State Rep. Cam Cavitt on Thursday highlighted problematic portions of the Senate Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Department budget proposal for 2026. However, Cavitt added that the overall EGLE budget, which included minor cuts, gave him hope for future negotiations.

“The Senate fractionally reduced the size and scope of EGLE, and I give them credit for that,” said Cavitt, R-Cheboygan. “Almost everywhere else, they just tacked on 3% and continued the same path of financial mismanagement we’ve been on for nearly a decade.”

The Senate proposal reduced the EGLE budget for 2026 by more than $4 million, giving the department an overall budget of $1.034 billion. The plan also cut 10 full-time employees from EGLE, reducing the workforce to 1,636 full-time employees.

Even though the EGLE budget was marginally smaller than last year, Cavitt said there were still some significant issues he found between the margins. The Senate included $10 million for electric vehicle charging stations and $5 million for water disaster relief – 40% of which must go to ‘environmental justice communities.’

“The Senate may have reduced the size of EGLE, but they still tried sneaking their failed progressive policies into our state budget,” Cavitt said. “The House will not be funding electric vehicle charging stations or supporting special carve-outs for self-proclaimed ‘environmental justice communities.’ Instead, we’re focused on prioritizing spending taxpayer dollars where they can have the most impact – schools, roads, and public safety – and getting rid of the bloat that’s plagued us for generations.”

The overall Senate budget proposal is $84.6 billion, more than $2 billion over the 2025 budget.

###