Jim Dulzo: Coke Habit Could Threaten Rogers City

	Wolverine Power Cooperative now wants to burn toxic petroleum coke in its proposed “Clean Energy Venture” power plant next to Rogers City.

We’re talking petroleum coke, the nasty, toxic, solidified sludge left behind after oil refineries crack off all the gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, and whatever else they can from crude.

It turns out that Wolverine Power Cooperative, which wants to build two 300 MW coal-burning power plant next to Rogers City, also plans to burn lots of petroleum coke there, too—part of its “Wolverine Clean Energy Venture.”

Environmental Law and Policy Center legal eagles discovered that big change while tracking the plant’s state air emissions permit application. ELPC and a several citizen groups, including the Institute, notified county officials in January, and the Presque Isle County Planning Commission is wrestling with the issue.

Petroleum coke contains many more toxic heavy metals than coal, presenting special transportation, storage, and water runoff problems—especially since Wolverine would store it near Lake Huron. It emits much more sulfur and nitrous oxides than coal when burned, presenting new air pollution control problems; it generates highly toxic ash, presenting still more transportation and burial problems—to the tune of about 180 semi-truckloads a day.

And it must be burned in a “circulating fluidized bed,” an old technology whose main advantage is that is can burn many things, not just coal.

Wolverine claims it’s been clear about burning petroleum coke ever since it asked—and so quickly received, without providing much information—a special use permit from the county two years ago. But there’s precious little evidence of that in the public record, and absolutely nothing about it in the permit, according to planning commissioner Bud DeLong. And there’s still nothing about burning pet coke on the company’s Web site, either.

On July 17, at the planning commission’s bi-monthly meeting, the Institute and the Michigan Energy Alternatives Project presented a power point explaining what pet coke really is and echoed Mr. DeLong’s point that the commissioners are unable to agree on what their special use permit actually allows. At least one commissioner thought pet coke was coal; and at least two said they have supported the idea based on unofficial meetings they had with Wolverine months ago.

After Mr. DeLong sharply reminded them on what the special use permit actually says, and after they were handed a second letter from ELPC, the Institute, and our Clean Energy Coalition allies about pet coke’s problems, the planning commission, by a one-vote margin, agreed that, before Wolverine can burn pet coke, it needs an amendment to its special use permit.

That means another public hearing and a chance to educate the community about the dangers of burning leftover toxic trash from oil refineries in a “Clean Energy Venture” that uses a technology that is famous mostly for being able to burn almost anything.

There is some speculation that the company will, instead of agreeing to a hearing, take the matter to the zoning appeals board or, perhaps, sue over the planning commission decision.

Public hearing or not, we will be at the next planning commission meeting, currently scheduled for the Presque Isle County Courthouse for Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m., with much more information about pet coke. We’re compiling the research now, and we’re finding out some pretty disturbing things about burning the oil companies’ cheap junk.

And we will continue to remind my Rogers City and Presque Isle County neighbors that there’s a path to a far more prosperous future that much of the country is already embracing–one that protects our tourist economy, our community’s health, Lake Huron, and our forests, inland lakes, and streams.

That path includes smart investments by Wolverine in money-saving home and business energy-efficiency measures instead of expensive new coal-based electricity, many dozens of wind turbines, acres of ever-cheaper solar panels, and growing and burning locally grown biomass–things that can be accomplished far more quickly than building a $1.5 billion coal plant, a project that will push electricity prices through the roof, with little benefit to county residents.

It’s a path that would trigger a jobs boom that would far surpass the job-making ability of any new coal plant anywhere in the world.

Jim Dulzo is the Michigan Land Use Institute’s managing editor. He’s spent summers at his family cottage in Presque Isle County since 1950. Reach him at jimdulzo@mlui.org.