By the numbers: The 2022 State of the Great Lakes Report

The Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) in Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) presented the 2022 State of the Great Lakes Report to the Legislature Dec. 20 on behalf of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Linked from the OGL website, the report highlights efforts toward a sustainable, equitable, prosperous, and healthy future for Michigan and the Great Lakes. As you might imagine, there are plenty of numbers involved. Here’s a sampling:

• More than $1.9 billion for water improvements allocated in the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan to be administered by EGLE (Page 7).
• 60% renewable energy goal in the MI Healthy Climate Plan (Page 9).
• 16 school districts awarded a combined $200,000-plus in 2022 for Great Lakes-based STEM education (Page 13).
• 100% employment of Northwestern Michigan College marine tech graduates in jobs that support understanding of waterways (Page 16).
• $18 billion electric boat market expected by 2027, fueling demand for the first freshwater electric boat charging network in the U.S. (Page 17).
• $10 million budgeted as a first step toward removing millions of tons of mining waste from Lake Superior (Page 29).
• About 50 water bodies where fish are collected and sampled each year for PFAS contamination monitoring (Page 31).
• $1 million budgeted to help restore Ox Creek in Benton Harbor as part of a communitywide effort (Page 35).
• $100,000 two-year EGLE grant supporting a cross-cultural partnership to protect native wild rice (Page 38).
• 20 million acres of forest covering 56% of Michigan’s land area and protecting water quality (Page 41).