Obama the Dream-Sucker.
Yesterday, I listened to President Obama say these words.
Despite the progress we’ve made, many businesses are still skittish about hiring. Some are still digging themselves out of the losses they incurred over the past year. Many have figured out how to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers. And that cost-cutting has become embedded in their operations and in their culture. That may result in good profits, but it’s not translating into hiring and so that’s the question that we have to ask ourselves today: How do we get businesses to start hiring again?
From the perspective of an employee of a small business, I can’t tell you how cynical and dream-crushing your perspective is, Mr. President.
I don’t see how you can claim, sir, that your administration has made any progress, economy-wise. Here in Michigan, I’ve been told there were some stimulus jobs in the 83rd congressional district, however, there are only 15 districts in Michigan, and they number 1 through 15.
I don’t like to talk about myself as much as you do, but I’d like to share some of my experience to let you know what types of things you all are doing “in Washington that are inhibiting” me.
I was hired 4 years ago to do a highly-skilled job that I had no idea how to do. With the help of my fellow co-workers, I learned. I learned fast. It wasn’t long before I could see some ways of doing things at work to make the job simpler, and more effective. I became supervisor and was involved in the hiring process. I helped hire people who had the same amount of knowledge of the job as I did when I got hired. I am now helping them to become as successful as I have been.
I can’t tell you how many jobs I’ve had before this that I literally stared at the clock, waiting to go home-where I never did anything either. That’s not living, that is only existing.
You see, when you learn something, a skill or a piece of knowledge, you feel good about yourself. You say to yourself, “Wow, I did that. Maybe there are more things I don’t yet know I can do.”
When you know you are able to do something that you never thought you could, you start to think that what you have been dreaming about doesn’t just happen to lucky people, you start to think that those people who have reached their dreams worked at it, and learned as much as they could to achieve them.
Those people become entrepreneurs, small businessmen and businesswomen.
Every person has a dream of what they really want to do. Some dreams become nothing because of the lack of work involved in making them come true. In Michigan, I believe the back-breaking amount of work involved in holding one’s dream is a direct result of the “inhibiting” effects of Michigan’s current administration and your administration.
Sir, why would any small business person hire someone to do nothing? After they worked so hard to take the chance to reach their dreams, why would they disrespect another human being in such a manner? Who would say to an applicant, “Look, don’t try to get ahead in life, sure I did it, but you can’t.” Not me, never ever.
It takes hard work to reach your dreams, it takes a non-productive existence to suck them away.
For the small business owner out there, I have a few questions that I’d like to ask you to answer in the form of a comment.
Questions:
What do you think are the major contributors, specifically, to the past year’s loss in sales and/or revenue?
Do you believe intrusive government is slowing your recovery? If so, how?
Do you believe the current administration has made progress in the economy?
Are you cutting costs on your workers? If so, how has that resulted in good profits?
When do you plan to hire, and, what needs to happen so you can hire again?
The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 20
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. CO2 capture 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
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.”
The Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant in Rogers City, MI Part 6
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
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 3
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
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 aspersions 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……
“Generation Checks”
We took my son out to eat for his birthday. When the bill came, I told him to pay using his birthday money. Get used to it kid.
