Wolverine keeps lines of communication open in RC

Wolverine Power is willing and able to answer all questions about its proposed power plant, planned for construction in Calcite?s quarry, according to Wolverine president Eric Baker and company spokesman Ken Bradstreet. In town to speak at the Rogers City Chamber of Commerce annual banquet, Baker and Bradstreet stopped by Presque Isle Electric and Gas Coop in Onaway to offer an update on the project to The Advance. ?The reception we have been given is overwhelming and humbling,? Baker said. Baker said having Bradstreet represent Wolverine with regular office hours in Rogers City is important. Bradstreet, a former state representative from the Gaylord area, is a good fit with Wolverine, Baker said. ?Ken?s presence in Rogers City goes beyond being a point person,? Baker said.

BOTH SAID THAT a citizens group, which meets regularly in Rogers City, is a key to keeping the lines of communication open. ?It is a group of good people who ask good questions,? Bradstreet said. ?We want to hear what the community is thinking.? Bradstreet said a recent question that came up deal with location of the plant. A member of the group asked if the plant would be built below lake level. The plant will be 50-60 feet above lake level, Bradstreet said. Other topics discussed at the advisory group sessions have been the impact of a flood of workers on the school system, impact on the fishery, and the company?s long-term commitment to the area.

THE GROUP is encouraged to ask good questions, Bradstreet said. ?We have no fear of exchanging information,? he said. Baker said focus is now on assembling a technical team to work on designing the plant, a law firm to aid with the permitting process, and an environmental engineering firm. ?The challenge we face at Wolverine is knowing this is a long, arduous task to get to this process. We are asking for the community?s patience as we go through the process,? Baker said.

In May, Wolverine Power Cooperative announced it secured an option to purchase approximately 400 acres of previously mined land from O-N Minerals (Michigan) Company, a wholly owned

subsidiary of Oglebay Norton Company. Wolverine secured the option to evaluate the site for clean energy projects, which could include base load, and renewable generation for its member-cooperatives. Plans call for the co-op to investigate the feasibility of constructing a base load plant within the confines of the limestone quarry, with an access road off US-23 Business Route near Gilpin Field, and a 10-acre parcel south of the main docks for receiving and handling of waterborne solid fuels as was done in the past done in the past when coal-fired power was being generated at Calcite for the plant and the community.

THE MICHIGAN PUBLIC Service Commission (MPSC) called for the need for one or two new base load generating plants in a recent study. The MPSC said that demand for electricity grows each year, yet no new base load plants have been constructed in Michigan in 20 years. The state is a net importer of energy, dependent on other states. Baker said that realistically, the plant could open as soon as five years, but could take as long as 10 years, with the first two years spent in studies. Wolverine is a not-for-profit generation and transmission electric cooperative headquartered in Cadillac, Mich. Wolverine is owned by five member electric cooperatives: Cherryland Electric Cooperative, Grawn; Great Lakes Energy, Boyne City; HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Portland; Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, Onaway; and Wolverine Power Marketing Cooperative, Cadillac.