Wolverine leaders not fazed by ‘Cap amd Trade’ bill

by Richard Lamb, Advance Editor

The recent ?cap and trade? bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives does not discourage officials from Wolverine Power. Plans to construct a 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant are in no way slowed by a bill now before the U.S. Senate which proposes to set strict limits on emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. ?I don?t think we necessarily feel that it was a surprise, particularity in the House of Representatives, that passed a carbon bill, but what was a surprise to us was how close the vote was, particularly given the significant majority the Democrats enjoy in the U.S. House,? said Craig Borr, executive vice president of Wolverine.

Borr said the bill provides some degree of clarity in terms of the ?potential road map that might be there in the future.? ?It has been our expectation all along that CO2 emissions would be regulated either by the Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Congress,? Borr said. Borr said that there are a number of provisions in the 700-plus-page bill that encourage Wolverine.

?In the end we are maybe three innings into a nine-inning ballgame here. We have a lot

of game yet to be played. The fact is we now have some clarity from the House perspective as to what the future may entail,? Borr said. The use of biomass, and the work Wolverine has done on that front, is encouraging, Borr said. He also would expect several ?very old and very dirty? power plants to be retired as a result of this proposed legislation, which could be a good thing for the state. ?Not to belittle those plants, because they have been valuable resources, it is just the fact that they are 50 or more years old and sooner or later they do need to be retired. This bill could accelerate that,? Borr said.

?I am sure there will be a very deliberate and thorough process in the Senate before and if a vote is taken probably this fall,? Borr said. He expects a ?lot of ground will need to be covered,? before the bill could be signed in to law.

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