Wolverine future uncertain on fourth anniversary of annoucement
Four years after what Rogers City mayor Beach Hall called at the time ?probably the most exciting news since Calcite arrived in Rogers City,? Wolverine Power?s proposed power plant still has not broken ground. The plant?s outlook today seems a far cry from the optimism shown in 2006, but company officials are not ready to throw in the towel on the project.
Wolverine officials have called this the ?best location for a power plant in the Midwest? and have poured millions of dollars into development, permits and plans. After scaling plans back from a 1,200-megawatt coal, petroleum coke and biomass plant into a 600-megawatt plant, Wolverine management and consultants have spoken at many public hearings, community updates and individually with many local residents. They have hired high profile consultants to file the proper paperwork with government agencies and consultants have been hired to project the economic benefits to the area.
Wolverine leaders have promised jobs?up to 2,000 construction jobs, 100 full-time jobs at the plant, once it is up and running, and hundreds of other jobs in related support industries. They have tried to answer questions of those with environmental concerns by constructing a trial windmill at Adams Point, working with experts from Northern Michigan University on biomass production and partnering with several national firms on a carbon sequestration project for the site.
They have worked with city and county officials to plan for the plant?s construction and the mass of workers who would swoop upon the area. They have even taken local government and community leaders to Louisiana to show them a power plant under construction and its impact on the community. An office on Erie Street in Rogers City has regular hours and an open door policy for anyone with questions.
Wolverine has secured permits from the state for a harbor expansion project at the Port of Calcite for up to two more 1,000-foot freighters and obtained a permit for a landfill for industrial waste products caused by the burning of fuel to power the plant. Before that, beginning in April 2005, Wolverine met with enthusiastic leaders from Carmeuse Lime & Stone who aided in the selection of the plant site in the Calcite quarry. Leadership from both companies agreed the working relationship between the two companies was a perfect match.
ALTHOUGH A FEW in the community have opposed Wolverine at many of the public meetings and letters to the editor, the public has been supportive of the company and the promise of jobs. Lately a group of supporters purchased several ads in downstate newspapers to pressure the governor to support the plant and recently the mayor appeared as a guest on Detroit radio station WJR.
?I would have, and many in the company would agree that four years ago we would have bet that by this time we would have been moving ground on the plant,? said Ken Bradstreet, director of communication and government affairs for Wolverine. He said Wolverine had anticipated getting the permit at least one year ago. When the permit was filed officials from the state estimated the process could take as little as 60 to 90 days, even though the state had not permitted a coal-fired power plant in 30 years. State officials clearly underestimated the complexity of the permitting processes and the politics surrounding coal-fired power plants. Although Wolverine didn?t think the process would take as little as 90 days, they didn?t anticipate the process lasting 1,000 days.
WOLVERINE OFFICIALS say they have done all they can do to file a well-qualified permit application. Now all they can do is wait. When asked Monday on the status of the air quality permit, Bob McCann spokesman for the DNRE was unsure of its status, but said a decision would be made. ?I?m hopeful we?re nearing the end, though I can?t say for sure when that decision will come. And yes, it?s my expectation there will be a decision made,? he said. Several elected officials, including state Senator Jason Allen (R-Traverse City), State Representative Andy Neumann (D-Alpena) and Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) all have publicly accused Gov. Jennifer Granholm of stalling the permit process.
Bradstreet said if a permit were to be issued tomorrow, Wolverine ?would do anything we could to defend it? against litigation certain to come from groups opposed to the plant. Since the May 2006 announcement, several situations have changed. Four years ago, Bradstreet said, obstacles like the added role of the Michigan Public Service Commission, (MPSC) after Gov. Granholm?s state of the state speech in 2009 and the long wait for a permit from the DNRE were not anticipated. The MPSC rendered a nonbinding opinion that the power plant was not needed in Rogers City and that another plant, proposed by Consumers Power in Essexville, would not be needed until 2022. In spite of the opinion, the DNRE approved Consumers? plant in December and promised a decision on W
?These things add up and we get the impression they don?t want to grant us a permit,? Bradstreet said. THE STATE OF the economy might be another factor working against Wolverine. Although the cooperative said its customers are using more energy, use of power for industrial uses has gone down in the past four years. Wolverine maintains it needs the added power generating capacity to serve the growing needs of its members and to fill a gap which will be created at the end of next year when a contract to purchase power runs out.
?The market has taken a different turn and right now time is not our friend,? Bradstreet said. ?We have to look out for what other options there are out there to best serve our members,? but added that Wolverine leaders have been doing that all along. Supporters of Wolverine hope construction will begin soon in the Calcite quarry. Those opposed will be happy to see the permit remain in limbo for another 1,000 days or more.