The West MI Healthy Climate Plan

GVMC Receives $1 Million from U.S. EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Program 

With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act through the US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), GVMC and KERAMIDA are developing a comprehensive plan, known as the West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan (WMHCP), to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions throughout Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, & Ottawa Counties.​ The goal of the WMHCP is to connect and uplift existing state, regional and local plans for the policies and programs it identifies.

Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP)

The West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan is organized into two phases. The first phase began with the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which included a greenhouse gas inventory and technical working groups (action planning teams) that helped to identify high-priority, implementation-ready measures to reduce the rate of harmful emissions across the four county region. The PCAP was completed in March 2024.

The West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan PCAP can be found here.

Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP)

The second phase, known as the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), will focus on quantifying the measures identified in the PCAP to meet our targets. In other words, numbers will be put behind the ideas from the PCAP. Throughout this phase, policies and programs will be refined to illustrate an accurate roadmap to create a sustainable and resilient west Michigan.

Community engagement is one of the center pieces of this phase, facilitated through our Community Ambassador Program. The second opportunity for public comment during this phase will be from September through October 2025. More information coming soon.

The CCAP is currently under development.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

KERAMIDA and GVMC conducted a regional Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory based on data from 2019. This report provides a snapshot of where emissions are coming from across the four-county region. These emissions come from five main sectors: Stationary Energy, Transportation, Waste, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), and Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU).

This inventory helps us better understand how our daily activities, from heating homes to driving vehicles to managing waste contribute to climate change. By identifying our largest sources of emissions, we can set goals, track progress over time, and prioritize local actions that will make an impact.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Summary

Key Findings:

• The region emitted over 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2019.

• Stationary energy (electricity and natural gas use in homes, businesses, and manufacturing) made up the largest share of emissions at 48%.

• Transportation followed closely at 45%, with the vast majority coming from cars and trucks.

• Emissions from waste, agriculture, and industry made up the remaining 7%.

This inventory provides the foundation for the West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, guiding our efforts to build a more sustainable and climate-resilient future for everyone in the region.

Community Ambassador Program & Survey

Local input will be used every step of the way. To ensure broad and inclusive participation, GVMC launched the Community Ambassador program from May - June 2025, where Ambassadors from Kent and Ottawa counties helped share the community impact survey to gather input from their unique communities on the sustainable programs and practices related to waste, energy, transportation, and agriculture. Ambassadors worked hard to collect survey responses from residents of Kent, Ottawa, Ionia, and Montcalm counties through sharing the survey at events, through social media, through flyers, and through one on one conversations with friends and family.

Project Timeline

Check out more details for each one of the listed categories here.

Key Milestones: 

• July 2023: EPA awarded grant money to GVMC 

• January 2024: First Public Engagement Meeting 

• March 1, 2024: Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) due to EPA 

• April 2024: Implementation Grant application due to EPA 

• August 2024 Working Group Kickoff

• April 2025 Community Surveys Launch  

• Fall 2025: Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) due to EPA 

• Summer/Fall 2027: Status Report due to EPA 

Outreach and Engagement 

As GVMC moves forward, it is essential to prioritize low-income and disadvantaged communities, who are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This process will actively involve and empower these communities to help shape the actions and policies that will directly affect them across the four counties.

GVMC is committed to engaging the public through a series of meetings, starting in January 2024 and continuing throughout the planning process. These meetings allow stakeholders to share feedback and help shape our region's plan. Below, you'll find photos, videos from past meetings in Kent, Ottawa, and Ionia Counties, and an update on next steps.

Stay updated on future meeting dates, locations, and more ways to get involved on this page!

For More Information

• Climate Pollution Reduction Grants | US EPA. 

  • FAQ: Climate Pollution Reduction Grants
    

• MI Healthy Climate Plan

  • Please see EGLE’s most recent updates on the progress of the State’s MI Healthy Climate Plan here.

• What Are Greenhouse Gases and Why Do They Matter | NOAA Climate.gov

• Climate Change Connections: Michigan (The Great Lakes) | US EPA

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