The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is using $77.6 million of its fiscal year 2026 budget to facilitate the cleanup of brownfields. EGLE's RenewMI program helps redevelop those contaminated former industrial or commercial sites.
The department said brownfield redevelopment will address environmental contamination and revitalize communities by creating jobs and spaces people can live and invest in. EGLE said they also encourage building in areas that were already developed, which reduces urban sprawl.
According to a press release, EGLE’s Director Phil Roos is working with Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Representative Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) to make it easier for brownfield redevelopment funding to be allocated to communities most in need.
“Brownfield redevelopment is about more than cleaning up contaminated land, it’s about giving communities the tools they need to grow stronger and more resilient,” said Roos.
Legislation sponsored by Farhat would double the funding cap on brownfield grants and loans from $1 million to $2 million per project. It would also remove the one-project-per-community limit and simplify the application process to make it easier to access funding.
“Protecting our environment while creating high paying jobs is smart economic development,” said Farhat.
“We’re confident Dearborn possesses the tools to see brownfields come to life once more, and with the greatest public benefit, and welcome this opportunity for increased brownfield investments in our city,” Hammoud said.
EGLE’s Brownfield Redevelopment Program has supported 474 projects in more than 50 communities in its history, the department said, supporting over 20,000 jobs and $8.3 billion in private funding.
