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Rogers City Coal Plant Can Move Forward…Perhaps

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:54:30 +0000

Following another long wait for a court ruling from Missaukee County, Wolverine seemingly can move forward with the Clean Energy Venture.

According to Presque Isle Newspapers editor Rich Lamb, “Missaukee County Circuit Judge William Fagerman determined the “action of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) exceeded its statutory authority by denying the permit to install (PTI) base upon need,” and sent the matter back to the state for reconsideration.”

Ever cautious are we here at Jennerationx, because we know what may stand in Wolverine’s way, but for now, it seems, according to NPR public radio, that the state is not standing in their way.

Brad Wurfel is a spokesman with MDEQ. He says their decision to change course is partly because of two judges ruling against the state and partly because of the new administration.

“Governor Snyder is in favor of building Michigan’s economy and in the case of Wolverine Rogers City has expressed an interest in additional power to realize a long term vision for increasing its port capacity, expanding its infrastructure, and they need power to do it. Right now they’re buying that power from Ohio and Indiana.”

Wurfel says it’s not an issue of whether or not the new governor is for or against coal plants.

“Our job at the department of environmental quality is to see to it that the permits that are issued to them are in compliance with state and federal clean air statues.”

What this may mean is that the long fight over an air quality permit, which lasted over 1000 days for Rogers City and Wolverine, is not over. I have asked for an interview of the parties involved, and will report back, but I can envision further difficulty because of the EPA.

The EPA is disregarding the three branches of government entirely and putting in place regulations in lieu of legislation, completely hobbling our energy future.

Michigan’s Coming Energy Crisis

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:00:14 +0000

The State of Michigan is headed for an Energy Crisis, and the Democrat Party is mostly to blame.

From the Alpena News:

According to a press release from Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s office, the state’s decision is based on findings of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which said the company failed to demonstrate the plant was needed to meet future supply needs.

In October of 2008, the MDEQ affirmed that the Rogers City area was safe of air pollution from the proposed Wolverine Clean Energy plant. So, the Granholm administration went to work to stop the plant by changing the rules.

Jennifer Granholm’s State of the State Address in 2009 laid out the unconstitutional plan to use the MPSC as the decision maker instead of the MDEQ. Instead of arguing about the environmental impact, because her administration had just proved there would be little if any, she wanted to move the target.

So, in June of 2009, the MPSC started the process of being the office that would decide if the plant was needed by using future economic modeling. Since the only way Northern Michigan could prosper was if the plant was approved, the future without the plant is pretty glum, therefore ensuring there would be no uptick in need for electricity. Convoluted? Welcome to bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, our genius Republican legislators thought it would be a grand idea to, at this point, merge the MDEQ and the DNR.

In September of 2009, the MDEQ was combined with the DNR using a legislation package, a portion of which was proudly brought to the floor of the Senate by Jason Allen, as a measure to streamline government. Allen is now seeking a job as representative of the First District of Michigan in Washington D.C.

I’m all for smaller government, but, when you combine two departments like the MDEQ, who had already did their work in approving the plant, and the DNR, who had no interest in the plant whatsoever, dump tons of paperwork on this new “streamlined” government office, it makes it easier for the special interests and the Governor’s office to pressure and push for a decision.

Like it or not, Michigan career politicians, this is also partially your fault.

From the Alpena News:

Ultimately, the DNRE said Wolverine had not adequately demonstrated through the alternative analysis the inability to secure long-term power supply purchase arrangements, such as buying power from an existing power plant, to meet their member needs.

“Through the alternative analysis” means that after the State changed the rules, Wolverine didn’t follow the new rules and come up with the right numbers to make the control-freak governor happy.

How is it that the MDNRE has the power to tell a manufacturing company that they don’t need to manufacture, because they can buy it from somebody else?

If it was the Wolverine Jeans Company, and they wanted to hire people to build a jeans manufacturing plant, then hire more to manufacture the jeans, would our nanny government be able to tell them that they have no need to make jeans, because they are being made elsewhere?

The fact is, the Granholm Administration continually changed the rules and moved the target because she wants to please The Sierra Club and Green Peace, and all the green energy companies that she approved.

Consider these facts:

56 wind turbines only produce 180 MW of energy when the wind is blowing very hard, and none when it is calm.

Our side of the state does not produce enough wind to provide any energy.

It takes one month to construct 30 wind turbines on land.

Most wind turbines are made in Canada.

Off shore wind turbines would only be useful off the coast of the North Western Lower Peninsula, which also happens to be the most scenic, with the most beautiful sunsets, and extremely high property values.

It only takes one person to keep a windfarm running.

So, when Granholm’s office says that the jobs would be short term, the fact is, there is not much more short term than one month. Wind energy and solar energy will not and cannot provide more energy. The energy companies of Northern Michigan will continue to buy coal power from other states, and someday, these Democrat politicians interested in authoritarian control will be held to account.

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 23

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:05:25 +0000

The Substitution of Legislation by Regulation

Click here to view Part 22

The Heavy Hand of the EPA

One of the things that makes America different from other countries is our political system, presumably. I mean to say that we elect leaders to represent us and work in our interest among the political causes of the day. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case in the United States of America.

Under the Obama Administration, what cannot be done through legislation is now being done by decree.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a press release on Friday, “Business leaders, security experts, government officials, concerned citizens and the United States Supreme Court have called for enduring, pragmatic solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that is causing climate change. This continues our work towards clean energy reform that will cut GHGs and reduce the dependence on foreign oil that threatens our national security and our economy.”

The fact that the science of global warming has come under serious question and even been shown to be made up, seems not to be an issue for Ms. Jackson.

Since these regulations will most likely ban the domestic drilling of oil, it will in no way “reduce the dependence on foreign oil.”

What does this all mean for the Rogers City Coal Plant? Well, as of this writing, Wolverine has not been issued an air permit or a permit to install. But if it does receive the main permit, it will be a double-edged sword.

With Cap and Trade legislation largely considered dead-on-arrival in the Senate, the EPA means to enact similar, without a doubt, more stringent commands on coal plants. It is not to be ignored that a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute concluded, “The only certainty is that EPA regulation would be far more expensive than congressional-designed legislation.”

After all, why is the Global Warming bill (Cap and Trade H.R. 2454) in trouble in the Senate? Is it not because a large number of Senators have constituencies that are very much opposed to the bill? In fact, the only way Cap and Trade was passed in the House was in the middle of the night by a vote of 219-212.

The people of this nation have no say in the matter.

This is not how the U.S.A. is supposed to work.

Click here to view Part 24

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 22

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:54:40 +0000

Click here to view Part 21

Tom Karas says quit “whining” while he kills our children’s future.

A couple of weeks back, I noticed that Tom Karas, an out-of town environmentalist, was planning to show up at the Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op annual meeting to formally demand a complete financial disclosure of Wolverine’s Power Plant proposal. He stated so openly in an editorial in the Advance.

Knowing that he had been actively trying to kill the future of Rogers City by casting aspersions against the financing of the coal plant for almost two years now, I threw his demand back in his face.

Advance (10/29/09) Opinion:

To the editor,

As a member of Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op, I hereby introduce a motion demanding Tom Karas’ financial disclosure. By carefully following the coal plant story for the past three years, I know he has started at least three web sites without disclosure to the public of who pays for them. I know he has paid for at least one study that is biased in nature and shares his world view. I also know that he himself has admitted that he gets paid from San Francisco to continue to force Wolverine to spend money to address his concerns. I want to know who he is paid by, how much he is paid, and more importantly, how much money he stands to gain if this coal plant does not go through. I have been writing about this coal plant on my blog. You can read it at http://jennerationx.wordpress.com/rogers-city-coal-plant/.

Jennifer M. Kuznicki

Rogers City(sic)

Hawks

Tom has distastefully responded to my inquiry by leaving an arrogant comment on my website and like a school-yard bully, sent me an email to try to get me to meet him for a photo-op in front of the Advance to accept his tax returns from last year.

I have decided to handle the inquiry in this manner.

As you can see by reading The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 5, my inquiry was a result of Karas’ own words.

Part 5--Quoting from the Advance, “Karas, who voiced his disapproval of Wolverine’s project on many levels, said he receives funding for his efforts from the Energy Foundation, based in San Francisco, California. According to its website, the goal of the Energy Foundation is ‘to develop and promote U.S. state and regional policies to reduce global warming pollution in order to build models for, and momentum toward federal global warming policy.’ ‘They want me to do public education, ‘ Karas said.

The Energy Foundation funds 501(c)(3)s to which Karas would have to apply and receive funding for a certain project under a different name.

501 (c)(3) organizations include charitable, religious and educational groups. They pay no taxes on income, and contributions are tax deductible for donors. This is the only category of tax-exempt organizations with this fundraising advantage. One of the conditions for this favorable treatment is that these groups strictly prohibited from supporting or opposing candidates for public office. However, they are allowed to engage in a limited amount of legislative lobbying.

This funding would not show on his individual tax return. I believe his “project” is to kill the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture. The name used could be Co-op Conversations.

I do not “whine” in public, Tom. I see you as a self-serving egotist who stands in the way of my children’s future.

Click here to view Part 23

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 21

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:04:07 +0000

click here to view Part 20

Members of PIE&G overwhelmingly trust Wolverine

By unanimous vote, the Presque Isle County Commissioners approved a proposed landfill for Wolverine’s clean coal plant, much to the dismay of the same few people opposed to the project. You can read the Advance’s reporting on the issue here. I found this quote interesting, the Advance writes, “Larry Shepherd of Ocqueoc cited a June, USA Today article, which he believes raises concerns about power plants being the targets of international terrorists. ‘Just think about what would happen to a silo loaded with hazardous materials if it was attacked. The water system from Rogers City to New York would be affected.’”

Targets of international terrorism? More like targets of the U.S. Government and Michigan Government.

The October 22 issue of the Advance included a story on the front page of a proposal made by Tom Karas. Tom was at it again, trying to scare the members of Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op that it’s board and Wolverine were being careless with the members’ money and that the coal plant will be so wildly expensive. He planned to attend the annual meeting of PIE&G and demand Wolverine to reveal the total costs of the plant. Tom is now in charge of Co-op Conversations, a website he presumably started to try to “reason” with the people of the county to shut down coal and go for more wind and solar energy. The website claims, “The #1 Cooperative Resource in America.” I have written about this before, how the environmentalist claims moral high ground by authoritatively stating they are right and deceive people into thinking they are experts.

After reading Kara’s editorial in the October 29th issue of the Advance, I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

To the editor,

On Friday October 30, Presque Isle Electric and Gas Cooperative (PIE&G) members will have the opportunity to attend their annual meeting at Onaway High School. The annual meeting gives members their best chance to learn about their co-op, the co-op that they are owners of. of special interest this year will be to understand the benefits of having their electric bills double in order to by power from the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture in Rogers City.

This is misleading because Karas points to a doubling of electric bills, but he does not disclose the reasons why. He intends to make the reader believe having the power plant at all will double electricity rates, but he does not say that it is because of extremist environmentalists like him.

I took time off of work to attend the PIE&G annual meeting yesterday. Karas was not let into the meeting because he is not a member of PIE&G Cooperative.

Some interesting things took place though in the two hour’s time I allowed myself to be away from work.

First, I learned some things I did not know. Wolverine has spent 20 million dollars to date checking into the feasability of this project, and in the same amount of time, they have spent 700 million dollars buying power from downstate utilities as well as Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Second, the reason we have a cooperative is because it is costly to provide energy to rural areas, in fact, because Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy and other big companies thought it too costly, local leaders had to find a solution on their own, and with strength in numbers, we are a co-op that is part of a larger family that serves 230,000 households and businesses.

During the business meeting, we were told that with only 267 members in attendance, it was not 1% of the membership of 30,900 so without a quorum, we could not discuss any new business. It is during new business that any motions can be entertained by any member in attendance, voted on by straw poll, as well as a question and answer period. However, leniency was given because of poor weather and motions were entertained.

Bob Brietzke made a motion that said, if over one half of the current membership of all the co-ops together decide they don’t want the plant to go forward, it shouldn’t go forward. The motion was effectively debated by Mike Centala who reminded the members that we have a board that we elect to make these decisions and Brietzke’s motion should be voted down. That motion resulted with 27 in favor and 155 against. Attorney for the board, David Werth mentioned that any motion would only be binding to PIE&G member co-op in any event.

Val Jaroche made a motion with very similar wording to Kara’s intent in the paper, that the full disclosure of the cost of the Wolverine project be given. That motion result was 16 in favor and 166 against.

Finally, Mike Centala moved to allow the PIE&G board to follow through with the Wolverine Clean Energy Proposal. When put to a straw poll, 169 members voted in favor of Centala’s motion, and only 8 voted against it.

The meeting continued with questions from the membership and I could see that my patience for the extremist environmentalists was wearing thin, and the day was slipping away, so I left.

In the face of the EPA putting the brakes on coal, and Michigan limiting mercury emissions, and every other obstacle, this town is resolute.

Read the whole story by clicking on the Rogers City Coal Plant page at the side bar of this page.

“Targets of international terrorists,” indeed, they are the targets of the United States Government and Michigan State Government. The terrorists really don’t have to target them.”

Click here to view Part 22

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 20

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:52:02 +0000

click here to view Part 19

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Our congressman, Bart Stupak announced gleefully the week of October 8th, 2009, that $2.7 million of federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)were awarded to Wolverine Power for carbon capture. I wrote about the stimulus bill on this blog and rereading shows me that there was 2.4 billion in the stimulus for carbon capture and sequestration projects.

The Advance quotes Stupak, “This funding will allow Wolverine Power to develop innovative new technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while also creating jobs for our workers. I am pleased Energy Secretary Steven Chu is investing this stimulus money in northern Michigan so we can continue to be a leader in developing and implementing green technology here in Michigan and across the nation.”

First of all, Steven Chu didn’t invest anything, we have to pay for it with future taxation, but that aside, it is only a little over 2.7 million dollars. With a little research I found out that because carbon capture and sequestration is not fully developed yet, it is very expensive.

As you can read from the Council for Climate Research’s 2008 NIChE Carbon Capture and Sequestration Conference

Particular focus is given to CO₂ capture from coal-fired power plants, because these plants account for about 33% of the total CO₂ emissions in the United States – more than the combined emissions from all other large point sources. CO₂capture options for coal-fired plants include post-combustion capture (e.g., using amine or ammonia scrubbing to treat the flue gas from a pulverized coal (PC) plant), pre-combustion capture (e.g., using a physical absorption process to treat the synthesis gas in an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant), and oxy-combustion (i.e., combusting coal in pure oxygen and recycled CO₂). Pilot- and/or commercial-scale demonstrations of these configurations are in various stages of development; a realistic timeframe for commercial deployment of these technologies is proposed. However, widespread deployment of CO₂ capture using today’s best available technologies would have a substantial impact on the nation’s economy and energy supply. Retrofitting a coal-fired power plant with amine scrubbing for 90% CO₂ capture can triple its cost of producing electricity and decrease its net electrical output by 30%. A new IGCC plant with CO₂ capture can have 50-100% greater capital costs and ≥60% greater cost of producing electricity than a new supercritical PC plant without CO₂ capture. Hence, there is a strong need for the continued development of technologies that have potential to reduce the costs and energy requirements associated with CO2 capture. (emphasis added mine)

So, basically, we will be taxed in the future for the project that is so cost-prohibitive and undeveloped, that Wolverine’s cost of doing business will skyrocket. Much like President Obama said would happen and I discuss in Part 8.

Now, all this talk about CO2 has got to be put into perspective, and by doing so, I believe you will understand my opinion on the whole carbon project.

We exhale carbon dioxide and it is needed by plants to grow. Carbon dioxide accounts for .004 % of the atmosphere. The extremist environmental school of thought puts carbon dioxide as a major source of pollution and is what is causing global warming. Remember, Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth was based on .7 degrees celcius increase over one hundred years.

The Supreme Court of the United States on April, 2, 2007, ruled in a 5-4 decision that th EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases, an authority the current administration accepts with vigor. Because of the extreme environmentalist view of the current administration, Wolverine, in my view, has to pony up an awful lot of money.

How could so many people buy into falsehoods and “scientific consensus?” I will discuss that later.

Back to the 2.7 million dollar grant. It seems a mere pittance since Wolverine has to prove if it works to be accepted for the second phase of grants. Quoting the Advance, “The remaining ARRA funding will be awarded to the most promising projects during a competitive phase two selection process. Projects that best demonstrate the ability to address their emission needs will be in the final portfolio that will receive additional funding for design, construction and operation.”

So, not only do we have to pay for the competitive research with future tax dollars, Wolverine isn’t guaranteed any more funds, and who knows what may happen if the project fails. From Part 17 about Cap and trade, I discuss how the bill calls for carbon sequestration.

From the October 9th, 2009 post on Varnum Blogs, “The Department of Energy has awarded an initial $3.71 million grant to study whether carbon dioxide from Holland Board of Public Work’s proposed new coal-fired electric generating plant can be safely injected in below-ground sandstone formations. PraxAir Inc. assisted in garnering the funds for the Board’s study. Test wells will be drilled at the location of the plant. The cost of the carbon-sequestration project is estimated to be $150 million in addition to the $240 million cost of the new plant. The DOE has also awarded Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative Inc. $2.7 million to demonstrate the use of advanced amines and additives to capture 300,000 tons of CO₂ per year from its proposed 600 MW circulating fluidized bed power plant near Rogers City. Both projects are in the process of negotiating air permits with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Meanwhile the state legislature is working on a bill that would charge a one-time $1 per ton CO₂ fee and 15 cents per ton annually in exchange for the state assuming liability for the CO₂ storage.”

Like the blog says, on top of it all, the legislators are still working on a way to charge the energy user more.

click here to view Part 21

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 19

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:22:39 +0000

click here to view Part 18

Clean Coal = Michigan Jobs

“Put us to work,” was the chant heard in Lansing on October 6th, 2009 when a bus load of Rogers City activists joined a rally on the steps and the lawn of the capitol. Mayor Beach Hall spoke at the rally .

The Advance writes, “The Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council and Protect Michigan, a coalition of the state’s major labor organizations, organized the rally with the support of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan Manufacturers Association, and other members of the Michigan Jobs and Energy Coalition.”

ROGERS CITY mayor Beach Hall, the only speaker from the lakefront town, told the audience of the “overwhelming support” the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture has received, including a “Welcome” ad in the Advance from businesses and individuals, 3,500 petition signatures “in a town of 3,300” and 400 yard signs.

Citing the economic well-being of the region and the future power needs of the state, Hall urged Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) “to hurry up and approve Wolverine’s air quality permit so people can be put to work now,” Hall said in his speech.

“For Rogers City and the northeast Michigan counties of Presque Isle, Alpena, Cheboygan and Montmorency, a billion dollar project in northeast Michigan is huge. The possibility of up to 1,700 construction jobs for several years is huge. The possibility of over 500 direct and in-direct permanent jobs, including over 200 jobs supplying biomass for the plant is huge, anywhere, but especially in northeast Michigan.” Hall said local and state tax revenue from the project would increase at no cost to the state.

You can read the entire story here, I was not able to be at the rally, but after reading about it, I realized that it is such a significant picture.

The fact that in the most economically depressed state in the Nation, that a town of 3500 has to mobilize and picket the capitol just to get jobs. It’s sad really.

The Advance reports on an interesting poll, “Seventy-four percent of voters say they support Consumers Energy’s plan, while 72 percent said they would support Wolverine’s project. While the strongest support for these new power plants comes from the regions where they would be located, they receive robust support from all areas of the state.”

click here to read Part 20

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 18

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:36:57 +0000

click here to view Part 17

The Sierra Club’s Theatrics

Reacting to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Wolverine asked for an additional hearing to change the way that emissions are measured. The EPA changed the way emissions are measured in the Clean Air Act of 2008, and that standard does not have to be met until 2011 in Michigan. In another good faith effort by Wolverine, the town now had another public hearing to attend, held on September 17th, 2009, which created another opportunity for the Sierra Club to put on a show.

The Advance reported, “Last Thursday’s hearing at Rogers City High School drew around 125 audience members, more than a dozen DEQ engineers, staffers and support personnel, and 15 people who stepped up to the microphone to comment. Vince Helwig, chief of the Air Quality Division of the DEQ, designated as the “decision maker” for the DEQ, sat at a table facing the audience and the microphone where people offered testimony to him. He didn’t comment on any person’s testimony, but offered instructions before the hearing began.

He reminded the audience that the purpose of the hearing was to listen to comments on Wolverine’s plan to use the measurement 2.5 micrometers to measure particulate matter in plant emissions rather than the larger 10 micrometers measurement. ‘If you decide to make other comments we cannot consider them in the permit hearing process. We are not taking comment on the recent Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) report. That was a report given to us and we cannot answer questions because it was written by the MPSC, so we are still in the process of evaluating that.’ Helwig said. MARION HART, THE administrative section supervisor for the air quality division of the DEQ, moderated the 50-minute hearing, calling people one at a time to the microphone placed in front of Helwig’s table.”

Of the 14 commentators at the hearing, 10 spoke for the plant’s initiative, and 4 spoke against. The Sierra Club decidedly embarrassed themselves with a dramatic show. A friend of Lee Sprague (Michigan Sierra Club) who called himself Rich Coalbaron started walking through the gym acting as though he was stuffing money into people’s pockets.

The Advance reported, “AMONG THOSE who spoke against, at least three were from the state level of environmental organizations. An audience member, believed to be associated with the Sierra Club, identified himself as “Rich Coalbaron” and appeared in the high school lobby with Lee Sprague, an officer in the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club. Both were dressed in black suits with a very tall black stovepipe hat. They offered literature to people coming into the gymnasium and had a table set up in the commons area.

Although Sprague changed out of his costume before offering his comments to the DEQ, “Coalbaron” stayed in character while he spoke at the microphone. “I want to thank you for giving me your hard-earned money for the next 50 years,” he said. “Rogers City is a great place to pollute. It needs to be less pure here in Rogers City and we need to make sure that this place becomes a little more dirty.”

Then Sprague went on to comment on fugitive dust again, something that Tom Karas of Michigan Energy Alternatives had commented on in Part 9.

It’s always good to have the last word, and Elizabeth Zimmer had a good one.

“When I came in here tonight, I felt I was being harassed by the fellows in the tall hats (Sprague and “Coalbaron”). First they made me feel like they were for the Wolverine power plant and then they proceeded to tell me that we could keep sending them our money for years to come,” she said. Other “scare tactics” have been used on her as well, she said.

“I just wish they would go home. We don’t go to California or other places and chain ourselves to trees. I just feel they should go home,” Zimmer said as the final person to testify that night.

The town is still waiting for word on an air quality permit.

click here to view Part 19

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 17

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:35:35 +0000

click here to view Part 16

Cap and Trade

Cap and Trade was brought to a vote in the U.S. House on June 26th. By a vote of 219-212, the bill passed. Since Bart Stupak was on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the United States House of Representatives, and he is the area’s representative, I sent him an email telling him how disappointed I was that he voted for H.R. 2454–The Cap and Trade Bill. Cap and Trade refers to ‘capping emissions’ and ‘trading carbon credits.’ I have a problem with this legislation on many levels. First of all, global warming is a myth, a hoax, and this whole environmental crisis that is constantly being whipped into a frenzy is based on a lie. His office sent me a response that is quite lengthy:

******************************************************************************

Dear Mrs Kuznicki:

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). This legislation by Chairman Henry Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey of the Energy and Commerce Committee is a comprehensive bill addressing our dependence on foreign oil, combating climate change and providing 21st century clean energy jobs. I serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee and have been an active participant in the development of ACES. I appreciate hearing from you concerning this important issue.

The legislation produced in the Energy and Commerce Committee was based on past years’ experience and building on the 2005 Energy Policy Act and 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. ACES was not a bill brought before Congress at the last minute. During the week of May 18, the Committee held an unprecedented four-day markup to alter, change, consider and amend the ACES bill. We spent more than 40 hours in Committee, considered 94 amendments to the bill, and finally approved the measure out of the Committee on May 21, 2009. I then spent the next month working with my colleagues in Congress to improve the bill before its consideration on the House floor on June 26, 2009. I voted in support of the final bill, which now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

For the past 15 years, I have served on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations where I heard, questioned and examined experts, witnesses, scientists and skeptics on global warming. Some individuals will point to a cold day, a cool summer or fewer hurricanes as “proof” that global warming is not occurring! While I respect these differing opinions, the whole body of evidence and an overwhelming majority of experts and scientists agree that carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases pollute the air we breathe and endanger our planet.

I believe it is in our national security interest to address global warming, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and revitalize our economy with new clean energy jobs. More than 70 percent of our daily oil consumption is imported from other countries. Some of those countries have used their oil to disrupt our economy, support our adversaries and sponsor terrorism. It is imperative that the United States develop alternatives to our reliance on oil.

As ACES developed, my priorities were to protect existing Northern Michigan jobs, create new jobs through developing alternative energy technologies and make sure that unreasonable costs are not passed on to consumers.

There are a number of myths circulating about the cost of this bill that are simply untrue. Overhauling our nation’s energy policy will not be free, but significant steps have been taken in ACES to protect our most vulnerable industries and citizens. The increased energy costs some consumers will see in the short term are far outweighed by the benefit the legislation will bring to our overall economy. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the average net cost for a family of four 10 years from now will be $175. This includes potential costs of electricity, heating, fuel and other associated costs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that average household net costs would be $80 to $110 per year, less than $10 per month.

There are other related economic benefits to you and our country, for which it is difficult to attain a precise dollar figure. These include:

oTransitioning to energy independence, free of expensive and volatile foreign sources of oil. Countries such as Venezuela, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Libya all play a significant role in setting worldwide oil production rates and prices.

oIncreased incentives for Michigan’s auto industry to create cleaner vehicles. The domestic auto industry will receive free allowances under the cap-and-trade program to help develop plug-in electric vehicles.

oFuel and energy savings for consumers. As our energy sector transitions to renewable and energy saving practices, the cost of oil and feedstock for electricity generation will go down. Consumers will also benefit from low-cost energy efficiency technologies in their homes, offices and as part of their daily lives.

oNew renewable energy efficiency standards in ACES provide opportunities for Northern Michigan industry. A number of projects in Northern Michigan in renewable energy and energy efficiency are under way, ranging from advanced cellulosic ethanol, waste-to-energy projects, carbon-capture and sequestration of coal-fired carbon emissions, and more will receive incentives under ACES.

oIncreased technological development, construction and manufacturing that comes with transitioning to a clean, renewable energy sector. Iron ore and steel will benefit from infrastructure developments for wind energy, high-speed rail corridors and other new technologies. The timber industry will gain from new avenues in biomass use for alternative energy production. Michigan’s economy will benefit from a retooled manufacturing sector devoted to new energy projects.

I worked on ACES to create jobs in Northern Michigan and throughout the state. The Michigan timber industry will benefit from expanded use of woody biomass for energy production and carbon sequestration projects. Our automotive industry will receive incentives to develop energy efficient electric vehicles. I worked to make sure the bill brings job growth to our industrial and manufacturing sectors, while protecting consumers and benefiting our environment.

One change I worked to include is defining “renewable biomass” to incorporate timber resources that were off limits in the original draft legislation. We have a large forest industry that will play a vital role in lowering greenhouse gas emissions, while benefiting the economy of Northern Michigan. I fought to include a broader definition of woody biomass that now includes all timber from federal timber sales as an eligible fuel source for renewable energy projects. Fuel stock eligibility should be based on proper sustainable and healthy forest practices; not excluded for arbitrary reasons. Our timber industry, paper mills, biofuel power plants, lumber and farming industries all will benefit from this new definition.

I was successful in including our iron ore industry as an energy and trade intensive industry. Iron ore mines in Northern Michigan operated by Cliffs Natural Resources will receive carbon allowances so Cliffs Natural Resources can produce quality, low-cost iron ore to compete with foreign imports from Brazil, China and other countries. Along with the increased incentives for auto and domestic manufacturing for clean energy technologies, the iron ore and steel industry will see an economic benefit from this legislation and spur development of the proposed iron ore nugget plant.

ACES establishes a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade system, but originally left out how to properly regulate and oversee a new carbon credit financial market. The financial impact of cap-and-trade on utilities, businesses and households will depend on whether allocations are properly distributed and verified by the EPA, and if excessive speculation on Wall Street is controlled in the carbon financial markets. I was successful in adding a version of my Prevent Unfair Manipulation of Prices (PUMP) Act to ACES. This section of the bill will grant the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) broad authority to regulate carbon and energy markets to prevent excessive prices based on speculation, fear and greed.

America can responsibly reduce harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause global warming and grow our economy. Congress has previously provided tax credits and other incentives to promote the development and use of clean coal technology, wind, solar, geothermal, ethanol, and other biofuels. In addition, Congress has also worked to promote energy efficient businesses and homes. The increased use of cleaner burning fuels and improved efficiency will help energy users reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

My goal of creating an energy policy that helps end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil can be accomplished in ACES. The bill also provides important economic protection to ensure Michigan’s most vulnerable industries, such as iron ore mining, steel, concrete, timber and paper production, are not placed at a competitive disadvantage to their foreign counterparts. It also ensures consumers are protected from unreasonable energy price increases.

ACES is endorsed by a number of organizations with economic interests throughout Northern Michigan including Dow Chemical; Rio Tinto, the parent company of Kennecott Minerals; American Transmission Company, the provider of electric transmission in the Upper Peninsula; United Steelworkers; United Auto Workers; AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department; and the National Farmers Union.

ACES is now pending the Senate where it faces an uncertain future. If passed by the Senate, the legislation would then be subject to a conference committee to work out differences between the two versions. If these differences between the House and Senate are worked out, I would then have to review the conference committee legislation thoroughly before determining whether to support it.

Because climate change and energy policy are global problems, Congress and the Administration must engage the international community to promote greenhouse gas reduction in all countries. Europe has had laws reducing its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for some time. I am pleased our committee and the House of Representatives has produced a legislative initiative to finally address global climate change, energy independence and create clean energy jobs.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns. Please feel free to contact me again regarding issues that concern you in the future.
Sincerely,

BART STUPAK
Member of Congress

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If you are still reading this after that garbage email, I’ll tell you what I did. I read the bill, and made a speech about it at the Onaway Fourth of July Tea Party. Here is that speech:

The Cap and Trade bill just passed by the United States House of Representatives will now go to the Senate for passage. The Senate will apply different language in the bill to make it more appealing to members of the Senate who need to be convinced that the bill is in need of a yes vote.

In short, the bill is designed to decrease energy usage and tax consumers, businesses, manufacturers and namely, coal plants to provide revenue to the state and federal governments to develop solar and wind energy unable to produce the amount of energy currently consumed.

After reading numerous articles that describe the contents of the bill, I decided to actually read the bill.

This is what it will do:
Mandate that every household change whatever is necessary to become more energy efficient by introducing economy-wide reduction goals.
-that means you will need to replace any part of your home that does not meet federal guidelines for energy efficiency, including windows, doors, insulation, washing machines, dryers, furnaces, water heaters and so on.
-it also means that you will need to lessen your consumption of energy even if you do all those things
-if you fail to comply with energy efficient standards, your consumption of energy will be rationed.

John Dingell, a representative from the southeastern corner of Michigan said, “Cap and Trade Is A Tax and It’s a Great Big One”

Indeed it is, not only does it increase taxes substantially, it doubles electricity rates not only for your household but for your grocery store, your workplace, and so on. That means that the cost of your food and will go up, and your job may be threatened.
Another downstate representative wrote, “Cap-and-tax will essentially kick working families when they are down. In 2008, approximately 21 percent of all utility accounts were overdue, with folks carrying past-due balances, on average, of $160 on electric bills and $360 for natural gas.”

2. The bill mandates that the use of fossil fuels (defined as coal, oil and natural gas) be phased out, and the use and development of electric plug in cars be phased in.
-the bill says that using oil makes us more likely to outbreaks of war, it forces us to use less by increasing prices on gasoline and diesel fuel
-it wishes to simultaneously conserve home energy and create a whole new electric use–cars

3. It mandates that each State’s fleet of vehicles be in compliance. Also requires the retrofitting of every government building, every public institution including schools and colleges.
-meaning that the State of Michigan, already strapped, the State with the worst economy of all 50 as well as the highest in unemployment will have to set up a new bureau to regulate and implement the use of electric vehicles, and has to find money in the budget to change the furnaces, windows, doors, insulation of colleges and schools.

4. Writes into federal law the assertion that Carbon Dioxide is a pollutant.

5. Creates an additional branch of the IRS to tax the use of carbon.

6. Creates a cap on industrial emissions beginning in the year 2012 that tightens every two years thereafter until current emissions are the same as they were in the year 1910.
Downstate Representative Fred Upton wrote in The Hill: The proposed carbon mandates under consideration would mean that the United States could not emit more in the year 2050 than we emitted in 1910…The only nations in the world today that emit at the level mandated in this bill are struggling nations, such as Belize, Jordan, Haiti and Somalia. In order to reach the 80 percent reduction mandated by cap-and-trade, emissions from the transportation sector would have to drop to zero, as would those from all electricity generation, and we would still need to reduce all other sources of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent.

Of course there are massive regulations specifically targeting coal plants.

Coal plants will have to be tested for emissions at the stack mouth, and if found not in compliance, they will need to pay exorbitant sums of money in the form of a penalty tax.

They will be mandated to decrease their energy output during peak demand, when energy is most needed, like hot summer days and cold winter nights.

They will be mandated to provide carbon sequestration, a pie in the sky idea not even developed yet, pushed heavily by Al Gore, where the carbon emissions are sent under the earth instead of in the air. According to the EPA itself, “Carbon sequestration has been experimented with for a number of years, and it works in the laboratory, but we’re not 100 percent sure how well carbon sequestration works in real life, because it could be many years before we see some of that carbon we think was sequestered escaping back into the atmosphere. So, unless we have studies that cover many decades, we’ll never know if the sequestration works. There are various methods that we think work better than others, but until we have long-term studies, we won’t know for sure.”

The bill requires that a coal plant force carbon dioxide underground while at the same time protects the entire area that the coal plant will be sitting on from being force-fed carbon dioxide.

This bill kills that plant.

Representative Bart Stupak not only was proud to vote for this bill, he helped write it.

We need to contact Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, now.

If we the people do not stop this bill from becoming a law, by calling our representatives and senators and generally raising hell, we will all be broke with no hope for new jobs from the coal plant.

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As you can see, Bart and I don’t agree. At any rate, the leaders of Wolverine were not worried.

click here to view Part 18

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 16

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:45:16 +0000

click here to view Part 15

Surprise! Michigan doesn’t need Energy!

In Part 13 of this series I covered the governor’s state-of-the-state address where she issued a declaration that the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) would be involved with the DEQ in the issuance of air permits. I mentioned that AG Mike Cox forced Granholm to rescind the order, but in a good faith effort, Wolverine compiled a report and sent it to the MPSC in June.

The Advance reports,

“On April 1, the MPSC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DEQ that clarified each participant’s role and responsibility regarding a review process to evaluate electric generation alternatives and provide technical assistance to the DEQ. This MOU answers requirements of an executive order issued on February 3 by Governor Granholm.

In this new directive, the “MPSC is to provide technical assistance to the DEQ on all matters related to the need for electric generation in the state, as it relates to the analysis that looks at alternatives to coal-fired generation.” The MPSC is also to “review the alternatives analysis to assess whether energy efficiency, renewable energy, or other alternatives meet future electricity needs,” states a press release from the MPSC.”

Executive Vice President for Wolverine Craig Borr concluded the story saying, “Think of it as the DEQ using the MPSC as its power supply or electric generation advisor or consultant.”

So even though the report is not necessary since the MPSC cannot approve or deny permits, only the DEQ can, the MPSC came back with an opinion.

The opinion stated that Wolverine did not successfully demonstrate the need for power, and Wolverine offered a scathing rebuttal to the report which you can read here.

I have to admit, when I heard this opinion by the MPSC I was livid because I knew what they had said just a few years previous. This excerpt is from MPSC Issues Summer 2006 Energy Appraisal.

Electricity – This summer’s combined peak demand in the Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy service areas are projected to total 21,365 MW. This demand will be 722 MW above their in-state generating capacity of 19,250 MW, so purchases of power are being made to assure adequate reserves.

It makes me wonder what has happened to the MPSC in three short years?

click here to view Part 17