Trump on Monday issued an executive order that called in part for "Terminating the Green New Deal" by pausing the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which funded climate, clean energy and other projects, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which put $1.2 trillion toward transportation and infrastructure spending.
The environmental initiatives funded by those laws are varied. They include a program to expand residential solar in low-income communities, a farmland preservation program, rebates for energy efficient appliance purchases, electric vehicle charging infrastructure buildouts and more.
It's unclear how Trump's ordered pause will affect the grant money that was promised to Michigan but is not yet in hand, said Laura Sherman, president of Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, a trade organization for advanced energy companies such as those working in biofuels, renewable power and energy storage.
"We just don't know yet because those programs are in various different stages of rollout," Sherman said, meaning it's not clear whether promised grant money has been sent from federal to state coffers. "I think we'll just have to wait and see."
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office in August touted Michigan's success in receiving grants through the Inflation Reduction Act, stating it had received more than $26 billion in new investments, more than any other state. Many of those grants were coordinated by EGLE, such as a $129.1 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant award announced in August.
EGLE spokesperson Jeff Johnston said the department "is reviewing the new administration's actions to assess what they might mean for Michigan." He did not answer how much federal money awarded for EV charging infrastructure, EV rebates, home efficiency rebates or other projects was in the state's hands.
Trump in his order specifically targeted electric vehicle charging programs funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He ordered agency leaders to review whether funding awards were consistent with policies he laid out earlier in the document: to encourage energy exploration and production on Federal property, encourage domestic mineral mining, to eliminate an "electric vehicle mandate" and more.
Although former President Joe Biden's administration supported EV production and purchasing through incentives and emissions regulations, it did not mandate people purchase them nor outlaw gas-powered vehicles.
The status of federal grant awards for EV charging and other environmental initiatives that were announced before Trump's Monday inauguration remain in question, said Charles Griffith, director of the climate and energy program for the Ecology Center, an environmental group headquartered in Ann Arbor.
"I would be highly doubtful that the money's in hand because usually (the time) from the award announcement to having a contract in place can usually take months, and then checks would come after that," he said.
Griffith said the Biden Administration tried to speed up the pace of getting money into the hands of state and local award winners.
"I would be highly doubtful that the money is in hand for those projects," Griffith said. "I'm crossing my fingers but I’m not betting on it."
Otie McKinley, media and communications manager for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, said "it is premature to assess the potential implications of the recent Presidential Executive Order and we will continue to monitor the federal implications.
"We remain committed to upholding the U.S. automotive industry's rich economic legacy and future ambitions as we continue to support our overall efforts to create and bring manufacturing jobs back from overseas," McKinley said in an email.
The Michigan Department of Transportation was set to receive more than $110 million for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which funds states' efforts to deploy EV chargers.
MDOT Director of Public Affairs Jeff Cranson said the Federal Highway Administration had authorized the state department to spend roughly $77 million of that. He said the department had racked up $2.23 million in "cost to date." The state is using the funding to build EV charging stations along Michigan highways.
MDOT has received no information from federal agencies about Trump's executive order, Cranson said in an email.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced this month the city and Southeast Michigan Council of Governments would be awarded $15.2 million through a different EV charging program, the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program. The money was for installing 110 charging ports in the city and Metro Detroit in places targeting communities of color and underserved populations and for workforce growth and skills development programs.
"The city and its partners are committed to building out a network of EV charging stations," Trisha Stein, Detroit's chief strategy officer, said in an email.
The city has a signed grant agreement from an earlier round of funding through the program, in which it was awarded a $23 million grant, Stein said. It is working toward getting a signed grant agreement for the $15 million it received in round two of the funding.
"We are moving forward with our plan and hope to work with the Trump administration as it supports American auto manufacturers," Stein said.
Grand Rapids received a $1.48 million Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant award in the same round of funding to pay for the installation of 32 EV charging ports throughout the community. City spokesperson Steve Guitar did not return requests for comment about the status of the grant.
Jane McCurry, executive director of the trade association Clean Fuels Michigan, said the EV industry benefited from the federal investment in charging stations but that the consumer interest in EVs would carry on without it.
She said it's unclear whether Trump's order will limit the tax credits people receive for EV purchases
"We see a ton of value in state and federal support for the industry," she said. "We also know it's all about consumer choice and the ball is rolling downhill."
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