Swing state defies Trump, pushes forward on clean energy despite federal rollbacks

Kicking off the MI Healthy Climate Conference on Tuesday, former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee applauded Michigan’s efforts to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050, offering optimism amid a bleak federal landscape on climate action.

Since taking office in 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration has rolled back scores of federal efforts to combat climate change, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which allowed the federal government to regulate emissions from cars, trucks and power plants.

While there are still those who call clean energy and decarbonization a pipe dream, Inslee noted that 92% of new energy sources brought online in the U.S. last year came from renewable sources.

The price of solar energy has also come down 83% in the last 10 years, Inslee noted, while the cost of battery storage has also significantly decreased.

“This is a train to the future,” Inslee said. “We’re on it right now. It has arrived at the station, and everybody in this room has the capacity to continue that revolution that we’re seeing.”

The current political landscape represents a magical moment for anyone envisioning a clean energy future, Inslee said, pointing to three factors making the case for a clean energy transition.

“Number one, we know that Americans are increasingly frustrated about their high electricity costs,” Inslee said. “Number two, we know that the market is demanding sources of clean energy because it is cheaper and because it is faster, both. And number three, we know that the federal government has withdrawn from any responsibility for dealing with this problem.”

While others view the Trump administration’s opposition to clean energy with doom and gloom, Inslee argued the contrary.

Invoking Winston Churchill, he stressed that days like these are days of consequence.

“Right now, I believe these are great days for Michigan and Washington where we can move the ball forward, because we have demonstrated in Washington, and you have in Michigan as well, that this is really true,” Inslee said. “Nobody in the White House can stop Michigan or Washington from moving forward on clean energy.”

From helping to install heat pumps to expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the vast majority of decarbonization efforts cannot be touched by the federal government, Inslee said.

“Technology is with us. People are with us. The science is behind us, and we have vast majorities of people who want to see this happen,” Inslee said. “So I bid you well in your journey, I want to let you know we’re always there to help in Washington State.”

Also speaking at the conference was Phil Roos, the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, who said Michigan has undergone a profound shift in under 10 years.

He pointed to the state’s commitment to reaching 100% carbon neutrality by 2050; the release of the MI Healthy Climate Plan in 2022, which set the roadmap for that goal, and the decision to place the Healthy Climate Plan goals into state law with Michigan’s 2023 clean energy laws.

Now, Michigan is in the early stages of putting that plan into effect, Roos said. This year, EGLE will focus on industrial decarbonization, Roos said, noting that Michigan’s industrial sector is central to both its economy and identity.

As part of that effort, EGLE has developed a dashboard that allows the public to see where sources of greenhouse gases are located, Roos said.

In a recorded message later in the conference, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the launch of the state’s fourth MI Healthy Climate Challenge, providing grants to support feasibility studies on short and long-term solutions Michigan manufacturers can use to reduce their carbon emissions.

EGLE will also be developing an environmental vulnerability assessment this spring, Roos said, to help the department understand which people, places and systems are most impacted by climate change.

And those impacts are here, with Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical executive, noting that warming conditions have led to an increase in tick populations and a significant increase in Lyme disease cases within the state.

Additionally, Bagdasarian warned that increased severe weather events and warmer temperatures have made Michigan ideal for blastomyces, a type of fungus that can infect the lungs, causing symptoms of pneumonia.

As the state advances climate solutions, Jalonne White-Newsome, an associate professor at the University of Michigan who previously served as the federal chief environmental justice officer under former President Joe Biden, stressed that these solutions need to benefit all communities, especially those who have not been provided with equal protections.

“If we are going to advance climate action together, we need everyone,” White-Newsome said. “And we cannot put profit and politics and popularity over people. Because that’s what this work to build a healthy climate is about: people.”

She encouraged individuals ranging from those in government, academia and nonprofits to concerned citizens to shift their advocacy into “sports mode.”

“If you don’t know what sports mode is, it is the thing that allows better acceleration and torque,” White-Newsome said. “You can drive on twisty roads and still accelerate. You can maintain control during steep inclines and declines and come out with more power at the end.”

White-Newsome encouraged attendees to remain principled in their climate advocacy, and to familiarize themselves with the 17 principles of environmental justice.

They should also hear all voices, White-Newsome said, advising them to connect with people in the communities who could benefit or see harm from their actions.

Lastly, those working in climate solutions and environmental justice should solidify their structure of accountability, White-Newsome said, so they can assess the effectiveness of their work, any harm they cause and how they approach a remedy.

“Our shared vision of a healthy and sustainable Michigan must intentionally include aspirations of environmental justice for all,” White-Newsome said in closing. “And we must be in sports mode, even more committed than ever on this journey as we continue to hustle hard and achieve the vision of a Healthy Michigan we all deserve.”