Rep. Dingell Secures $2.5 Million Federal Investment in Ann Arbor’s Carbon Neutrality Transition

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) recently met with Mayor Christopher Taylor and other City of Ann Arbor officials to discuss their plans for the $2.5 million direct federal investment Dingell secured in the omnibus appropriations package to support A2ZERO, the City’s framework for achieving a transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030. Mayor Taylor and Rep. Dingell were joined by City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr., Sustainability and Innovations Director Missy Stults, Assistant City Administrator John Fournier, and Energy Coordinator Simi Barr.

The $2.5 million will support ensuring seven critical city facilities, including fire stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, and emergency response operations, are able to function every single day, even when the power goes out, by installing onsite renewable energy systems paired with onsite battery storage. 

“As the home of the auto industry and heart of American manufacturing, we know our state plays a critical role in creating a net-zero, clean-energy economy rooted right here in the Midwest,” said Dingell. “A2Zero is a transformative plan to achieve carbon neutrality in Ann Arbor, and I’m proud to see our city leading the way in the fight against the climate crisis. This investment will help keep fire stations, wastewater treatment plants, and emergency response operations up and running in the event of a power outage, improving community safety and resilience, and supporting our frontline workers. I will continue to work in Congress to ensure federal funding reaches our communities and supports these critical efforts to transition to renewable energy and a cleaner future.”  

“We are so thankful for Congressmember Dingell’s tireless support as we work to address the climate crisis,” said Mayor Christopher Taylor. “I am particularly delighted to say that Representative Dingell has secured millions in federal funding to enable solar panel installations at seven key city sites, which will reduce our municipal energy costs, help us decarbonize city operations, and bring Ann Arbor that much closer to our A2Zero goal — community wide carbon neutrality by 2030.”

This comes a week after Rep. Dingell joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the University of Michigan to highlight the historic progress made by Democrats in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration to combat the climate crisis.