Gov. Gretchen Whitmer aims
to make Michigan completely
carbon neutral by the year
2050, her office announced in
a press release Wednesday.
“The science is clear –
climate
change
is
directly
impacting our public health,
environment, our economy and
our families,” Whitmer said in
a statement. “This dangerous
reality
is
already
causing
harm throughout Michigan,
with communities of color
and low-income Michiganders
suffering
disproportionately,
which
is
why
I’m
taking
immediate action to protect
our state. We owe it to our
children and grandchildren to
leave them a cleaner, safer and
healthier world.”
According
to
Whitmer,
the steps outlined in both
Executive Directive 2020-10
and Executive Order 2020-
182 — both of which she signed
this morning — will provide
protections
for
Michigan’s
environment,
economy
and
public health. She wrote the
new MI Healthy Climate Plan
will also position Michigan to
attract clean energy jobs.
The Council on Climate
Solutions will take steps that
address diversity and equity
while working closely with the
Department of Environment,
Great Lakes and Energy. The
Council and EGLE will be
working together on emission-
reduction strategies to reduce
the greenhouse gas produced
in Michigan by 28%. This
will be lower than the levels
present in Michigan in the
1990s.
In
a
statement,
EGLE
Director Liesl Clark wrote the
executive order will protect
the environment in Michigan
for future generations.
“Michiganders
have
been on the front lines of
environmental protection from
the first Earth Day 50 years
ago, and we continue to lead
with these important steps to
safeguard Michiganders and
their natural resources,” Clark
wrote.
Clark said the project will
link together plans from cities
and towns all over the state that
have been implemented to help
battle climate emergencies at
the local level.
“We’re excited to amplify
and elevate the work of so
many
Michigan
cities
and
towns taking vital steps to
protect their residents and
resources, while sharing in
the benefits brought by clean
energy
industries,”
Clark
wrote.
Public Policy senior Sabrina
Butcher,
Citizens
Climate
Lobby co-president, said she
is pleased with the new orders
from Whitmer.
“I think it’s really cool that
part of their goal is to address
environmental
justice,”
Butcher said. “Michigan has
a lot of wind energy potential
especially in the zone to be
really cool to see renewable
energy
kind
of
take
over
Michigan
and
Michigan’s
economy and to kind of come
back that way.”
Citizens who represent a
range of sectors, experiences
and
expertise
relating
to
achieving carbon neutrality
will be able to apply to be
on the Council on Climate
Solutions. Butcher expressed
concerns with the open-ended
call to the public to apply to be
on the council.
“Bringing a lot of different
voices together is cool, but I
think that’s kind of a dangerous
game because if we look at
something like the President’s
Commission
on
Carbon
Neutrality, we’ve had it for a
couple years now and it’s done
absolutely nothing,” Butcher
said.
“I
think
sometimes
commissions like that can be
a little more symbolic instead
producing
actual
strategies
that get adopted.”
The City of Ann Arbor has
plans of its own to go completely
carbon neutral by 2030. The
plan addresses the sectors
of energy, mobility, resource
reduction
and
adaptation
and
resilience,
aiming
to
transition to renewable energy
sources and design a zero-
carbon transportation system
throughout the city.
Ypsilanti
is
following
Ann Arbor’s lead, drafting a
similar plan to achieve carbon
neutrality by the year 2035.
Despite
challenges
posed
by
the
COVID-19
crisis
and concerns about budget
shortfalls,
Ann
Arbor
is
pushing ahead with its billion-
dollar initiative.
Ann Arbor’s plan will rely
on efforts at the University
of Michigan to reduce the
school’s carbon footprint. The
President’s
Commission
on
Carbon Neutrality is reviewing
options for reaching carbon
neutrality, but a timeline for
a carbon neutrality initiative
has not yet been set. The
commission
released
its
second interim report in June
and is now beginning work on
later phases of research and
analysis.
In a press release, U.S. Rep.
Debbie
Dingell,
D-Mich.,
wrote
she
supported
Whitmer’s plan, noting more
work must be done at all levels
of government to transition to
a net-zero emissions economy.
“Thanks
to
Governor
Whitmer’s
leadership,
Michigan takes seriously the
effects of climate change on
public health, environmental
justice
and
an
equitable
transition to a more sustainable
economy for our communities
and workers,” Dingell wrote.
“Michigan and the United
States will stay at the forefront
of innovation and technology
and leave a healthy planet for
generations to come.”
Daily Staff Reporter Jenna
Siteman can be reached at
jsiteman@umich.edu.
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Gov. Whitmer announces plan to
achieve carbon neutrality in MI
Executive orders aim to reduce carbon footprint to zero by 2050 while
making Michigan into a hub for clean energy jobs, protecting environment
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Wednesday, September 30, 2020
ASHA LEWIS/Daily
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announces her plan to make Michigan carbon-neutral by 2050 on Wednesday afternoon (Note: This photograph was
taken in January 2020).
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“Not every university has
this type of legal agreement
with the county, so I think
we’re able to help in a way,
and provide some students
learning
experiences
in
a way that I think other
universities probably can’t.
So that’s also a reason why
moving in this direction
seems like a possibility.”
Business freshman Audrey
Thedford learned she came
into contact with someone
who had tested positive for
COVID-19 after receiving a
call from a contact tracer.
She said she was confused
about why she was sent to
quarantine
housing
and
wished her contact tracer had
given her more information.
“My contact tracer was
really nice, but when he first
contacted me, I was freaked
out,” Thedford said. “I wish
they could have told me who
I came in contact with …
I emailed (CTC) about my
concerns and at one point, he
just stopped responding to
me about that specific issue
but responded to me about
another issue, so I just kinda
felt swept under the rug.”
LSA
senior
Libby
Kirk
learned she had interacted
with someone who tested
positive for COVID-19 after
the person reached out to
her directly. A day later, CTC
called her. She quarantined
last week.
Though the contact tracing
program was helpful in her
situation, Kirk said it was
also imperative for the person
who tested positive to inform
her so she could get tested
right away.
“In general, I think what
has been more helpful is the
person who tested positive
contacting us right away,”
Kirk said. “Because if I did
have it, I wouldn’t have
known for a whole day until
they contact traced me, so
I think the most helpful
thing has been the person
contacting me themselves.”
Kirk
also
said
one
of
the
program’s
flaws
is
that it relies on student
accountability.
“I think in some ways it is
(working),” Kirk said. “But
in other ways, it’s relying on
students to be accountable for
their actions, which I don’t
think we can really count on
everybody for that.”
Public
Health
professor
Emily Martin, who runs the
COVID-19
sampling
and
tracking
program,
spoke
at the University Board of
Regents meeting Thursday
afternoon and shared data
from the first wave of results.
Martin told The Michigan
Daily how multiple negative
tests could change within
14 days and, if students are
ordered to quarantine, they
must do it for the full two
weeks.
“You can give me 100
negative tests while you’re in
quarantine and you still have
to stay in quarantine because
you could turn positive at
any point during that time
frame,” Martin said. “So,
unfortunately,
there
have
been some people who have
suggested that, ‘What if we
use tests earlier in quarantine
to try to release people?’ It
doesn’t (work like that) …
I think that this is still the
safest way to do that process.”
Thedford
said
she
is
currently
quarantined
at
her
permanent
residence
after spending a week at
Northwood
apartments.
Thedford
said
she
was
concerned
about
getting
the
virus
from
residents
who
tested
positive
after
encountering these students
outside of her quarantine
room.
TRACING
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