Michigan needs a big clean water investment. Voters should have a chance to vote on a $2 billion bond in November 2018. But how should the money be invested? Here’s one proposal.
$200 million for capitalization grants to set up community drinking water affordability endowments. No one should be denied access to clean and safe drinking water because of income. A state match would spur communities to set up funds to support low-income residents and prevent shutoffs.
$200 million for drinking water infrastructure — half grants, half loans.
$100 million for a Climate Change Adaptation Fund for water-related design and engineering plans to assist communities in anticipating and responding to the effects of climate change. (More in a subsequent post.)
$1 billion for wastewater infrastructure — half grants, half loans; for both conventional treatment facilities and — significantly — the first major state commitment to green infrastructure. This last makes sense on so many levels, including the ecological and the economic.
$500 million for a state level Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. If Michigan public officials believe the Great Lakes are worth protecting, they should invest in them directly, rather than asking Congress to shoulder the restoration burden year after year. The funds would go to purposes comparable to the federal program — cleanup of contaminated hotspots, habitat restoration, combatting invasive species, and more.