Michigan has selected a team from the University of Michigan’s department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering to develop a Michigan maritime strategy focused on climate action.

The team, led by Associate Professor of Engineering Practice Dr. Thomas McKenney, will receive $199,993 in funding to engage stakeholders and tribal nations to develop a strategy to advance greening, electrification, decarbonization, equity and environmental justice, infrastructure, and sustainability of Michigan’s maritime sector while ensuring efficient movement of goods.

Stakeholders include state, local, and federal agencies; port authorities; terminal operators; ship owners; recreational boaters; marina operators; harbor communities; tourism organizations; and community organizations.

The project is part of a larger collaborative effort led by the Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) in Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), with support from other EGLE divisions, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME). The effort focuses on supporting Michigan’s blue economy and the long-term sustainability of the maritime sector – commercial shipping, ferries, and recreational boating – and ports and harbors.

The maritime strategy will help achieve Michigan’s goals under the MI Healthy Climate Plan by reducing carbon emissions in all aspects of the maritime economy. The strategy will recommend policies and actions that prioritize and advance equity and environmental justice, address historical harms, and create new opportunities for Michiganders. The strategy also will advance goals and priorities of other state and regional strategies and support MDOT’s newly created Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Office, tasked with developing a statewide strategic maritime plan.

The new grant is co-funded by EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes through the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund and Materials Management Division, MDOT, and OFME. The OGL will administer the grant.

For more information, please contact OGL’s Great Lakes Policy Specialist Simon Bélisle, BelisleS@Michigan.gov or 517-331-6390, or Great Lakes Senior Advisor and Strategist Emily Finnell, FinnellE@Michigan.gov or 517-599-1330.