The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 8

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

After the Biomass public hearing, Tom Karas (Michigan Energy Alternatives,) wrote an editorial that appeared in the Advance to counter an argument between himself and Bob Noffze, president of the citizen-formed Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Support Group.  Apparently, after the biomass hearing, Bob and Tom had a brief exchange during which Bob made it clear he did not wish to invite Tom to speak at the next meeting of WCEVSG because Mr. Karas had stated in an Alpena News article that the coal plant in in Rogers City would be “a monument to ignorance.”  Bob took offense to the statement.  The editorial pointed out that when Karas said the word ignorant, he just meant that the people of Rogers City are unaware of the “current position that the coal industry is in.”  He may be right about that, but it isn’t because the people of this state don’t want energy, it is precisely because of people like Tom Karas.

20/20 hindsight provides this perspective.  On November 2, 2008 this story ran on Fox News.

The interview of then candidate Obama, according to Michelle Malkin’s website,  was given in January, 2008.  Obama tells the San Francisco Chronicle that he is for clean coal technology, but the cap and trade system he plans to put in place will “necessarily skyrocket” energy prices and “bankrupt” the coal industry.

What I gather from knowing this information is, that if the environmentalists involved in killing the proposed Rogers City plant fail in their endeavors, they have a safety net.  The fact that now-President Obama wishes to use a cap and trade system that will force clean coal into bankruptcy.

If that happens, the environmentalists will declare a win and we all lose, because older coal plants will still operate, and our rates will dramatically increase.

Mr. Karas talked about “the current position that the coal industry is in.”  I would remind Mr. Karas that Rogers City is a mining town, and whether we take limestone out of the earth to utilize across the globe or somebody in Wyoming takes coal out of the earth to utilize across the globe, we are all families whose lives depend on mining.

By July, 2008  the DEQ held a meeting in Lansing to describe the permit process and the public comment period.  The Advance does an extremely good job of reporting on this meeting and all the criteria needed and the process.  I thought this excerpt was interesting, now a year and 9 months after submitting the air permit request.

“The average time for a permit right now is running at about 70 days,” Dolehanty said. “But these applications for power plants have been in house as long as a year and one-half.” Wolverine submitted its air permit application September 26 of last year. Consumers Energy submitted its application October 15, Mid-Michigan turned in its application September 12 while Holland Board of Public Works submitted its application January 17, 2007.

Byron DeLong was at it again in August, raising questions with the permit already issued of what fuel will be burned by the plant.   He suggested during the Planning Commission meeting that since the company had not specifically stated that they were to burn petroleum coke, Wolverine would have to amend it’s permit.  Other planning commission members objected, saying they were to understand that petroleum coke was already permitted.  Petroleum coke sounds scary, but it is used in making steel.  Wolverine representatives pointed out that during the CFB presentation in 2006, all was very clear.  DeLong insisted that the language in the original permit must be changed, therefore they would need to amend the permit.  No action was taken then about the permit, but during the same meeting, Bob Noffze wished to ask about some concerns he had about DeLong serving on the planning commission while at the same time being a member of a group that was using the legal system to try to stop coal plants in Michigan.   I mention this lawsuit in Part 3 of this series.  The lawsuit was thrown out, but was in the appeals process in August, 2008.  Bob Noffze called for the removal of Byron (Bud) DeLong from his post as planning commission member due to a conflict of interest.

To be continued…..

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 7

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Let’s remember the names  Byron Delong and Tom Harkleroad.  They are the two members of both CEI and the County Planning Commission earlier in the story.  By May, 2008 only Delong was still a member of both.  Delong was also the man who, in March of 2008, made it clear during a Planning Commission meeting that their should be a public forum to discuss the addition of biomass to the special use permit before the commission issues an amended permit.  That meeting was also attended by Tom Karas, (Michigan Energy Alternatives)  and Jim Dulzo, (Michigan Land Institute) environmentalist buddies from the other side of the state.   Now, let me be clear, the environmental movement had representatives from three groups.  One serving on the board, and the other two pushing for a public forum.  The one on the board suggested the forum be held in May.

It was around this time I was alarmed to read a report by Judy Pasternak of the Los Angeles Times titled, “Global warming has a new battleground: coal plants.”  in the April 14th issue of the paper.  I will link to it with one proviso, it no longer includes the best part of the report.  Here is the titled story, with the first nine paragraphs removed.

 The first nine paragraphs appeared in the report the day I printed it out, 4/14/08.  Here is some of what they said:

WASHINGTON–Every time a new coal-fired power plant is proposed anywhere in the United States, a lawyer from the Sierra Club or an allied environmental group is assigned to stop it, by any bureaucratic or legal means necessary.

They might frame the battle as a matter of zoning or water use, but the larger war is over global warming: …..

The plant-by-plant strategy is part of a campaign by environmentalists to force the federal government to deal with climate change.

The campaign against new coal-powered plants has infuriated utilities, which say the environmentalists’ tactics are an abuse of the regulatory and judicial systems.  They are counterpunching with ads, lobbying and court briefs of their own, bringing the clash over coal to a pitch that rivals the environmental and legal fights over nuclear power decades ago.

The environmental coalition, which included the Natural Resouces Defense Council, Environmental Defense  Fund and Environmental Integrity Project, claims 65 victories over the last three years.  The Sierra Club is coordinating opposition to about 50 additional power plant proposals.

“We have a national presence, so we’re sort of mission control,” said Pat Gallagher, director of the Sierra Club’s environmental law program.

The goal: “We hope to clog up the system,”  said David Bookbinder, the Sierra Club’s chief climate counsel.  “It’s putting pressure on Congress to put together a comprehensive plan.”

The partners in the anti-coal crusade are picking fights over any and all generators that use coal “regardless of merit,” said Brendan Collins, a lawyer in Philidelphia who represents utilities and power plant developers.  “They are doing it in a way that is unfair.”

But I will talk more about this later.

On May 15th I attended the public hearing to define biomass with a pen and a notebook.  Anyone who wished to speak had the opportunity to fill out a card and would be given 5 minutes to make their point, after the presentations by Wolverine and the environmentalist Tom Karas.  Wolverine had a man named Robert Froese, PhD, of Northern Michigan University speak about the under-utilization of the forest floor and farm land within a 75 mile radius of Rogers City.  Some weeks earlier, Froese had given a similar presentation to Presque Isle Electric and Gas Cooperation in Onaway and the Advance did a great job of reporting the presentation, so I will link to that article since it is very close to what I heard Froese say at the hearing.  The Advance reported on the small amount of opposition at the hearing in this article and is a very accurate account of the arguments made by the environmental groups in attendance.  Wolverine’s Ken Bradstreet read his definition of biomass to include, “non-chemically treated wood and wood residue, bark or any wood derivative in any form, including, but not limited to sawdust, scraps, woodchips, millings, shavings, process pellets made from wood, switch grass or similar fuel. It doesn’t include tires, household or medical wastes, dead animals, or animal wastes.”

The public comment period began with the president of the newly formed Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Support Group, Bob Noffze, who pointed out the sea of white t-shirts in the bleachers, all in support of Wolverine.  He told about the 2,400 signatures on the petition to support Wolverine, and closed with a plea to the commission to approve the permit to enhance local agriculture.  Two ladies testified after him about the need for electricity and the death of the community.

  Milt Very suggested during his comments that there is nothing in the existing ordinance that is in conflict  with the burning of biomass. 

 Jean Veselenak, member of CEI, told of her disgust with the DEQ (remember they filed suit against the DEQ,) and told the commission that she thinks there will be people cutting trees down in the middle of the night, in a desparate attempt to earn money.  She talked about “new” technology from California using solar and wind. 

Tom Karas, founding member of Michigan Energy Alternatives spoke next saying that with 7 coal plant projects in the state they will wipe out the forests.  He told the chair that it is his responsibility to protect the safety and welfare of the citizens. 

Charles Winters, President of CEI, asked the commission to approve the definition of biomass. 

Jim Dulzo, (Michigan Land Institute) insisted that he is pro-growth and has a better idea of how to create jobs, unfortunately, he never said what his idea was. 

Tab Coseo and Phil Budnick spoke as transplants to the area who grew up next to power plants and spoke in favor of the massive positive economic impact that happened in their old neighborhoods. 

A representative from the Michigan Forest Products Council said the cleaning of the forest floors in Michigan represents an 8.7 billion dollar industry.

School teacher Susi Leo pointed out that solar and wind do not represent storable power.

Jeff Lamb, president of the local Republican Party spoke in favor of plant and the burning of biomass as well as the use of limestone in coal burning.

The Case Township Supervisor spoke in favor of burning biomass and in favor of the plant.

Mike Eustice, a 50 year businessman of Rogers City, spoke in support of the definition of biomass.

Jane Przybyla spoke in favor of the plant along with Betty Zimmer, Mike Centala, Lloyd Hought, Jesse Chappa.

Candy Kowalski implored the commission to leave everything to the DEQ.

Joe Kuznicki reminded everyone that the recent fire at Cedar Log and Lumber is a good reminder of what happens when biomass is left alone.

Dr. Rich Olree spoke against biomass because of flyash.

I didn’t catch the name of a man who spoke as a power generation expert, but I remember he said that America sets the standard for power generation.  If you want power, you must generate it.  If you don’t, shut off the lights.

The definition of biomass was approved unanimously.

To be continued……

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 6

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The Citizens for Environmental Inquiry, in their never ending quest to kill the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture, filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in Ingham County Circuit Court, five months after the group demanded the DEQ regulate CO2 as a pollutant.  The DEQ didn’t respond to their demand within 90 days, so CEI filed the suit because, “my clients can no longer delay measures to assess and control the millions of tons of global warming pollution that can be released,” said retired Judge Swallow, CEI’s legal counsel.  Seven people in Rogers City must be heard.  The Advance reported that, “In filing this lawsuit, CEI is very much aware that Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation and Presque Isle County has the highest in Michigan.”

In late March, 2008, Wolverine asked the County Planning Commission to amend it’s original special use permit to include the burning of biomass.

Up until now, there had been two groups interested in killing the power plant.  The seven people of CEI, all locals who believed Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, and a man from Traverse City who gets his money from San Fransisco, Tom Karas (Michigan Energy Alternatives.)  However, the Planning Commission meeting attracted more outsiders.

Clean Water Action – a national group founded in the 70’s as part of Ralph Nader’s “task force” on water pollution

Michigan Environmental Council – a Lansing based group that is a member of a coalition of environmental groups nationwide.

Michigan Land Use Institute – A Traverse City based group that works closely with Tom Karas of Michigan Energy Alternatives

Sierra Club Michigan Chapter – a huge, national, extremely well funded organization of anti-coal activists

All of these groups are now organized and intent on killing the Rogers City venture.

In the middle of June, the economic impact study partially paid for by the Presque Isle Economic Development Corporation was released.  It showed, in part, “annual property tax revenue within Presque Isle County of $12.5 million, with more than $3 million allocated to local units of government, and more than 230 new jobs for the four-county region which includes Presque Isle, Alpena, Montmorency, and Cheboygan Counties.”  It further told of the revenue in taxes that would benefit Rogers City Schools, the Ambulance Authority, the Fire Board, and so on.  It is safe to say that the revenue received by these and other governmental entities would double and in some cases, triple.  The study did not assess the impact of the addition of biofuel to the plant’s consumption as it is an emerging development in the economy. Incidentally, even if that 230 jobs is double what may happen, it is still more jobs promised to Presque Isle County by Jennifer Granholm and the Federal Stimulus “shovel ready” package.

A group of people, upset that the environmental groups seem to be having the only say about the plant, formed and began meeting once per week.  They felt it was important to stand up and show support for Wolverine.  They called themselves, The Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Support Group, and their first major function was to stand up in support during the May 15th planning commission meeting.  The meeting was to be in a public hearing style format on Wolverine’s request to amend their special use permit to include biomass.  The group planned to wear t-shirts in support of the venture and speak at the hearing.  Their mission statement read, “To organize and demonstrate that there is significant and compelling regional support for the development, establishment and ultimate operation of the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Power Plant in Presque Isle County, Michigan.”  The group also put petitions in every business imaginable in the county asking to sign in support of the power plant.  By the end of April, they had 2,000 signatures.

To be continued….

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 5

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Wolverine Clean Energy Venture to this point had created a good rapport with the town by giving to local charity, opening an office in town to answer questions, organized a Citizens Advisory Board, acquiring zoning approval, asked for and got resolutions of support from the city of Rogers City, the Commissioners of Presque Isle County and Rogers Township.  They announced that they were, in the beginning of 2008, attempting to obtain an air quality permit from the state.

In a January 3, 2008 article in the Advance titled, County continues to support Wolverine’s plans, Wolverine’s Director of Community and Government Affairs, Ken Bradstreet, outlines the realities of the need for more power in Michigan.  The proposed baseload plant satisfies the Department of Energy as clean coal technology.  Bradstreet offered, “Those that oppose projects like this across the country aren’t really helping the environment, because they are forcing us to continue using plants that should be retired.”

The Citizens for Environmental Inquiry (CEI) continued it’s opposition in the opinion page of the Advance.  In a bid for support of their efforts,  Bill Lewis offered an opinion piece citing information he picked from the websites of the DEQ and the EPA.  He suggested that the proposed 600 megawatt plant would “require about 14 million gallons of water and 300 tons of coal per hour.”   Then suggested that since Wolverine supplies energy to Canada that the “sudden” need for more energy may be to sell to Canada.

A couple of weeks later, a response to the CEI’s attempts to sway public opinion against the plant came from another resident.  He described members of the CEI as “doom and gloom….people who are so immersed in water and air pollution numbers that their vision of the future is one of disaster.”  The following week, at the end of January, a new group came into town to actively oppose the plant.

Tom Karas founded the Michigan Energy Alternatives of Interlochen.  He is a big believer in replacing coal that accounts for 50% of the nations electricity with 20% conservation (less lighting) 20% wind (when it’s blowing) and 10% unspecified new technologies.   He also owns a construction company that specializes in “green” (log) homes.   He showed up in Rogers City complaining that the power company will more than double the rates of all consumers when the power plant begins production.  Karas said he learned of the financial aspects of when he commissioned a study by a financial advisor named Tom Sanzillo.

Who is Tom Sanzillo?  He is the former comptroller of New York State, who now represents environmental groups claiming that there is no financial necessity for baseload coal plants.  He disputes claims made by not only power companies, but by the states themselves.  Karas claimed he met Sanzillo “recently” in Iowa.  Perhaps he met him while this youtube video was filmed when Sanzillo was arguing against Alliant Energy in their attempt to supply a power plant in Marshalltown Iowa.

The financial aspects Karas talked about, penned by Sanzillo, convinced him that, “this report explodes the myth that coal is cheap energy and demonstrates that Michigan need no added generating capacity for many years to come.”  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.  He also raised concerns on financing, the cost of coal and the diminished demand for energy.  ‘The coal industry is responsible for nearly 30% of all the CO2 emissions.’  Karas said.”

Sanzillo is also a star in this video where he testifies against Alliant Energy on behalf of a number of environmental groups.  I do not wish to keep the reader in suspense, Alliant Energy gave up on their plans to build a 660 megawatt base load plant in Marshalltown.

In the middle of February, 2008  CEI filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to force regulation of CO2.

To be continued……

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 4

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After passing out copied versions of An Inconvenient Truth to all the townships in Presque Isle County, Jean Veselenak, member of Citizens for Environmental Inquiry (CEI), planned to make a speech in front of representatives of each township at the MTA meeting in October 2007.

There are two things I disliked about the events leading up to this point in this story.  One, I disliked the lie that CEI was feeding township members that they were just a group of “folks” who’d like to ask a few questions on the coal plant, and two, I don’t like it when people with agendas give information on one side of a topic I care about.  So, I decided to refute Veselenak’s speech.

I researched global warming and gathered all the information I could on the opposing view.   I showed up to the meeting, there were several speakers, and I waited to hear what Veselenak had to say.  Unfortunately, as I listened to her speak, I got a little worried that I would sound like a bully because I had diligently researched, written and rehearsed my speech, and she, a meek former 2nd grade teacher, was very quiet, and kept repeating that the coal plant had to be stopped because of the children and dirty coal is bad.  Anyway, this story isn’t about me, I’ll just say that I gave a 15 minute speech, and received quite a few pats on the back, some great smiles and a couple of atta girls.  CEI had sent their representative to that meeting to follow up on the Al Gore movie that they handed to everyone, and I believe they thought they would get some great kudos and maybe additional members of their group.  Instead, the listeners had two views to digest.

But oh, the opinion page at the Advance was on fire.  I got out my scorecard.  In the following weeks until the end of 2007, there were 5 opinions in favor of the plant, and 4 opinions against the plant.  Incidentally, 2 of the 4 against were written by members of CEI.

In part 1 of this series, I mentioned in passing that Wolverine Power had established a Citizen’s Advisory Board in the hopes that the company could keep a one-on-one relationship with people that actually live here.  In December 2007, they met with the Advisory Board and told the members that the company had set up a per diem payment of  $50 per meeting attended by each member with a total amount of over $5000.  The members were informed that the five grand was to be set aside to give to a charity of their choice.

Rogers City, December 2007  (photo by Paul and Ann Pzrybyla)

During the fall of that year, rumors and questions were swirling around about the Calcite Limestone Plant.  The company that ran Calcite at the time, Oglebay Norton, was involved in a hostile takeover.  There was a lot of uneasiness in the community since only 4 years earlier, Oglebay Norton had gone through bankruptcy proceedings.

For the record, everytime something happens to that hole in the ground, the community gasps.  Ever since I was a little girl, I remember people being worried that Calcite could shut down.  If the company doesn’t hire one spring, there are rumors it will shut down.  If the company hires less than usual, production stops earlier than usual in the winter, somebody gets fired, somebody takes an early retirement, less ships than normal come in, shifts change, layoffs in the winter, layoffs in the summer, new management or any other abnormality, the rumors are that Calcite will shut down.  That is not to say it won’t someday, I mean, two guys just got pitched and there was absolutely no hiring going on this year, there are very few ships coming in, and it’s June and there is a layoff, but I digress.

However, the new company that took over Oglebay Norton at the time was a company called Carmeuse.  They are in charge of the plant to this day.  For the town of Rogers City, the “town that Calcite built,” 2007 had it’s ups and downs, but they didn’t know what was going to happen in 2008.

To be continued….

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 3

Click here to read Part 1

Click here to read Part 2

By March of 2007, Wolverine continued it’s initial work on developing a wind farm, part of it’s commitment during the study of the possibility of building a power plant near Rogers City, along with an endangered species study, as well as numerous analyses to abide by state and local regulations.  They committed to installing a meteorological tower at the Rogers City airport to gather wind speed and directional data.

A member of the Citizens for Environmental Inquiry (CEI), Bill Lewis, continued to raise questions on the opinion page of the Advance, this time raising the geological significance of where the plant would be located.  This is the first time the word “karst” entered the fray.   His argument, that careless surface activity on karst land can quickly impact water resources, was weak.  The company had just hired a slew of environmental engineers, harbor engineers, and conceptual power plant designers.  Three companies whose 2500 employees know more about the different problems  related to geological issues.  As an aside, all of the arguments posed by CEI included the words, “probably,” “likely,” and “possible,” while trying to convince the public.

On June 7th, 2007, this story appeared in the Advance.

The Citizens for Environmental Inquiry finally came out into the open.    They identified themselves as local “folks” motivated by the thought that we are ruining the planet for future generations.  They used the film An Inconvenient Truth as a tool to convince the city council about the effect of global warming and distributed copies of the movie.  Retired Judge Joseph Swallow spoke, acknowledging “up front that the film is emotional and has political overtones, but… it serves as a legitimate wake-up call.  The film clearly identifies the burning of carbon fuel by humans – be it through coal or oil – as a major culprit of releasing greenhouse gases.”  Swallow added, “I suspect we will see regulations of carbon emissions in the near future. I encourage you to look at the film…and listen to what it has to say: Global warming is indeed an reality.”

In the same issue of the Advance, a story appeared titled, “Wolverine to partner in wind-energy venture.” By clicking on that title, you can also see a conceptual image of the proposed plant.  The company committed to planning a wind turbine farm on Calcite property in an area called Adam’s point.  They erected a test tower to measure wind speeds and “signed a long-term agreement with Harvest Wind Farm, LLC, to purchase renewable energy from the company’s wind farm, which is planned for construction near Elkton and Pigeon, in the thumb area of Michigan.”  Also noted by the Advance, “The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) called for the need for one or two new base load generating plants in a recent study. The MPSC said that demand for electricity grows each year, yet no new base load plants have been constructed in Michigan in 20 years. The state is a net importer of energy, dependent on other states.”

But the CEI continued it’s quest to kill the plant.  With retired Justice Swallow as their lawyer, they demanded that the Michigan DEQ comply with state law requirements to regulate CO2.   Quoting the Advance,  “The Citizens for Environmental Inquiry said, ‘a coal-fired power plant proposed by Wolverine Power Supply will spew unregulated amounts of global warming pollution into the atmosphere unless state regulators adhere to the law.’”  Swallow continued,”‘Because the law is so clear that regulation of CO2 is required, we have asked the DEQ to enact regulations before they allow construction of any new coal plants….(we hope) we’re not witnessing a coal rush, where vested interest playing on poor economic times are trying to build as many coal plants on the cheap as they can before regulations are established; if this is the case the impact on human health and welfare will be most unfortunate.’”  The CEI sent a letter to the DEQ calling for action.  “‘My clients are concerned.  Despite the fact that the climate of our planet is warming at an unparalleled pace and a scientific consensus pointing to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (of which CO2 is primary) as the culprit.  Michigan has not promulgated rules regulating this obvious pollutant……I represent Citizens for Environmental Inquiry, a Michigan Non-Profit corporation, and also the following citizens of Presque Isle County: Byron DeLong, Thomas Harkleroad, William Lewis, John Plath, Jean Veselenak, and Charles Winters.’”

By September, Charles Winters began his stint of writing to the editor of the Advance stating his idea that our electricity bills will severely increase because of the money being sunk into the feasibility of the plant.

In the September 27th, 2007 issue of the Advance, Wolverine announced it’s plans to file an air quality permit request with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

It was at about this time that I became interested in this drama.  I had read the paper all this time, getting to know who is saying what and how the plant was progressing.  But, it wasn’t until, while attending a monthly township meeting, that I found out that CEI was going around to all the townships of Presque Isle county and distributing copied versions of An Inconvenient Truth and telling the board members that they are just a small group interested in asking questions.  They did not share information stating that they have a lawyer and are fighting against the proposed plant.  In October 2007, Jean Veselenak, member of CEI had scheduled a global warming speech she was to give before the county Michigan Townships Association (MTA) meeting in Millersburg.  This attendees of this meeting would be representatives of each township in Presque Isle County.   When I heard about that, I called the chairperson and asked to speak as well.

To be continued……

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, Michigan, Part 2

Click here to read Part 1

The Citizens For Environmental Inquiry started as a group of five citizens of Presque Isle County who totally believed Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth.   They made it their mission to go out and spread the word about how America’s quest for excellence must be stopped, and how Rogers City’s progress must be forever shut down.   The first thing they did after they formed was send letters to the editor of The Advance casting dispersions against Wolverine Power and argue against sustainable power.    Under the guise of education and innocent prying, they went about turning inquiry to examination, investigation, and environmental activism.  They went from, “Hey, we just want to know what there is to know,” to filing lawsuits to demand the State of Michigan define CO2 as a pollutant and make the levels of allowable CO2 considerably less than any major progressive factory could match.  In short, and to borrow a popular phrase, they want Wolverine to fail.

In the July 6th, 2006 Advance, it was reported that Wolverine sent a bus of nearly 25 local citizens to their operations in Gaylord and Cadillac in an effort to help explain what could happen in Rogers City.  They explained that the proposed site in Rogers City could very well be a CFB (Circulating Fluidized Bed) technology plant that seems to be a perfect fit to the area.  CFB technology uses limestone to mix with coal in  a sort of boiling fluid.  “The limestone removes the sulfur and converts it into gypsum.” Advance 7/6/06

Now, if Wolverine needs limestone to make this plant a reality, it seems to me that Calcite’s title of “crushed and broken” by Businessweek may just turn around.  Additionally, if Wolverine does not have to pay to ship limestone from far away, the energy consumer wins.  Not only that, but during the process, gypsum is produced.

When gypsum is produced in this way, it is referred to as synthetic gypsum.  Synthetic gypsum is used in cement and through emerging technology, now is used for drywall.  The largest cement plant in the United States is LaFarge in Alpena, a 40 mile drive from Rogers City and has a deep sea port as well.  Here is an idea of how a company can sell  gypsum to create more products out of by-products.

On the Monday after that educational bus ride, the City Planning Commission approved the site plan presented by Wolverine.

It was the County’s Planning Commission that had to have a vote next.  In Part 1 of this series, I mentioned that the County Planning Commission held off it’s decision to grant Wolverine a special use permit.  A week after the City approved the site plan, the County granted the special use permit.  The reader should take note of two names on the County Planning Commission, Byron DeLong and Thomas Hackleroad.  They were the two no votes against the special use permit, and not coincidentally are two of the five members of Citizens for Environmental Inquiry.

What happened next was an editorial back and forth discussing the pros and cons of the idea of the plant.  The first, by the Shaftos from Ohio titled, “Consequences of power plant must be considered.”  The Shaftos argued that coal is dirty and releases pollutants and no one wants to live next to or visit an area with a dirty coal plant.  During the following weeks several citizens shot back at this opinion piece arguing that the Shaftos don’t live in the area, the ‘not-in-my-backyard’ mentality and the need for industry in the area.

This photo appeared in the Advance as the product of two wonderful residents, Paul and Ann Przybyla (pronounced Sha-bella) who operate an ultralight above the area, taking aerial shots.  Do you see that big white rectangular roof in the middle of the picture?  That is Mariners Mall.  Most of Mariners Mall is abandoned.  The long street to the side of the Mall is Third Street, more commonly referred to as main street, and is loaded with empty buildings.  The Rogers City High School just graduated 63 students last Sunday.  The town is often referred to as the “town that Calcite built.”

But times are tough for mining companies these days and Calcite is no exception. If Calcite fails, Rogers City will not exist for many reasons, the biggest is the taxes the company pays the area governments.

Wolverine plodded forward for the rest of 2006, naming an engineering and a consulting firm.

These pictures taken by the Przybyla’s show the south side residential area in November, 2006 and of the ice rink/baseball diamond also called “the hole” in December of that year, also on the south side.

In the beginning of 2006, Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan gave her state of the state address.  In one of the lines of her speech she said, “Tonight, I want to talk to the everyday people of Michigan, the people who built Michigan’s schools and churches, its little leagues and Kiwanis Clubs.  The people who power its economy and who only expect for themselves a fair opportunity to build a good life for their families.”  She also said, “As long as I am your Governor, no state will fight harder to keep our manufacturing jobs.”  In November of 2006, Michiganders appointed the Canadian born lawyer to another four years of State leadership.

To be continued……

The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, Michigan, Part 1

By Jennifer M. Kuznicki

Rogers City is a small town.   The  2000 census says there are about  3,300 people in the city limits.  You can look at the stats yourself , but basically the county’s population hasn’t changed much in one hundred years at about 14,400.

I moved here as a child of five when my parents chose to live a less hectic life here at home, rather than their fast-paced life in a fast-growing Brighton.  The town  has one major industry, now called Carmeuse Lime and Stone,  We just all call it Calcite.  It is a limestone quarry described as “crushed and broken” by Businessweek with a deep sea port on Lake Huron.  When I was a child, it was called the “Largest Limestone Quarry in The World,”  I don’t know if it still is.  Basically it is a huge hole, a man-made desert, where men blow down walls of rock using TNT, then use amazingly humongous loaders to load ginormous dump trucks that take the stone to the vast crusher to make small rocks out of big ones.  Why?  We don’t know.  Our limestone was once used to process steel.

The city of Rogers City has a newspaper that publishes once a week called The Advance.   It is a little annoying to read old news on Wednesday nights, (old news because the rumor mill is a lot faster,) but it is very accurate, professional and a great example of what newspapers should be.  I have spent some time at the local library to read past Advance’s  to refresh my memory of how Wolverine Power Company became a household name here.

In May 2006, Wolverine Power established itself as Wolverine Clean Energy Venture by securing an option to buy four hundred acres of desert from Calcite, (then owned by Oglebay Norton, or O-N.)  The idea of a coal-fired power plant here in Rogers City was a great shot in the arm for many, considering the county typically stalls at 12% unemployment, and 35% of the county’s workers

travel out of the county for work.  The buzz created by such an idea was tremendous.  With promises of 1000 jobs during the construction phase and 100 or more permanent jobs during operations, plus the unending opportunities of entrepreneurial offshoots, this was the biggest deal that ever came down the pike.  It seemed like such a perfect fit.  With our deep sea port on Lake Huron, already being used to ship rock to other states via the Great Lakes, one could just feel the boom when it may be one day possible to keep our sailors working steady carrying coal as well.   A Citizen’s Advisory Board was established shortly thereafter, to allow Wolverine a one on one conversation with a sampling of locals.  At this point, it cannot be more forcefully stated how much good will this possibility created, however short-lived.

The first salvo was fired by Bill Lewis.  Bill, unbeknownst to most people in the county, was a member of a newly-formed group called “Citizens For Environmental Inquiry.”   In a letter to the editor, Bill expressed his doubt on the scale of the drawing of the proposed plant that appeared in    the paper.  He was right, the first drawing, was tiny compared to a draft later sent to The Advance, but it is interesting to note that Bill was in favor of the plant, for the most part, unless there was any schmoozing or cover-ups or haste, (he entered these ideas into the conversation himself in one editorial.)

By the middle of June 2006, doubt started to seep into the leadership of the planning  commission.  In the June 23, 2006 issue of The Advance, the planning commission put on hold the special use permit sought by Wolverine to locate the plant on the property of O-N Minerals (now Carmeuse.)   The commission voted to put off the permit for thirty days to make sure they were not acting too hasty.

To be continued…..

Send Gitmo Prisoners to the U.P.?

I am livid about this stupid idea!! If you live in Michigan, you should be too!

It’s not just Stupak that wants this to happen, its my own Senator Jason Allen and our former Governor John Engler.

“Former Gov. John Engler, a Republican, also suggested the U.P. as a suitable location during a meeting with GOP legislators this month. He described it as an innovative way to attract federal money and reduce the state’s chronic budget deficit.”

Yippee, send the bastards to the UP to endanger the lives of our fellow Michiganders for money.

Here’s an idea, how about you elected Republicans in this beautiful state allow the Democrats to step on the upturned rake so the handle hits them in the face, rather than attempt to appear open-minded about their ideas?

This issue could have been used against Stupak in the future, but now, all he has to do is point out that he had “broad, bipartisan support.”

Sonia and Barry

In the President’s weekly radio address, he said this, “In fact, there has not been a nominee in several generations who has brought the depth of judicial experience to this job that she offers.”

He also said this, “There are, of course, some in Washington who are attempting to draw old battle lines and playing the usual political games, pulling a few comments out of context to paint a distorted picture of Judge Sotomayor’s record. But I am confident that these efforts will fail; because Judge Sotomayor’s seventeen-year record on the bench – hundreds of judicial decisions that every American can read for him or herself – speak far louder than any attack; her record makes clear that she is fair, unbiased, and dedicated to the rule of law. As a fellow judge on her court, appointed by Ronald Reagan, said recently,  ‘I don’t think I’d go as far as to classify her in one camp or another. I think she just deserves the classification of outstanding judge.’”

Where to begin?  Our President is a liar, simply put.  What he describes as fact is indeed, a lie.  There has not been a nominee in several generations?  What is that, 80-100 years?  Several generations?  And he specifically states her judicial experience.  The other side has no valid points right?  The people who have actually read her decisions and noted her temperament and overturned her rulings to the tune of 80% the time?

But what is the most striking is Obama’s attempt to misguide the American public on just who is playing politics and which quotes by Sotomayor should be on trial here.  When Obama says that the right is pulling a few comments out of context to paint a distorted picture, he doesn’t specify which comments he is speaking of.  Over the weekend the lazy press kept putting the comments up on the screen of when she said she would make a better decision than a white man.  But that’s not the meat and potatoes issue.  I mean, obviously that is a racist and sexist comment, but to me, the more bellicose statement was in 2005 at a panel discussion in Durham, North Carolina at Duke School of Law when she said, “All of the legal defense funds out there, they’re looking for people with Court of Appeals experience because it is — Court of Appeals is where policy is made.  And I know, and I know this is on tape, and I should never say that because we don’t make law, I know. (laughing) Okay, I know.  I know.  I’m not promoting it and I’m not advocating it.  I’m — you know. (laughing)”  This is the Constitutional fight we have on our hands, Ladies and Gents.  I seem to recall 20 years ago in my senior year of high school when I had to take Government class.  We all had to make a flow chart of how a bill becomes a law.   We also made posters of the three branches of government and were asked to memorize all of it.  If memory serves, and it always does, the Judiciary Branch is supposed to interpret, not make law or public policy.

I also have to say that the fact that the judge “appointed by Ronald Reagan” gives the reader or listener the impression that the “judge” shares the philosophy of Ronald  Reagan.  He doesn’t name the judge, he doesn’t provide us with anything but invokes the name of Ronald Reagan.  We don’t know anything about that judge, but we know plenty about Sotomayor and how her judicial philosophy and President Obama’s are one.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Washington D.C.
This week, I nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Court of Appeals to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring after nearly two decades on the Supreme Court. After reviewing many terrific candidates, I am certain that she is the right choice.  In fact, there has not been a nominee in several generations who has brought the depth of judicial experience to this job that she offers.

Judge Sotomayor’s career began when she served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York, prosecuting violent crimes in America’s largest city. After leaving the DA’s office, she became a litigator, representing clients in complex international legal disputes. She was appointed to the U.S. District Court, serving six years as a trial judge where she presided over hundreds of cases. And most recently, she has spent eleven years on the U.S. Court of Appeals, our nation’s second highest court, grappling with some of the most difficult constitutional and legal issues we face as a nation. She has more experience on the federal bench than any incoming Supreme Court Justice in the past 100 years.  Quite simply, Judge Sotomayor has a deep familiarity with our judicial system from almost every angle.

And her achievements are all the more impressive when you consider what she had to overcome in order to achieve them.  Judge Sotomayor grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx; her parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during the Second World War. Her father was a factory worker with a third grade education; when she was just nine years old, he passed away. Her mother worked six days a week as a nurse to provide for her and her brother, buying the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood and sending her children to Catholic school. That’s what made it possible for Judge Sotomayor to attend two of America’s leading universities, graduating at the top of her class at Princeton University, and studying at Yale Law School where she won a prestigious post as an editor of the school’s Law Journal.

These many years later, it was hard not to be moved by Judge Sotomayor’s mother, sitting in the front row at the White House, her eyes welling with tears, as her daughter – who had come so far, for whom she sacrificed so much – was nominated to the highest court in the land.

And this is what makes Judge Sotomayor so extraordinary. Even as she has reached the heights of her profession, she has never forgotten where she began. She has faced down barriers, overcome difficult odds, and lived the American dream. As a Justice of the Supreme Court, she will bring not only the experience acquired over the course of a brilliant legal career, but the wisdom accumulated over the course of an extraordinary journey – a journey defined by hard work, fierce intelligence, and the enduring faith that, in America, all things are possible.

It is her experience in life and her achievements in the legal profession that have earned Judge Sotomayor respect across party lines and ideological divides. She was originally named to the U.S. District Court by the first President Bush, a Republican.  She was appointed to the federal Court of Appeals by President Clinton, a Democrat.  She twice has been overwhelmingly confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  And I am gratified by the support for this nomination voiced by members of the legal community who represent views from across the political spectrum.

There are, of course, some in Washington who are attempting to draw old battle lines and playing the usual political games, pulling a few comments out of context to paint a distorted picture of Judge Sotomayor’s record. But I am confident that these efforts will fail; because Judge Sotomayor’s seventeen-year record on the bench – hundreds of judicial decisions that every American can read for him or herself – speak far louder than any attack; her record makes clear that she is fair, unbiased, and dedicated to the rule of law. As a fellow judge on her court, appointed by Ronald Reagan, said recently, “I don’t think I’d go as far as to classify her in one camp or another. I think she just deserves the classification of outstanding judge.”

Congress returns this week and I hope the confirmation process will begin without delay. No nominee should be seated without rigorous evaluation and hearing; I expect nothing less. But what I hope is that we can avoid the political posturing and ideological brinksmanship that has bogged down this process, and Congress, in the past. Judge Sotomayor ought to be on the bench when the Supreme Court decides what cases to hear this year and I’m calling on Democrats and Republicans to be thorough, and timely in dealing with this nomination.

As President, there are few responsibilities more serious or consequential than the naming of a Supreme Court Justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure.  They are charged with applying principles put to paper more than two centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time. And the impact of their decisions extends beyond an administration, but for generations to come.

This is a decision that I have not taken lightly and it is one that I am proud to have made. I know that Justice Sotomayor will serve this nation with distinction. And when she ascends those marble steps to assume her seat on the Supreme Court, bringing a lifetime of experience on and off the bench, America will have taken another important step toward realizing the ideal that is chiseled above its entrance: Equal justice under the law.

Thanks.