GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Local governments in Michigan have a laundry list of duties they are supposed to tend to. Those include maintaining roads, keeping police and fire departments running, and ensuring garbage gets picked up. Now, cities like Warren, Sterling Heights, Grand Rapids, and Muskegon are adding “save the planet” to their to-do lists by crafting climate action plans.

What are climate action plans?

These plans aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, tackle food waste, and convince residents to drive less – all while asking taxpayers to foot the bill for projects with debatable local impact.

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Sterling Heights wants to plant 15,000 trees and hit net-zero emissions by 2050. Muskegon hopes to eliminate greenhouse gases by 2040. Grand Rapids dreams of addressing supply chain issues, getting the public to produce less food waste and embrace solarization.

Meanwhile, in Warren, where basement flooding caused by overwhelmed infrastructure remains a headache, city officials want to hire consultants to plan for a greener future, leaving many to wonder why their priorities are so skewed.

These plans are all Democratic wish-list agenda items – not exactly locally-relevant things that community governments are supposed to be dealing with like maintaining public utilities, operating emergency services, zoning issues, permitting and licensing, economic growth, maintaining public parks and address local housing needs.

The price tag for virtue signaling.

Critics argue these climate plans are a waste of time and taxpayer money. Jason Hayes of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy pointed out the obvious to the Detroit News saying that cities would be much better served by focusing on things like providing affordable services to their residents. And he’s got a point. Local governments can barely patch the roads or manage flooding, but they’re supposed to halt climate change?

Do cities really believe their composting initiatives and bike lane expansions will stop a hurricane from rolling in? Some say these plans are more about looking good on paper – and winning votes from their electorate – than actually producing measurable results and addressing the needs of their local taxpayers.

Throwing tax dollars into the wind.

With cities spending big on consultants to develop these grand plans, folks such as Grand Rapids’ sustainability officer, Annabelle Wilkinson, says residents need to learn new habits – like biking instead of driving and cutting energy use. Translation? Prepare for guilt trips about your carbon footprint while your city taxes climb higher.

The federal cash spigot will most likely dry up under Trump.

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A big chunk of the funding for these plans has come from federal tax dollar programs like the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But with President-elect Donald Trump retaking the White House soon and the Republicans in control of the purse-strings, those funds will most likely evaporate faster than Michigan rain in July. Sustainability advocates are already scrambling to find private and local funding to keep their plans alive.

As Michigan residents grapple with real issues like flooding, potholes, and rising living costs, their cities are busy crafting lofty environmental goals that may never materialize.