Executive Directive 2021 - 13

 

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides federal support to accelerate electrification of automobiles and transit, lowering everyday transportation costs for Michiganders. State departments will play a critical role in mobilizing these dollars and ensuring they are spent responsibly, efficiently, and in compliance with the law.

 

Michigan is a global leader in mobility and electrification, positioning our state to become an electric vehicle powerhouse over the next decade. To capitalize on our leadership position, Michigan must act swiftly to plan for and deploy newly available federal resources, develop innovative and productive public-private partnerships, and launch catalytic projects that create good-paying jobs for Michigan workers while saving time and money for Michigan drivers.

 

The future of transportation is being built right here in this state. To bolster our efforts to develop and deploy future mobility technology, in February 2020 I signed Executive Order 2020-2, creating the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification, and Executive Directive 2020-1, creating the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. Following those announcements, we swiftly developed the capabilities this state needs to grow and sustain our status as a global leader in the electric vehicle and mobility industry:

 

• We created an EV Jobs Academy, which works directly with employers to ensure Michigan has the resources it needs to develop and attract talent to in-demand and emerging jobs in the mobility and electrification industry;
   
• We joined Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to sign the Regional Electric Vehicle for the Midwest Memorandum of Understanding (REV Midwest MOU), which will provide the foundation for cooperation on fleet electrification along key commercial corridors to safeguard economic security, grow jobs, futureproof interstate commerce, reduce harmful emissions, improve public health, and advance innovation;
   
• We commenced development of the Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit, promoting shoreline tourism and improving air quality in lake-adjacent communities;
   
• We announced a trio of innovative projects, including CAV Corridor, a first-of-its-kind intelligent roadway for connected and autonomous vehicles designed to improve transportation for communities in Southeast Michigan, the Smart Parking Lab, which promotes parking-related mobility, logistics and electric vehicle charging technologies, and Electric Avenue, an inductive vehicle charging pilot to test the Midwest's first real-world deployment of technology that charges vehicles while in-motion;
   
• We launched the Charge Up Michigan Placement Project, which provides funding for public or private organizations to build the infrastructure for DC fast-charging stations so drivers can undertake long-distance trips with confidence; and,
   
• We organized MI Power Grid, a focused, multi-year stakeholder initiative to ensure timely and fair grid access for technologies like electric vehicles and their infrastructure while supporting reliable energy system operations.

 

Those pioneering initiatives have laid the foundation for vibrant, collaborative public-private partnerships, leveraging the power of the Big Three and utilities, the innovative technology of software companies, the genius of our research universities, and the craftsmanship and grit of our labor unions to deploy electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the State of Michigan. Having made these foundational investments in mobility and electrification infrastructure, Michigan is poised to maximize the effectiveness of newly available federal funding to foster rapid growth in our burgeoning EV sector, transition toward carbon neutrality, and lower transportation costs for Michiganders.

 

Within state government, the primary departments involved in mobilizing federal dollars to position Michigan as the national leader in electric vehicles are Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Department of Insurance and Financial Services, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Department of State Police, Department of Transportation, Department of Treasury, and the Public Service Commission.

 

Acting under sections 1 and 8 of article 5 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963, I direct state departments and autonomous agencies to do all of the following:

 

1. Work with the Legislature to leverage the federal dollars available to Michigan to position Michigan as the national leader in electric vehicles and save Michiganders time and money in their commutes.

 

2. Consistent with Executive Directive 2019-15, work expeditiously to ensure that electric vehicle-related projects in this state rely on Michigan businesses that create jobs for Michigan workers.

 

3. Coordinate with the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, which will be primarily responsible for convening and coordinating departments and agencies in mobilizing the federal dollars available to accelerate deployment of electric vehicle technology in Michigan, saving Michiganders time and money in their commutes.

 

4. Use resources that allow for infrastructure asset managers to coordinate on project plans and timing, including the "Dig Once" project portal, so that communities can upgrade not only their electric vehicle infrastructure, but also roads and bridges, water, high-speed internet, and other utility infrastructure without cutting through pavement and dirt multiple times.

 

5. To bring more investments and high-paying jobs to Michigan, aggressively pursue discretionary federal grants available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by working with Michigan's congressional delegation, local governments, and community partners.

 

6. To improve Michigan's capacity to secure discretionary federal grant funding, invest in developing first-class transparency and accountability procedures that meet or exceed federal requirements.

 

7. To maintain our state's position as an industry leader, prioritize growing Michigan's advance mobility workforce through investments in education, training, and talent acquisition programs.

 

8. To assist communities in deploying electric vehicle infrastructure, work with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification to develop an EV-Ready Community Playbook illustrating funding opportunities, model laws, and partnership opportunities for local communities.

 

9. To optimize the location of charging stations across the state, continue to work with universities and community stakeholders in planning for efficient deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure to facilitate long-distance travel and daily commuting, including within urban and rural areas, and building off the electric vehicle charger placement optimization plans previously commissioned by the state.  

 

10. To maintain the adequacy of energy supply, work with the Public Service Commission in forecasting the growth of electric vehicle deployment in Michigan, and use these forecasts when evaluating generation and resource plans, utility distribution plans, the transmission expansion plans developed by regional grid operators, and load management strategies.

 

11. To safeguard the reliability of the electric grid, work with electric utilities and other stakeholders through the Public Service Commission's MI Power Grid initiative and in other venues and proceedings to consider electric vehicle charging needs in all new distribution system upgrades and utility distribution plans.

 

12. To help the state meet its clean energy goals and lower costs for consumers, expand upon current initiatives to assist on-road and off-road fleets in transitioning to clean fuels.

 

13. To promote equity and access for all Michiganders, consider strategies to increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in multi-family dwellings, prioritize local air quality in electric school bus deployment and electric vehicle charging infrastructure siting decisions, and identify opportunities for electric vehicles to help meet the transportation needs of historically disadvantaged communities.   

 

This directive is effective immediately.

 

Thank you for your cooperation in implementing this directive.