A complete list of all programs within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Community involvement and public participation are an essential part of EGLE’s mission, vision, and values.
SARA Title III establishes requirements regarding emergency planning and "Community Right-to-Know" reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals for federal, state, local, and tribal governments, as well as regulated facilities.
Resources and information on utilizing RRD's data exchange and the Inventory of Facilities.
An interactive map displaying contaminated sites throughout Michigan regulated under Parts 213, 201, and 211.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Water Well Viewer (WWV), is an interactive mapping system that displays water wells along with other information, such as wellhead protection areas, underground storage tanks, and sites of environmental contamination. Water well locations have been identified by address matching, the use of global positioning systems (GPS), and by legal descriptions.
This system allows water well drilling and pump installation contractors to submit water well records.
EGLE's interactive calendar is designed to provide timely information on decisions before the Director, proposed settlements of contested cases, administrative rules promulgation, public hearings, meetings and comment deadlines, and environmental conferences, workshops and training programs.
The Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides all persons (except persons incarcerated in correctional facilities) with access to public records of public bodies. Requests to inspect or receive public records from EGLE must be in writing and describe the requested records with enough detail to enable the department to identify and locate the requested records. Some records are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or another statute and thus will not be provided. A fee may be charged to process your request. Please note that many records are available that do not require a formal FOIA request.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
.png?rev=b7c41843a9ba4e4382f09433e4c7aea2&hash=AFFAA3E371AB521573009EC5D7544320){kind=logo}
The Catalyst Communities Initiative is a comprehensive program that provides education, training, planning, and technical resources to local governments as they work toward their sustainability goals.
The initiative offers an array of resources on various environmental, social, and economic topics to help communities across Michigan make a just transition to decarbonization and meet our MI Healthy Climate Plan goals. The initiative aims to provide a range of resource options to meet communities wherever they are, regardless of geography, population size, or pre-existing knowledge.
Catalyst Communities webinars are free, recorded, and then posted online, which takes out the constraints of time, travel, and cost for communities. Individuals registering for a webinar who are unable to attend will receive notification when the recording is available for on-demand viewing.
June 24, 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Food Waste Collection and Composting - How to develop a curbside pick-up and municipal drop-off program
Food waste is estimated to make up almost 24% of Michigan’s municipal solid waste, with a significant portion coming from the residential sector. One way to capture and recycle this valuable resource is through community drop-off programs which offer a proven path to introduce food waste recycling to residents. Learn about developing and existing programs, the challenges and opportunities associated with food waste composting efforts and how pilot programs can be used to foster investments into curbside collection of food waste.
July 23, 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Food Waste and Composting Myths, Debunked
Misconceptions can often lead to barriers in implementing and growing food loss and waste reduction (FLWR) practices in our communities. In this session, Danielle Todd, Executive Director of Make Food Not Waste, will address and dispel common misconceptions in FLWR including myths around sources of food waste, food consumption, food donation and food rescue, food in landfills, and composting. This session will include discussion on overcoming barriers to FLWR and provide information on how you can help reduce food waste in your community.
August 12, 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Helping Catalyze Behavior Change In K-12 School Cafeterias Through Student Led Waste Audits, Projects & Experiential Learning
Join us for this session to learn about strategies aimed at assisting schools in effectively engaging K-12 students, our future leaders, in composting initiatives. This session will help parents, teachers, school administrators, and community leaders alike, on their journey to enhance awareness on ways we all can all assist with diverting organic waste from landfills through composting. It will also provide tips on how to mitigate contamination and establish an efficient, cost-effective organics management program in schools and the community. Hear about the Lunch Rescue & Recycle program which promotes behavioral change within K-12 cafeterias through waste audits and experiential learning opportunities.
August 27 , 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Catalyst Communities: Pathways to Preservation: Reforesting our streets and protecting our wild spaces
In this webinar, the City of Sterling Heights Sustainability Team will discuss how the city is implementing the Pathways to Preservation and Play millage which the voters approved in the 2024 general election. The mileage provides funding to reforest city streets devastated by the emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease. The program also provides funds to purchase undeveloped land for preservation purposes. In this webinar, Ryan Fox, with the City of Sterling Heights, Office of Planning, will discuss the logistics of their large-scale tree planting program and how the city is reviewing parcels for preservation purposes. Attendees will also learn about the public engagement process that led to the passage of the millage, providing for the tree planting rollout and land preservation activities underway.
Catalyst Communities Kick-off (recorded 11/19/20, 121 min)
Communities across Michigan are experiencing high water events, extreme temperature, increases in rainfall, and changes in agricultural and natural systems which are impacting the welfare of our state's residents and upending everyday business. Though these events span the state, localized impacts have--and will continue to--profoundly affect health, safety and quality of life in every local community. To help communities better prepare for increased frequency and ferocity of weather disruptions, we have launched the Catalyst Communities initiative, which provides information, training, and resources to suit every community's unique needs.
| Date Recorded | Title | Description | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/7/20 | EGLE’s Energy Efficiency Programs for Communities | Join the State Energy Program Specialist, Julie Staveland, and the EGLE Community Programs Coordinator, Miles Biel, as they introduce EGLE’s wide variety of Energy Services and Community Energy Management programs. Dedicated to promoting healthy communities, economic growth, and environmental sustainability through energy efficiency and renewable energy, EGLE Energy Services offers programs to catalyze growth and jumpstart Michigan entities to reach their own energy goals. To assist in these efforts, Community Energy Management meets communities wherever they are on the energy management spectrum. Hear what programs and levels of assistance are available, including success stories from across the state. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 10/15/20 | The Michigan Energy Code Adoption Process | The Michigan Energy Code sets the minimum energy efficiency requirements for new construction and major renovation projects in the state. With an update to the state Code about to begin, this session teaches you how the code adoption process works and the ways in which local governments can participate in that process. First, hear from EGLE’s Jake Wilkinson who provides an overview of what the energy code is intended to do. Then Jon Paradine of the Bureau of Construction Codes at the Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs (LARA), talks more specifically about the Michigan Energy Code. Lastly the Bureau’s Attorney, Tony Snyder, shares how that code gets updated and the opportunities for community involvement. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 10/22/20 | Energy Benchmarking for Municipal Facilities | Benchmarking is a process that gives municipalities the ability to track the energy use of their buildings and compare them to similar existing buildings nationwide. Whether your community has just one municipal building or dozens, this session gives information about the multiple tools and programs that can be used to determine and track the energy your facilities are using. April Avigne, Energy Coordinator for Washtenaw County and Bob LaFave, Manager in the Village of L’Anse share their experiences with benchmarking in their respective municipalities. The webinar begins with the two guests providing overviews and then transitions into a conversation with question and answer. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 1/21/21 | Using EZMT Online Mapping to Plan for Clean Energy: Presentation | Developed by the US Department of Energy, the Energy Zones Mapping Tool (EZMT) is a publicly available online resource which provides data, models, and reports for nine different energy categories (i.e. wind, solar, coal). It is a one-stop-shop for understanding a community’s existing energy infrastructure and its potential for future clean energy infrastructure. Users can draw boundaries, overlay land characteristics, plot electrical substations and transmission lines, and model potential power generation. This session provides an overview of the tool, focusing on features of greatest interest to land use planners, with Jim Kuiper of the Argonne National Laboratory. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 1/21/21 | Using EZMT Online Mapping to Plan for Clean Energy: Demo | Developed by the US Department of Energy, the Energy Zones Mapping Tool (EZMT) is a publicly available online resource which provides data, models, and reports for nine different energy categories (i.e. wind, solar, coal). It is a one-stop-shop for understanding a community’s existing energy infrastructure and its potential for future clean energy infrastructure. Users can draw boundaries, overlay land characteristics, plot electrical substations and transmission lines, and model potential power generation. This session provides a live demonstration of the tool, focusing on features of greatest interest to land use planners, with Jim Kuiper of the Argonne National Laboratory. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 2/21/21 | Conducting Energy Audits on Municipal Facilities | Conducting an energy audit--reviewing utility bills and physically inspecting facilities--can help communities identify opportunities to reduce energy use and save money. An energy audit can be conducted on a specific system (e.g., HVAC system) or can include an entire building to help determine which improvements are the best investments for your community. In this webinar, Tracey Laitinen (Operations Manager, Sault Ste. Marie), Eric Witte (Deputy Director of Public Works, Dearborn), and Dave Norwood (Sustainability Coordinator, Dearborn) share their experiences and tips conducting energy audits. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 3/2/21 | Facilitating Community-wide Clean Energy Improvements Using PACE Financing | While clean energy improvements save utility customers money over time, some property owners find it challenging to finance the upfront costs of energy efficiency upgrades or renewable energy projects. Local governments can help building owners overcome this hurdle by creating a PACE (or Property Assessed Clean Energy) district, which allows building owners to access longer-term loans through a voluntary special assessment on their property tax bill. In this webinar, learn about PACE financing from Lean & Green Michigan, a public-private partnership that serves as the statewide administrator of the PACE program for 47 local governments around the state. Elise Matz and Todd Williams of Lean & Green Michigan are joined by local county treasurers, Eric Schertzing of Ingham County and Bob Robinson of Eaton County to share their experiences using PACE. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 3/17/21 | Helping Facilitate Rooftop Solar in Your Community | The cost of solar panels has dramatically decreased over the last few years, making rooftop (or small ground-mounted) solar energy accessible to more Michiganders. But many homeowners may be unaware of this changing landscape or unsure where to start. Julie Roth of Ann Arbor’s A2Zero discusses Solarize, a bulk-buy solar program and a new toolkit to help bring the benefits of distributed generation to more households. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
| 3/24/21 | Remanufacturing: Sustainable by Definition. Responsible by Design | Like-new, but better, remanufacturing is a standardized process that produces finished goods that are better for the environment, offer better value for end-users and maintain their like-new quality. How is it done? What should all buyers know? In this webinar, you will learn more about sustainable manufacturing and why the three main attributes associated with the process are: Quality, Value and Green. You will also learn about Manufactured Again Certification-where traditional manufacturing and remanufacturing are held to the same international quality standards. |
Materials Management |
| 3/30/21 | Introduction to Planning & Zoning for Wind and Solar | From wide-open rural areas to compact cities, Michigan is beginning the transition to alternative energy. To prepare for the development of wind and solar in your community, Dr. Sarah Mills and Hannah Smith from the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute discuss the positives and negatives, and why planners - especially those in rural communities - need to start planning and zoning for renewable energy now. This webinar is the first in a three part mini-series geared towards helping local Michigan governments on determining whether, how, and where clean energy fits within their community. | Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |
