI Healthy Climate Plan, the governor’s ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching statewide carbon neutrality by 2050.
Details of Wednesday’s public listening session using the Zoom meeting platform:
- 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 5
- A link to join the session is posted to Michigan.gov/Climate.
- At registration, attendees can choose the option of whether they would like to make a comment.
- Each speaker will be limited to three minutes.
- The session is designed to gather comments and input from the public; organizers will not answer questions posed by attendees.
- Individuals needing language assistance or other accommodations for effective participation in the listening session should contact Kimber Frantz at FrantzK@Michigan.gov or 517-284-5035.
Wednesday’s listening session will begin with an overview of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Order 2020-182 that established the Council on Climate Solutions, an explanation of how the council is structured and its role in advising the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Office of Climate and Energy in mapping out the MI Healthy Climate Plan. The council's input will be informed by the public comments and guidance from five workgroups: Energy Production, Transmission, Distribution, and Storage; Buildings and Housing; Transportation and Mobility; Natural Working Lands and Forest Products; and Energy Intensive Industries.
Those who cannot attend the listening session can offer topical comments at any time by sending an email to EGLE-ClimateSolutions@Michigan.gov.
A recording of the April 22 public listening session has been posted to MIchigan.gov/Climate.
The council is comprised of 14 state residents as well as representatives from nine state departments and agencies. EGLE Director Liesl Clark is the chair of the council, which is scheduled to meet publicly the fourth Tuesday of each month through the end of the year.
The MI Healthy Climate Plan is an effort to combat the impacts of climate change in Michigan. Climate change is having a detrimental impact on the state's environment and economy and threatens the health and well-being of residents, with communities of color and low-income Michiganders bearing a disproportionate impact of climate disruptions. Gov. Whitmer has also signed Executive Directive 2019-12, in which Michigan joined the United States Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors from 25 states devoted to pursuing the goals of the Paris Agreement.
