Rogers City Coal: Malfeasance?

Air permit denied!
I had long thought that when I finally read those words I would be filled with happiness and joy. The reality was that I cried.
And then I got really angry. Â
Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative’s air permit for its proposed coal plant in Rogers City was denied by the State of [...]

Learn the Business of Community Wind

My understanding of how best to grow renewable energy in Michigan-and across the country-keeps me climbing up some pretty steep learning curves. Katy has to listen to me complain, but I’m slowly getting the big picture.
One thing I’ve figured out: A very good way to really learn and understand the mechanics of installing renewables is [...]

Wolverine’s Trophy Hunt

The battle over the coal plant Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative wants to build in Rogers City has introduced me to many attorneys. For the most part, they’ve impressed me with their diligence and commitment to service.
Rodger Kershner, of Howard and Howard Barristers and Solicitors’ Royal Oak office, is one of those.
Some diligent digging by David [...]

MDEQ’s Non-Decision

I promised Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bob McCann that I would not describe his agency’s non-decision on the Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative’s air permit application for its proposed Rogers City coal plant as “kissing your sister,” so I won’t.
So, instead, the DEQ decision was like playing four quarters of rough football and having [...]

Ohio’s Big Lesson for Rogers City

The 109th coal plant proposal to be dropped in the last two year sure was a biggie. American Municipal Power’s proposal for a 960 megawatt power plant in Meigs County, Ohio was officially declared dead by the company on the day before Thanksgiving.
The AMP Ohio plant attracted a lot of attention over the last few [...]

Michigan’s Wind Power Problem

American Wind Energy Association members recently rung the closing bell at the NASDAQ Stock Exchange, where investors are bullish on wind power. Photo Courtesy NASDAQ.

I have owned and operated businesses for over 25 years, so I was really looking forward to attending the American Wind Energy Association conference on community wind development.
I [...]

Tolerances and TCL&P

What are your tolerances?
I found out something about mine recently, during a surreal moment that caught me way off guard. It happened while I was taking questions at a public information meeting about renewable energy and enjoying bringing the message about our great renewable energy potential.
From the back of the room a voice asked: “Do [...]

Almost a Jailbird

On October 30, 2009, I was almost arrested.  It happened like this:
“Tom, you will have to leave the property immediately or the prosecutor will issue a warrant for your arrest.”
By golly, that statement sure caught my attention, and, being a law abiding guy, I walked directly to my truck and left the property.
I had never [...]

Giving Yogi Berra FITs

“It was like deja-vu all over again!”
I never thought I would use baseball great Yogi Berra’s famous line to talk about a utility company’s bizarre claims.
But Tony Anderson, CEO of Cherryland Electric Cooperative, is forcing me. Mr. Anderson continues the Michigan Electric Co-op Association’s feeble attack on feed-in tariffs, this time with an unfounded editorial [...]

South Africa’s Carbon-Cutting Lesson

A few weeks ago I met a very interesting and inspiring man, who was in Elk Rapids for his 30th high school reunion.
Pieter Wesselink is from South Africa, but he’s also a product of the great Rotary Student Exchange program. His old Stateside classmates should be very proud of him: He’s working on the worldwide [...]

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