WPCAG discusses various issues in relation to the Wolverine Power Clean Energy Venture

The Wolverine Power Citizens Advisory Group (WPCAG) met recently in Rogers City to discuss various issues related to the power industry and the environment. A number of articles from local and national papers were shared by the members of the group. These articles are available on the WPCAG Yahoo group pages at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wpcag/. There was further group discussion on the issue of mercury in the air and water. All agreed that it is an important and emotional issue that should be addressed.

The members noted that the WPCAG should be open and accessible by inviting interested persons to its meetings and making the information discussed available to the public. A question that was posed in the meeting was: If a power plant is not built, what are we going to do? There is no ?Plan B.? We need a power source. People are depending on Wolverine Power to provide power, but when the current contract to purchase power expires in 2011, the cost to continue to purchase power long term would be prohibitive and would have to be passed on to the consumer.

The guest speaker at the meeting was Steve Swan, retired from the fisheries division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Swan helped develop salmon fishing in the Great Lakes. He is working with the development team of the Wolverine Power Clean Energy Venture with particular attention to what effect the facility would have on salmon. He brought the group up to date on what has affected the salmon and other fish since he left the DNR in 2000. He covered methods of stocking salmon, the zebra and quagga mussel, and the effects of other invasive species in Lake Huron and the rest of the Great Lakes.

Wolverine Power representative Ken Bradstreet informed the group that he would be attending the next meeting of the Presque Isle County Development Commission Thursday to provide an update on the project. The WPCAG meets the last Friday of each month.