Focus squarely on Wolverine permit, says DEQ after approving mid-Michigan plant

by Richard Lamb, Advance Editor

No news doesn?t necessarily mean bad news for supporters of the proposed Wolverine power plant in Rogers Township. Although the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) indicated a decision on the major permit for the 600-megawatt (MW) coal, petroleum coke and biomass power plant would be made by the end of December, the fact that another plant gained its permit first has nothing to do with Wolverine?s chances, says a DEQ spokesman. Robert McCann, DEQ spokesman, said Monday the permit for the Consumers Power plant proposed at Essexville was ?simply further along in the process? leading to the announcement of its approval last week.

On December 29, the DEQ approved Consumers Energy?s Permit to Install for a new 930-MW coal-fired boiler at the existing Karn-Weadock Generating Station in Essexville. A condition of the permit is the that Consumers will retire up to seven of their oldest coal plants reducing air emissions, including up to 32,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide.

?REVIEWING ANY permit application with this level of complexity is very resource intensive, and it is no great secret that our department has been facing diminishing resources from year-to-year. While our goal was to make a decision on both Consumers Energy?s application as well as Wolverine?s by the end of the year, we made a decision to focus our resources on ensuring we could complete one by the end of the year, our original target,? McCann said.

?Now that the Consumers? permit has been acted on, we can focus those same resources on completing the work on Wolverine?s application.? McCann said no deadline has been set for the Wolverine decision, only saying that the goal is to ?have the process finished early this year.?

LAST WEEK State Representative Andy Neumann (D-Alpena) questioned the decision by the DEQ to approve Consumers? air permit before granting one to Wolverine. ?I’m extremely disappointed that once again the Wolverine Power plant is being ignored,? Neumann said. ?The Wolverine plant would be cleaner and more efficient than most other plants in the state, if not the world. But this issue goes beyond that. This administration cannot continue to overlook this $2 billion investment that will bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to Michigan workers. The Wolverine Power plant would also bring in millions of new dollars to the state in revenue each year at a time when the state is desperately searching for ways to keep police and firefighters on the street and teachers in our classrooms. Now is a time for leadership, not for politics.?

Neumann said the Rogers City plant has faced several delays already. The air permit process was put on hold by order of Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, who directed the DEQ last January to deny air emissions permits for coal-fired plants if ?feasible and prudent alternatives? exist that better protect the state’s natural resources and to evaluate whether a ?reasonable electricity generation need exists? before approving construction of a new plant.

THE DIRECTIVE was overturned by the attorney general, who ruled that the governor exceeded her authority by essentially drafting new regulations without the approval of the legislature. ?It is truly laughable that the state even has an air quality permit process when they are so apt to ignore both science and their own standards and continually delay approving this permit,? Neumann said. ?By the state’s own standards the Wolverine Power plant should have been issued its permit months ago, yet the administration continues to kowtow to special interests and delay the approval of this plant. As Michigan looks to attract more jobs to this state, I am afraid this administration’s handling of Wolverine Power suggests that Michigan is closed for business.?

Staate senator Jason Allen (R-Traverse City) agreed that a positive decision should be made on Wolverine?s request. ?Wolverine and the residents of Rogers City have made a compelling argument in support of the DEQ issuing an air permit for the proposed electric generation plant in Presque Isle County,? Sen. Allen said.

?As Michigan becomes a center for advanced manufacturing of the next generation of automobiles, the state also has the opportunity to make a commitment to the next generation of clean and efficient electricity production. The Rogers City plant is an excellent example of being the right project in the right place at the right time.? Sen. Allen said the strong support from local government, business and labor organizations demonstrates that Wolverine is proceeding with a needed and welcomed project.

?The continued delay from the DEQ and Granholm administration in issuing the permit is unjustified and wrong. I am hopeful that upon examining all the facts in this application the state regulators will recognize that the Rogers City power plant is needed for meeting Michigan’s future power supply and the permit will be issued in a timely manner,? Sen. Allen said Monday.

REGARDLESS OF support or opposition to the project, DEQ spokesman McCann said nothing should be read into the fact that no decision has been made yet or the fact that Consumers went first. Wolverine applied for the air quality permit in September of 2007. ?The fact that we did not take action on the Wolverine permit application by the end of 2009 has no significance to what our ultimate decision will be on it. As always, we will make our decision based on what the science tells us as well as what the law allows for,? McCann said.

If DEQ were to deny the request for the permit, there is an appeals process. ?There is a legal process they could follow to challenge that decision, much like

there is a legal process someone could follow if they disagree with our decision to grant the permit for Consumers Energy,? McCann said. Statewide environmental groups have voiced their strong disapproval to the DEQ decision to grant the permit to Consumers.

MEANWHILE, A LOCAL group opposed to the power plant has court action upcoming. The Michigan Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear an argument from Citizens for Environmental Inquiry (CEI) on Wednesday morning (past press time). The case is CEI v. Department of Environmental Quality, Wolverine Power Supply, Consumers Energy and Mid-Michigan Energy.

Plaintiffs for CEI named in the suit include, Byron DeLong, Thomas Harkleroad, William Lewis, John Plath, Jean Veselenak and Charles Winters, through their attorney, Joseph P. Swallow. CEI maintains on appeal that Michigan law as it is presently constituted requires the DEQ to ?promulgate rules governing carbon dioxide as an air pollutant prior to the issuance of new clean air permits.? The trial court held that a regulatory decision by the DEQ electing to not promulgate rules governing carbon dioxide emissions prior to the issuance of new clean air permits is final and not subject to judicial review.

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