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