Michigan Governor Issues Executive Directive to Reduce State Greenhouse Gas Emissions
On July 29, 2009 Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued Executive Directive 2009-4, which sets a goal to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 80 percent below 2005 by 2050. The Directive also implements policy measures to achieve these GHG emission reductions. The goal and the policy measures are products of the Michigan Climate Action Council (MCAC) commissioned by Governor Granholm to develop a climate action plan for the state. The policy measures within the Executive Directive include agricultural education programs aimed at teaching farmers practices that enhance biological carbon sequestration; building code revisions designed to improve energy efficiency; state and local plans to alleviate vehicular congestion and improve the efficiency of transport; and the development of a program that will curb state vehicle idling times.
The MCAC was created by executive order in November of 2007 and consisted of over 100 stakeholders including business, labor, environmental, forestry, agricultural, and academic interests. The MCAC delivered 54 policy recommendations in March of 2009, 52 of which were unanimously recommended by all MCAC participants. An MCAC-approved economic analysis of 35 of these recommendations concludes that their implementation will save the state $10 billion by 2020 while reducing emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels. Michigan is one of 31 states that have completed or are currently working on a climate action plan.