A current moves through the West Michigan town of Benton Harbor. Literally, it’s the flow of Ox Creek. Figuratively, it’s a community-led drive for economic and environmental transformation.
From stream restoration to solar arrays, brownfield cleanup to resilience hubs, the city is showing what’s possible when local, state, and federal partners work together.
These partners gathered last week on the steps of the city’s revived Bobo Brazil Community Center to celebrate progress and rally for continued action.
The event, hosted by the bipartisan nonprofit Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA), brought together community members and officials including Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Phil Roos and Deputy Director Ann Larson, Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad and City Manager Alex Little, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) Senior Planner and Deputy Executive Director Marcy Hamilton, and State Rep. Joey Andrews.
They were there to highlight projects, successes, and challenges including:
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Ox Creek Revitalization: Local, state, and federal members of the Ox Creek Collaborative Partnership, including EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes, have devoted more than four years to restoring habitat, reducing pollution, improving recreational access, and laying the foundation for vibrant redevelopment across the Ox Creek corridor in Benton Harbor and Benton Charter Township. To date, more than $11 million in funding has been secured to support project planning and implementation.
EGLE divisions continue to contribute to the efforts with administrative support and technical assistance on sediment sampling, state environmental regulations, and remedial investigations.
Funding of $2.6 million from the State Land Bank Blight Elimination Program is supporting demolition of the eyesore Modern Plastics building for eventual redevelopment into mixed housing.
Building on volunteer efforts, work to clean up large trash items and prevent illegal dumping began this year through a $1.03 million Marine Debris Removal grant awarded to the City through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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Bobo Brazil Community Center blight remediation and redevelopment: EGLE awarded a $500,000 Environmental Justice Impact Grant to help transform the center into a community hub for health, recreation, and resilience. It’s a cornerstone of the city’s revitalization vision, linking to the Ox Creek corridor, Hall Park, and the heart of the community.
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MI Solar for Savings grant: An award amount yet to be finalized will bring solar energy to City facilities, and at least 180 low-income households will see savings on their utility bills through water credits tied to the solar array. It’s one of eight awards announced statewide as pilots for the MI Solar For All initiative.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Change Grant: The federal government is attempting to claw back a $20 million award spearheaded by the SWMPC to fund a comprehensive model for environmental justice that includes community resilience hubs, energy workforce training, weatherization, and a citywide recycling program. The grant also would have funded critical work to making Bobo Brazil a community resource. Mayor Muhammad called the Trump Administration’s move an affront to the U.S. Congress, which approved the legislation allowing for the grant. City leaders say they’ll keep up pressure to bring the grant home.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 19 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit against the EPA for unlawfully terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program.
EGLE supports efforts to regain the terminated grant funds.
“I’m inspired by the people of Benton Harbor who are at doing the vital work to advance energy security, environmental justice, ecosystem restoration, and economic opportunity in their community,” Director Roos said. “EGLE is proud to be a partner in investments and projects such as the Ox Creek Revitalization, redeveloping the Bobo Brazil Community Center, securing the delivery of the EPA Community Change Grant, and helping to pilot the state’s new community-focused MI Solar For All program.”