Federal investments in clean energy are reshaping communities across West Michigan, but local leaders say that progress could stall if funding dries up.
On Monday, members of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby gathered in St. Joseph for a roundtable focused on the Inflation Reduction Act and its impact at the local level. The act, signed into law in 2022, represents the largest clean energy investment in U.S. history. While the legislation spans nearly a thousand pages, its effects in Michigan are already visible: solar panels on schools and churches, lower electric bills, and new job opportunities.
“Michigan’s Fourth District had around $2 billion in announced projects,” said Peter Boogaart of the Holland chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. “I don’t know how many of those are continuing, but I think that’s a serious risk for the overall economy.”
Speakers at the event shared firsthand accounts of how the federal funding has transformed their communities. At South Christian High School, donor support and federal clean energy incentives helped fund a solar array that now powers nearly the entire campus. A local church installed solar panels to offset utility costs, and farmers are increasingly leasing land for solar projects to secure steady income.
Boogaart said keeping these projects moving forward depends not only on funding, but also on public trust.
“Most of the money that will pour in here is going to come from private investors,” he said. “And they need the confidence that those projects are sound and secure and are moving forward. That kind of money is going to really grow jobs in the community.”
Still, concern hung over the roundtable as participants discussed delays and freezes affecting federal climate grants. In Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor, millions in approved funding remains inaccessible. Boogaart called that disconnect “a contradiction between what communities are asking for and what’s being delivered.”
“This community is telling you that solar and alternative energy is right for them,” he said. “And when given the opportunity to move forward, they say yes.”
Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad echoed those frustrations. His city was awarded a $20 million federal grant, but those funds were frozen earlier this year without explanation.
“In an effort to show transparency, this grant is not some pork barrel, or some slush fund that somebody’s gonna be using to fatten frogs for snakes, so to speak,” Muhammad said. “But this money is going to change and impact lives.”
The roundtable also spotlighted agriculture’s role in the clean energy transition. One local farmer used IRA support to power a remote livestock water pump with solar energy. Others are leasing land to solar developers, a move that Boogaart described as a financial lifeline for farms facing tight margins.
“Farmers get paid to rent their land to do that,” he said. “That income stream is a real anchor for a lot of farms that are financially stretched. Rain or shine, you could lose your entire crop—you're still getting that check.”
He noted that unlike development or road construction, solar installations are reversible. Once a lease ends, the land can return to farming.
“At the end of the lease, pack up a truck, unhook the panels, pull up the posts, drive away—you have all your land,” he said. “If you want to preserve rural land and a rural way of life, this is the best opportunity I can think of.”
Boogaart, like many of the presenters, emphasized the importance of communication between citizens and elected officials. He encouraged residents to speak up about the direction they want their communities to take.
“We still believe when congresspeople hear from their constituents, they respond,” he said. “Citizenship is a participation game.”
As lawmakers debate the future of climate policy, residents across West Michigan say the impact of clean energy funding is already clear. The stakes, they argue, are more than just financial.
For many, the question isn’t whether clean energy makes sense—it’s whether the momentum will last long enough to change the future.
