The GLEIC is an EPA environmental finance center (EFC) serving EPA Region 5 since 2016. It is affiliated with Michigan Technological University's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geospatial Engineering and is dedicated to serving local, state, and tribal government agencies and their private-sector partners in the Great Lakes region.
The GLEIC team, under the direction of Dr. Tim Colling, PE, is made up of subject matter experts from the university and experienced fulltime project staff. Subject matter experts include civil, environmental, and geotechnical engineers as well as experts in finance, economics, ecosystem evaluation, and sustainable energy. Other GLEIC project staff include software engineers, technical writers, technical support specialists, conference planners, IT professionals, and business and accounting staff. To learn more about our team or to connect with someone who can help you with a specific issue that you might be facing, please visit our Team Members page.
Each EPA EFC carries out the central mission to deliver targeted technical assistance to, and partner with states, tribes, local governments, and the private sector in providing innovative solutions to help manage the costs of environmental financing and program management. However, each center is also allowed to uniquely pursue the best way to meet the needs of their region. Based on the backgrounds of the GLEIC team members and the perceived needs of the Great Lakes region, the main focus of the GLEIC is on water, wastewater, and storm water infrastructure especially for small and rural communities. However, the GLEIC hopes to continue expanding its services so that they can provide assistance in areas such as land use planning, recycling, and solid waste reduction programs.