Area residents, government officials testify in support of Wolverine project

Angie Asam–Staff Writer

C. Vinson Hellwig, chief of the Air Quality Division of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), now faces a decision that could greatly shape the future of Presque Isle County. Tuesday at Constitution Hall in downtown Lansing, the DEQ held the final public hearing on the Wolverine Clean Energy venture for their air quality permit. The public comment period officially ended at midnight. Many arrived at the public comment session and with a room that would accommodate only about 80 people at a time, the session had to be cut into two segments. As people arrived they filled out public comment cards indicating if they wished to speak or simply wished to listen. The first 80 people were admitted to the room to give their comment and after about 90 minutes of commenting, some were asked to leave so that others could enter to give comment.

Marion Hart of the DEQ served as the hearing officer and was in charge of keeping things running smoothly while Hellwig listened patiently to the concerns of Michigan citizens. Each presenter was allotted five minutes to present. State Representative Andy Neumann of the 106th Congressional District spoke first. ?I have lived my whole life in northeast Michigan in Alpena and spent much of my youth in the Rogers City area. I know many of the struggles that the community and all of northeast Michigan has faced especially over the past two decades where we have had some of the highest unemployment rates across the state. As a matter of fact, Rogers City, or Presque Isle County had unemployment rates last winter of close to 20 percent. And most certainly this coming winter with our economy unemployment rates will probably reach the mid 20 percent range.?

?This proposed plant would be one of the cleanest in the United States it would also have the added advantage of burning up to 20 percent carbon neutral fuel by using locally produced biomass. This proposed plant by burning just 10 percent biomass would produce 350 critically needed permanent full time jobs. By burning 20 percent this plant would produce more than 500 jobs. This plant would also double the state equalization value of Presque Isle County. If we do not allow this plant, coal-fired plants will be permitted in other states, which are currently being built. And they will be in places that we are going to have to import our power from, places we are going to be sending our money to, places that are going to have the jobs we could have, places that are going to control this power source that we could control. I would hope the DEQ and the state of Michigan would allow this permit process and help move this forward,? said Neumann. Following Neumann was 103rd District State Representative Joel Sheltrown who serves Iosco, Missaukee, Ogemaw and Roscommon Counties where Homeworks Tri-County, a power cooperative supplied by Wolverine Power operates. He echoed Neumann?s statements that unemployment rates in Michigan are high, especially in northern Michigan, as well as the state?s need for new sources of power and added how efficient he feels Wolverine has been at providing power to his district.

He closed with this statement, ?There are some and I applaud them for their interest in becoming involved. But there are some that would wish that northern Michigan would remain pure, pristine and poor,? said Sheltrown. Rogers City mayor Beach Hall, city manager Mark Slown and chairman of the planning commission Del Conley spoke next about the wide support the project has received in the city and hoped the DEQ would consider that support in their decision making process. Other elected officials including chairman of the county board of commissioners Carl Altman and Rogers Township supervisor Ralph Kortman restated in support some of these same comments. 87th District State Representative Brian Calley also came forward later in the hearing, speaking again about Homeworks Tri-County cooperative and how non-profit electric co-ops have one goal, to provide power to their members. A steady stream of Saginaw-Chippewa Indian tribe leaders and members followed with their fear of what harm the plant would do to their ?Mother Earth? in opposition to the plant and the permit being granted. Lee Sprague of the Sierra Club discussed again, as he did in the Rogers City hearings, of the illness of his son and loss of his father to cancer. ?Michigan needs jobs now, we need shovel-ready jobs, these plants are future jobs,? said Sprague. A group of Traverse City residents appeared as a part of the ?Clean Energy Now? group talking about renewable resources being cheaper and cleaner sources of power. Some were teens, others adults who stepped to the podium voicing their concerns. Tom Karas of the Michigan Energy Alternatives project followed up on the comments he made at the public hearings held in Rogers City with his need to know how the DEQ came up with their economic numbers on the project and presented data and formulas he used to find his numbers.

Many Presque Isle County residents were also in attendance at the meeting including Denny Moran, Mike Centala, Bill Valentine, Betty Zimmer, Mike and Sally Eustice, Andy Centala, Claude Vogelheim, Jean and Joe Veselenak, and Bob and Janet Brietzke. ?I look around this room and see a lot of people I will see again, and a lot I won?t ever see again. If you didn?t walk here, and you don?t want to walk home, and don?t plan to move to Rogers City then this raising issues about a plant that would benefit us doesn?t seem to make sense,? said Andy Centala.

After the meeting, Ken Bradstreet, Director of Community and Development Affairs of Wolverine Power Cooperative, offered his thoughts on how the hearing went. ?The content of what was prese

nted today for the most part was very similar to the Rogers City hearings. The opposition comments at least didn?t seem to be anything new or unanticipated. Some of the support comments were a little more in depth. State Representatives Andy Neumann, Joel Sheltrown and Brian Calley all had very good comments from the perspective of what this would mean to the state and the northeast Lower Peninsula to have this kind of economic shot in the arm. Neumann really spelled that out in talking of unemployment levels in the area. I think his comments were right on point and were very important perspectives,? Bradstreet said.

The comments continued for several hours and following the conclusion of the open public hearing written public comment would be taken up until midnight when the Air Quality Division will begin to review the comment to make a decision on the permit. The DEQ has set no timetable for rendering its decision.