Kleen Impact » Green

Michigan Energy Company Pushes for Coal Plant, Threatens Rate Hikes

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:46:59 +0000

Wolverine’s Challenge To State’s Decision On Proposed Rogers City Coal Plant Threatens Clean Energy Jobs, Revives Financial Risk For State (via Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter)

LANSING, MI—A lawsuit filed this week challenging the state’s denial of a Clean Air Act permit for a proposed costly and unneeded coal-fired power plant for Rogers City seeks to revisit a decision that ended the threat of a nearly 60-percent electric rate hike for Michigan consumers.

Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative on Wednesday appealed the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s (“MDNRE”) rejection of the company’s application for an air permit for its proposed coal-fired power plant in Rogers City. The appeal was filed in the 28th Circuit Court of Missaukee County.

“Wolverine’s stubborn quest for an unnecessary coal plant in Rogers City is an outrage,” said Jean Veselenak, a Rogers City resident. “We need clean energy jobs and the opportunity to transition to better ways to produce energy, not more rate hikes to support dirty coal. Experts and regulators evaluated this proposed plant and said it was too costly and we don’t need it. Rogers City residents agree. Instead of now pursuing a better strategy for consumers, Wolverine officials want to spend their members’ money on a lawsuit to convince a judge that they are right and everyone else is wrong.”

In evaluating the Wolverine project, the Michigan Public Service Commission found that the proposed coal plant would increase electricity rates for consumers by 59.2% to 20.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, and would cost the average residential customer $76.95 more every month. Environmental, consumer and energy groups had all opposed the proposed plant.

MDNRE denied the permit in May, stating that there is no need for the proposed power plant and that alternative methods are available that would supply the customers of the four electric cooperatives that make up Wolverine with electricity at a much cheaper rate than the cost of building a new coal plant.

“Despite road bocks and warning signals by major credit ratings agencies across the nation that new coal plants are expensive and likely to be plagued by long-term regulatory and financial problems, Wolverine has continued to support the project,” said Anne Woiwode, State Director of Sierra Club of Michigan. “In the face of all these risks, it is unwise to spend Coop member money on developing a risky, expensive and unnecessary coal plant.”

Since 2001, 132 proposed coal plants around the country have been cancelled due to rising costs, financial riskiness and the existence of better alternatives. The few new coal plant projects that are moving forward are incurring huge cost overruns. The Peabody Energy Prairie State Plant in Illinois under construction now has doubled in cost, leaving ratepayers on the hook to pay for $2 billion in cost overruns so far, and similar cost escalations have been experienced in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and other states throughout the country.

“It is common sense that before authorizing a nearly $2 billion coal plant, MDNRE would evaluate whether there was a need for or better alternatives to that plant,” said Shannon Fisk, Senior Attorney for the Midwest Office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Wolverine’s continued pursuit of an unnecessary, costly and dirty coal plant is not good for ratepayers or Michigan’s economy.”

In June, Traverse City area ratepayers raised concerns and questions about the cost of the plant during the Cherryland Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting. The ratepayers asked the board to fully disclose the estimated costs for participation in the Wolverine coal plant proposal before final decisions were made to appeal the permit decision, but that request was not granted. Ratepayers ran a series of TV and radio ads encouraging Coop members to vote for candidates who oppose the coal plant and support clean energy options as better, more responsible business.

“We don’t need to waste millions on dirty, unnecessary coal plants,” said Faith Bugel, Senior Attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “The DNRE made the right decision for Michigan’s ratepayers, for Michigan’s workers and for Michigan’s environment.”

Others who challenged the proposed Rogers City coal plant also reacted strongly to news of Wolverine’s lawsuit.

“Wolverine Coops were told that there was no need to spend billions of dollars to build this plant,” said Tom Karas of Michigan Energy Alternatives Project, “but management of these utilities won’t pull the plug on the Rogers City coal plant. They want to gamble with their members’ money. Appealing the state’s decision would only make a bad economic story worse for coop members”

“Wolverine should invest in energy efficiency and energy sources that will serve their member cooperatives better by developing cleaner electricity generation and keeping costs lower,” said Susan Harley, Policy Director for Clean Water Action.

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Native Fish Returns to Great Lakes, Threatens Lake Trout

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:40:22 +0000

The burbot, bottom feeding fish nicknamed lawyers, are making a comback from the small number that have survived in its native waters of the Great Lakes. The species saw a huge decline in the 1950′s due to the invasive sea lamprey. Unfortunately there’s new research showing the return of the burbot may damage the multi-million dollar effort to restore another Great Lakes native, the lake trout. Read more at GreatLakesEco.org

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West Michigan College Unveils Sustainable Business Program

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:46:53 +0000

Liberal Arts College to offer Master of Sustainable Business degree starting fall 2010

Aquinas College has developed a new Master of Sustainable Business (MSB) degree – the first program of its kind to be offered in the upper Midwest that will build upon the undergraduate sustainable business program already offered by the liberal arts college.

“With the launch of this new program, prospective students and employers will become natural-system thinkers who can respond and influence change in local and global conditions, positively affecting people, profit and the planet,” said Matthew Tueth, Ph.D., Steelcase Professor of Sustainable Business and chairman of the Sustainable Business Department. “We recognize the strategic benefit that sustainable business delivers to commerce inside our communities and we’re pleased to offer an even deeper educational opportunity in the sustainable business movement.”

Aquinas College, already a leader in sustainable business (SB) education, has built the new graduate program upon the regional and national success of its undergraduate program in sustainable business. The MSB degree will be comprised of six conventional business courses, currently offered in the College’s Master of Management program, along with six sustainable business courses. Graduate students in the MSB program will complete 12 courses (36 credit hours) over a typical 18-24 month period. Courses in the MSB program will be offered in eight-week segments, beginning this fall.

For graduates of the Master of Management (MM) program, the College is currently reviewing which credits will be applicable to meeting requirements for the Master of Sustainable Business degree.

“A Master of Sustainable Business degree will allow students and employers to benefit by obtaining skills, knowledge and the understanding needed to not only restore environmental integrity and build healthy communities, but also maximize profitability within the work sector,” said Deborah M. Steketee, Ph.D., associate professor of sustainable business and executive director for the Center for Sustainability at Aquinas.

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Green Motorcycle Breaks World Speed Record

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:19:20 +0000

Who says you have to trade speed to go green? Mission Motors, a software company of all things, may help push the green movement forward by pushing its new electric motorcycle to the 150 mph mark, a new world record for an electric motorcycle. The record was clocked at the Bonneville Salt Flats with a prototype of an electric motorcycle the company plans to sell in the near future. Sales for a limited number of the nearly $70k e-bike may start as early as next summer, but the master plan for the company is to license electric power systems for all types of machines.

Apparently Mission uses the best lithium-ion batteries the market and has with a proprietary cooling and management technology. Mission is currently raising funding and working on agreements with a Chinese OEM manufacturer in hopes of merging its battery technology with low-cost bikes. We’d like to see the whole deal be American made, but the Chinese do continue to dominated the electric bike and scooter market. As long as a peppy machine such as this gets more people interested in cleaner, greener vehicles… it should be good thing.

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Michigan Bicycle Friendly Communities, Portage, Lansing

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:54:00 +0000

Image: djcodrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The League of American Bicyclists announced its Spring 2010 Bicycle Friendly Communities in April. The City of Portage, Michigan received the League’s Bronze designation, along with two other Michigan Cities (Lansing and Marquette). Ann Arbor has been awarded Silver level and been on the list since 2005. Grand Rapids and Traverse City have been awarded Bronze level and on the list since 2009. Michigan ranks 16 out of 50 States for Bicycle Friendly Communities, receiving a grade A in Education & Encouragement. The top three Platinum communities are Boulder CO, Davis CA and Portland OR.

The Bicycle Friendly Communities Program demonstrates how communities across the country see the importance of promoting bicycling to improve public health, improve quality of life, protect the environment and provide better transportation choices. The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America.

The City of Portage, Michigan constructed a bikeway system that was inaugurated in 1989 and has grown to nearly 60 miles of bikeways and trails throughout the city and parks system. The bikeway system connects neighborhoods, shopping areas, city parks, schools, businesses and other points of interest.

Construction is planned to connect Portage’s bikeway system to the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail. After construction is complete the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail system will connect Battle Creek to the Kal Haven Trail, which stretches from Kalamazoo all the way to the Lake Michigan shoreline in South Haven.

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The Life Span of Litter. Reuse and Recycle.

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:16:59 +0000

Please reuse and recycle. Think twice about what you throw away and report litterers. We must preserve this planet for us and for future generations… it’s the only one we have. Below are the life span of common littered items.

Paper towels—2-4 weeks

Newspaper——6 weeks

Apple Core——2 months

Waxed milk cartons—3 months

Photodegradable 6 pack ring–6 months

StrBiodegradable diaper—1 year

Wool glove—1 year

Plywood—1-3 years

Styrofoam cup—80 years

Tin can—50 years

Styrofoam buoy—80 years

Aluminum cans—200 years

Plastic 6 pack ring—-400 years

Plastic bottle—-450 years

Disposable diaper—450 years

Monofilament fishing line—600 years

Glass bottles & jars—-could be forever

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West Michigan Wind Manufacturers

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:34:25 +0000

A regional network of manufactures aims to connect capable companies to the wind turbine supply chain. The West Michigan Wind Manufacturers Network (WMWMN) is composed of sixteen regional companies already working in wind energy. The manufactures have come together to help promote the regions capabilities in the alternative energy industry. The WMWMN has the potential to serve as a one-stop directory for turbine original equipment manufactures (OEMs) to find qualified suppliers. In turn, this should also help bring in low-cost leads and business for the suppliers, allowing them to focus on competitiveness and profit.

The network was formed after an analysis uncovered 800 West Michigan companies that had potential to manufacture wind energy components. The WMWMN will no doubt aim to network companies working the wind energy sector who might not otherwise know each other existed.

Because of the regions expansive manufacturing expertise and the thousands of parts in just one wind turbine, West Michigan can enter the market quickly; building off existing capabilities. The region also has another advantage, experience with integrated systems. This gives the turbine OEMs the opportunity to consolidate their supply chain by purchasing from as few vendors as possible; a process the manufacturers are accustomed to from the automotive and office furniture industries.

Though the wind energy industry shows great promise, the current demand may not be as impressive as one may think. Policies, government actions and incentives have given the industry some wind behind its sail; but the potential for the industry is considerably lower then estimates so far. As demand in America increases it only makes sense that the components, with their shear size and shipping cost, come from local facilities.

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Tread Lightly! Unveils “Respected Access” Campaign

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:52:27 +0000

Ad for Restricted Access Campaign

Tread Lightly!, in partnership with the nation’s most influential hunting and shooting sports organizations, has released a series of six print public service announcements (PSAs) encouraging responsible behavior on public lands. The PSAs are part of a much larger new education and outreach campaign called “Respected Access is Open Access.” Read the press release or see the overview of the program.

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Save the Planet, Save Your Eyes

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:52:02 +0000

Dragon Alliance is now offering the first EVER sunglasses made from 100% renewable origin (ie plant oil vs. petroleum). They also combine their new E.C.O. (Environmentally Conscious Optics) with their Dr. @g0n approved polarized lenses; so you save your eyeballs from harmful rays and help make the planet more sustainable. Nice.

The E.C.O. initiative is inspired by Rob Machado, pro surfer nominated for 2009 Waterman of the Year, to actively investigate methods of manufacturing environmentally friendly sunglasses. This means Mother Nature replenishes the material used in production at the same rate it is consumed. It also comes in FSC (Forest Stuwartship Council, established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests) certified packaging along with 100% organic cotton bags, printed with water based ink. Talk about the total package Rob.

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What’s Your Solar Potential?

admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:23:28 +0000

There are two great sites we found for helping you determine not only your homes potential for solar panels, but for the costs as well. RoofRay.com uses google maps to help you determine the size of your roof and it’s potential for saving on your energy costs. After typing in your address and pinpointing your location on google maps a simple point-and-click figures the demention of your roof and it’s energy saving potential. Next is to enter your energy bills for the last 12 months, or an estimated average monthly cost. Then you can see how much you can save and move on to the costs of the panels.

The next site takes it a step further by using solar imaging and existing satellite images to design solar panelling. Sungevity.com uses a similar process as described above, but after finding your location, using Bing instead, you request an iQuote taking care of the complete design and costs online. Meaning they can cut out visits to your home for measurements and such; which should speed up process, saving customers (and the company) time and money, and also reducing carbon emissions. Cool. They’re currently not servicing my area, but assure they’re quickly expanding.

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