Federal, state and local grants help Benton Harbor on the road to energy and environmental security
HOST: Christian Brock, Elected Officials to Protect America, former Air Force Veteran
SPEAKERS:
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Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad — keynote
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U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens (tentative)
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State Representative Joey Andrews
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Marcy Hamilton, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission Senior Planner/Deputy Executive Director
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Benton Harbor City Manager Alex Little
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Others from non-profit organizations that received EPA grant funds
WHEN: July 15, 2025, at 11 am
WHERE: Bobo Brazil Center, 472 Cass Street, Benton Harbor, MI
Press: please arrive by 10:50 to set up. The center provides great footage cut aways. Most speakers can be interviewed afterwards too.
BACKGROUND: Elected Officials to Protect America (E.O.P.A.) is in Benton Harbor to highlight what the city and partners are doing with climate-smart policies to improve the quality of life for residents, and how important continued funding for clean energy and environmental protection with clean-up projects and resilience initiatives are for the community and surrounding areas.
“There has never been a more urgent time for climate action. Benton Harbor’s initiatives with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Change Grant, and other projects like Ox Creek show a pathway to transition away from fossil fuels to become energy secure against fossil fuel price volatility and extreme weather. All these initiatives will help grow the local economy, bring environmental justice, and protect residents and Benton Harbor’s future,” said Christian Brock, Elected Officials to Protect America (E.O.P.A.) Senior Advisor, Air Force Veteran. “We at Elected Officials to Protect America are humbled and honored to be here to celebrate these projects. The city, and community partners are showing how tremendous progress can be made when everyone pulls in the right direction to bring environmental justice and prosperity for all. We are looking forward to returning to see the transformation of the Bobo Brazil Center, Ox Creek, and the area.”
Benton Harbor received an Inflation Reduction Act grant from the EPA for $20 million. Among the $16.3 million the city is receiving, $2.5 million will be used to renovate the Bobo Brazil community center, with most of the rest of the grant being used to turn the center into a pilot microgrid alternative energy project.
“Benton Harbor’s clean energy and environmental initiatives have set the city on the path of true energy security, and environmental justice while improving the community’s quality of life. I’m so proud of the work our city and partners have done to receive the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA grant funding, said Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad. "With these clean energy projects residents will finally have a safe welcoming community center to meet and enjoy, along with a healthy park and river to recreate in. The needed $20 million in investment funding for these critical projects across our region will also help protect the community from the ravages of the climate crisis. We're deeply grateful for the EPA understanding our needs and taking action.”
Additionally, Benton Harbor with surrounding areas developed the community-driven Ox Creek Corridor Restoration and Revitalization project. Ox Creek is a focal point for environmental restoration and community revitalization in the Benton Harbor area.
As part of the project, a contaminated former Modern Plastic’s industrial site is finally being demolished and cleaned up after decades of allowing pollutants to seep into the watershed, flowing downstream into the Paw Paw and St. Joseph rivers before emptying into Lake Michigan. It’s one of the most urbanized portions of the St. Joseph River Watershed, but has suffered from excessive dumping of trash, nonpoint source pollution, and other contamination.
All these environmental climate actions are key to Benton Harbor’s ongoing renaissance.
“The EPA Community Change Grant is a game-changer for Benton Harbor. This investment empowers our community to address long-standing environmental and health challenges, while providing on-the-job training, cleaner air and water, lower energy bills for the city and residents and more resilient neighborhoods,” said Marcy Hamilton, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission Senior Planner/Deputy Executive Director. “This grant is a transformational opportunity to see significant change and improvement in Benton Harbor.”
The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, which applied for the grant on behalf of the city of Benton Harbor and two nonprofits, received notification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescinding the termination of the grant on April 1, 2025. The EPA said the cancellation was a “mistake.”
Now, with the EPA grant funding restored Benton Harbor is looking forward with enthusiasm and dedication to make their projects a reality for all.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represents the federal government’s biggest climate investments in history and has created 900 new factories across America, representing 400,000 jobs. Because of these investments in manufacturing structures rose in one year by a staggering 54 percent. By the end of 2024, 60 gigawatts of electric capacity to the grid had been developed by manufacturers in the USA.
Benton Harbor was one of more than 400 grants nationwide that were canceled in the fourth round of cuts by the EPA, with the assistance of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to an EPA news release in March. The release states $1.7 billion is being saved by this round of cuts.
Besides Benton Harbor’s grant, at least 13 other grants in Michigan were on the list.
In July 2024, the Ox Creek Summit saw the unveiling of the draft Ox Creek Framework Strategic Implementation Plan and generated community and stakeholder input and opportunities.
City of Benton Harbor
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Ramona Cornell du Houx EOPA Communications Director
- July 08, 2025
- 207.319.4727
