City leaders in Benton Harbor will be joined by state Representative Joey Andrews, the director of EGLE, and the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission next week for an event to highlight work that’s been done in the community to promote clean energy and environmental protection.
The planning commission’s Marcy Hamilton tells us after a $20 million Environmental and Climate Justice grant from the EPA for Benton Harbor was terminated by the Trump administration, the city got together with Elected Officials to Protect America to draw attention to what this will mean. They’ll discuss all of that at the Bobo Brazil Community Center next Tuesday.
“Obviously we’ll be talking about the EPA grant that was terminated to help the city with some alternative energy projects and workforce development and those types of things,” Hamilton said. “We’ll definitely be talking about that opportunity and what it’s meant to the Benton Harbor community of not getting those funds.”
Hamilton says the EPA grant, awarded to the planning commission on behalf of the city, would have been used to fix up the Bobo Brazil Center and to turn it into a pilot microgrid alternative energy project. With the grant now clawed back, most of that won’t be done. However, action is being taken.
“We have signed on to a class action lawsuit that’s been filed against the EPA through a group called Earth Justice and Lawyers for Good Government.”
And on Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced she’s joined with 19 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit against the EPA for terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program. They argue the cancellation of the grants has caused widespread harm across their states, particularly in low-income communities.
Next Tuesday’s gathering with Elected Officials to Protect America will start at 11 a.m. at the Bobo Brazil Center.
