New Pathways for Resilient Infrastructure Innovation with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan) Strategic Priorities & Federal Requests

• Investment Scale & Scope:
  • Announced the "$3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan Bonding Plan" to reconstruct state highways and bridges, explicitly aiming to return construction workers to employment and reduce household auto repair costs.
  • Launched the "$500 million My Clean Water Plan" to upgrade water infrastructure, targeting the removal of toxic contaminants including lead and PFAS.
  • Invested nearly $13 million in broadband infrastructure specifically for underserved Michigan communities to address the digital divide in both rural and urban areas.
  • Created the "Office of Future Mobility and Electrification" to coordinate state strategy for the electric vehicle (EV) transition and clean energy infrastructure.
• Workforce & Competitiveness:
  • Allocated over $20 million in the last two years specifically for the construction of EV charging stations and workforce training programs for future mobility jobs.
  • Linked the "60 by 30" initiative (aiming for 60% of adults to have post-secondary credentials or degrees by 2030) with infrastructure goals to close the skills gap.
  • Highlighted the "My Power Grid" initiative (launched 2019) to guide Michigan's energy transition and modernize the electric grid for EV support.
• Federal Policy Requests:
  • Urged Congress to "go big" on a comprehensive infrastructure package to simultaneously boost economic recovery, address climate change, and create jobs.
  • Expressed strong optimism for the Biden administration's climate focus and the "bipartisan" potential of investing in EVs and charging infrastructure.
  • Requested federal flexibility for "pre-development capital" to allow states to scale innovative activities and implement regional solutions like electrification and flood control.
  • Noted that the administration has navigated dual crises: the pandemic and a recent "500-year flooding event" in Midland, Michigan, citing record rainfalls and Great Lake ice erosion as climate change impacts.

Panelist Insights on Resilient Infrastructure

Janie Bhavishi (New York City)

• Investment Volume: NYC is investing over $20 billion into citywide resiliency programs, utilizing its 520 miles of coastline (larger than Miami, Boston, LA, and SF combined) as a primary driver.
• Specific Projects: The "Eastside Coastal Resiliency Project" is a 2.5-mile initiative designed to protect 110,000 people (28,000 in public housing) by raising East River Park and building flood walls, prioritizing equity and community amenities.
• Operational Challenges: Identified a critical gap in funding for the long-term operation and maintenance of new coastal protection infrastructure, noting no existing city agency currently manages these specific assets.
• Policy Advocacy:
  • Called for the federal government to mandate climate resiliency design guidelines for every $90 billion capital project portfolio, moving beyond voluntary adoption.
  • Requested a shift in FEMA funding to prioritize hazard mitigation planning over strictly "shovel-ready" projects to allow for more eligible proposals.
  • Argued that federal benefit-cost analyses must be reformed to stop overemphasizing property value and instead account for social vulnerability.

Judge Gary Moore (Boone County, Kentucky / NACO)

• Regional Economic Catalysts: Cited Amazon's $1.5 billion primary hub investment at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport, a project expected to create at least 3,000 jobs and involve federal, state, and private infrastructure matching.
• Local Ownership: Noted that county governments operate 45% of the nation's public roads, nearly 40% of bridges, and approximately 70% of transit systems, necessitating robust federal support.
• Broadband Disparities: Highlighted that 11,000 households in Boone County lack service entirely, with another 8,000 underserved, leading to the creation of a broadband task force at the National Association of Counties (NACO).
• Funding Requests:
  • Advocated for a federal "pre-development fund" to assist small-to-mid-sized counties in engineering and planning phases before shovels hit the ground.
  • Called for direct stimulus funding for all government levels (not just cities over 500,000 population) and aggressive funding of the Highway Trust Fund to enable multi-year planning.

Eric Letzinger (Quantified Ventures / ReHarvest Partners)

• Financing Innovation: Promotes "outcomes-based financing" (Environmental Impact Bonds) to de-risk green infrastructure for municipalities, shifting the financial model from front-end capital expenditure to back-end performance payments.
• Nature-Based Solutions: Described scalable models in Iowa and Ohio where upstream conservation practices on farms reduce phosphorus and nitrate runoff, funded by selling water quality benefits and carbon offsets to corporations and governments.
• Risk Reduction Argument: Asserted that "nature reduces risk," warning that without pre-development funds and flexible financing, large infrastructure inflows will default to "business as usual" gray infrastructure.
• Moonshot Goal: To scale nature-based infrastructure projects along the Mississippi River to eliminate hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

Angela Martinez (US Economic Development Administration - Midwest Region)

• Regional Impact: Represents 10 states (CO, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, UT, WY) facing frequent extreme weather events (floods, derecho, tornadoes, droughts) that strain state and local resources.
• Funding Constraints: Highlighted that average EDA infrastructure grants ($1M–$3M) are insufficient for large-scale projects; the agency often acts as a small piece of a broader funding puzzle requiring private and state collaboration.
• Economic Multiplier: Cites EDA research indicating that every $1 invested in infrastructure generates $15 in private investment, driving local hiring and innovation.
• Strategic Focus: Emphasized the need to fund "pre-shovel" activities (design, engineering, environmental surveys) which often delay projects due to lack of local working capital, referencing specific successes in Cedar Rapids (coordinated planning) and Yankton, SD (wastewater resilience).
• Moonshot Goal: To secure sufficient federal funding to enable smart, innovative distribution of capital that directly improves local and regional quality of life.