Legislative Update
Chamber Supports Karn-Weadock Power Plant
Bob VanDeventer, President and CEO of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce recently testified at a Public Hearing held by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) in strong support of Consumers Energy’s proposed power plant in Bay City.
The Great Lakes Bay Region is in a key position to attract the value chain in the alternative energy industry from the production of the raw material, polycrystalline silicone, to ingots, wafers and other manufacturing applications.
However, in order to attract manufacturers to this region and state, reliable, consistent base-load energy sources are needed. The proposed power plant at the Karn-Weadock site will not only provide the power to meet this region’s energy needs, but the new facility will replace nearly 50-year-old, outdated infrastructure with the latest technology, reducing carbon emissions significantly and providing more reliable base-load power in the process.
Besides providing reliable, adequate power for residents and business, the construction of this facility will provide nearly 1,800 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs in the region. Additionally, if approved, this facility will represent a more than $2 billion direct investment in The Great Lakes Bay Region and Michigan, and have a nearly $500 million direct and indirect impact at a time when we desperately need these base jobs.
The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce and its nearly 1000 members strongly support the approval of the air permit for the Karn-Weadock Power Plant.
Consumers Energy Responds to Support
Saginaw County Chamber Members and
Businesses in the Great Lakes Bay Region,
Thank you for your continued support for Consumers Energy’s proposed new clean coal plant at the Karn/Weadock Generating Complex in Hampton Township. I especially appreciate the fact that so many of you took time to attend the recent public hearings on the plant’s draft air permit and also provided written comments to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. We expect to get the final permit from the MDEQ in the fourth quarter of this year.
We took another step toward the final permit on June 5, when we submitted an analysis of power generation needs and alternatives to the MDEQ and Michigan Public Service Commission. The MDEQ requested that analysis as part of its review process of our environmental permit application and asked the MPSC to help it evaluate the analysis.
Our analysis found that a balanced portfolio of diverse energy resources – including the new 830-megawatt clean coal plant – is needed to meet the future power needs of our 1.8 million electric customers. In fact, the analysis showed that two-thirds of the projected energy resources needed to serve Consumers Energy customers through 2018 will be provided by new renewable energy sources plus peak load reductions from new energy efficiency and demand side management programs.
The MPSC has set a 30-day period for public comment on the company’s power generation needs and alternatives analysis. That comment period runs through July 5, 2009. The MDEQ also is accepting public comments on the analysis through Aug. 11, 2009. You may show your support again for the new clean coal plant – a $2 billion-plus private investment in the Great Lakes Bay Region that will create 1,800 good-paying skilled trades jobs – by taking a few minutes to write to the MDEQ.
Even if you previously supplied testimony or already wrote a letter, we would appreciate another expression of strong community support to the MDEQ. The critics of the plant already are taking advantage of these new public comment periods to re-state their opposition. Expressing your support to the MDEQ will have the most impact, since it is the lead agency in this process.
You may submit comments by going to
www.newgenmichigan.com Web site. Click on “Letter Builder” on the left and you will find step-by-step instructions. You may choose from a variety of messages to put in a letter or write one of your own. There also are sample letters and key facts about the need for the plant.
As our June 5 analysis shows, we need real power to energize Michigan’s economy. We detail our plan to leverage the environmental benefits of advanced clean coal technology and couple it with the development of new “green energy” resources to create jobs and help fuel the sustainable recovery that Michigan needs.
Thanks again for your continuing support of the new clean coal plant. Your support is a key factor in making this important investment in Michigan’s energy future become a reality.
Sincerely,
Dave Joos
Chief Executive Officer
Consumers Energy