A complete list of all programs within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Community involvement and public participation are an essential part of EGLE’s mission, vision, and values.
Resources and information on utilizing RRD's data exchange and the Inventory of Facilities.
An interactive map displaying contaminated sites throughout Michigan regulated under Parts 213, 201, and 211.
EGLE's interactive calendar is designed to provide timely information on decisions before the Director, proposed settlements of contested cases, administrative rules promulgation, public hearings, meetings and comment deadlines, and environmental conferences, workshops and training programs.
The Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides all persons (except persons incarcerated in correctional facilities) with access to public records of public bodies. Requests to inspect or receive public records from EGLE must be in writing and describe the requested records with enough detail to enable the department to identify and locate the requested records. Some records are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or another statute and thus will not be provided. A fee may be charged to process your request. Please note that many records are available that do not require a formal FOIA request.
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Deputy Director
James Clift is deputy director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), where he oversees the department’s policy and engagement work. He heads the offices of Legislative Affairs, Public Information, and Great Lakes; as well as three offices created under the administration of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Climate and Energy, Clean Water Public Advocate, and Environmental Justice Public Advocate.
James helped launch all three new offices – vital steps in pursuing the state’s goal of carbon neutrality in an equitable manner that provides opportunity for all Michiganders and protects the state’s world-class water resources.
He began his work in the state Capitol as a Michigan Senate environmental policy analyst. More recently, he was policy director at the Michigan Environmental Council for 20 years, working on environmental policy with the council’s more than 70 member and partner organizations. A fixture at the Capitol, he coordinated the council’s legislative and policy work on an array of environmental issues including water protection, Environmental Justice, clean energy, air quality, and climate mitigation and adaptation.
A graduate of Central Michigan University, James earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Wayne State University, where he spent two years assisting in research and editing textbooks and other works of Prof. Robert Abrams, a leading U.S. expert in water law. James is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and its Environmental Law Section.
James has served on numerous natural resource and policymaking advisory councils, including the state’s Water Use Advisory Council, Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council, and Phosphorus Policy Advisory Committee.
He lives in Lansing with his wife, Wendi, and their canine friends Freya and Danu. He enjoys swimming in Michigan’s Great Lakes in almost any season, camping, and cross-country skiing.
