MONDAY MASHUP: Wood to Energy

The Great Lakes region receives 4 percent of its energy needs from biomass resources, according to a regional biomass energy program. But some estimates put the potential for biomass at 15 to 20 percent.

VIDEO: Partnership embodies Michigan’s green future

By Rachael Gleason and Thomas Morrisey
Jan. 22, 2010
One component of the green future that state officials want for Michigan is a partnership between Michigan State University and the Michigan Brewing Co. The Webberville craft brewery helps teach farmers, factory workers and entrepreneurs how to turn waste oils into useful fuel.

Freight trains pull their weight in energy savings

By Vince Bond Jr.
Jan. 12, 2010

LANSING, Mich. – The next time you’re stuck watching a seemingly endless train at a railroad crossing, look at it as a down payment on your next electricity bill. Whether freight trains are delivering coal to power plants in mid-Michigan or transporting iron ore in the Upper Peninsula, they still have what it takes to pull the economy forward, said Robert Chaprnka, president of the Michigan Railroads Association. Almost half of the nation’s electricity comes from coal and 70 percent of that is transported by rail, the association reports.

Special Report: Cleaning Coal

The Great Lakes states are home to 155 coal-fired power plants that discharge wastewater into local lakes and streams.  That wastewater can carry heavy metals and other dangerous contaminants, and has gone largely unregulated for the past 27 years.  Now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to step in with new rules to fend off environmental concerns. Join the Great Lakes Echo for a four-day series unpacking the problems with power plant wastewater in the Great Lakes. Day 1. Great Lakes states spotty on coal limits; some water contaminants ignored. Day 2.

Michigan mulls tax break for a fifth battery maker

By Jordan Travis
Dec. 11, 2009

LANSING, Mich. — Any Michigan business hoping to claim a fifth advanced battery manufacturing tax credit will have until March 31, 2010, if Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom, R-Norton Shores, gets his way. The lawmaker introduced a bill that would extend the deadline to apply for a credit of up to $25 million per year for four years. The bill, he said, was written with fortu PowerCell GmbH, a German battery manufacturing company, in mind.

Long commutes, high gas prices spur creation of more commuter lots

By Emily Lawler
Nov. 22, 2009

LANSING, Mich. – Look for more car pool lots in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the 2010 state road map. The state added four car pool lots in the Upper Peninsula this summer and fall as U.P. residents are becoming more interested in the option. “They have generally a longer travel distance between jobs, so there’s definitely a need for carpool lots in the U.P.,” said Niles Annelin, car pool lot coordinator for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Ethanol fuels debate; How about cars?

By Hyonhee Shin
Oct. 31, 2009

LANSING, Mich. — Ethanol is promoted as an eco-friendly tool to reduce air pollution because it can be made from common crops such as sugar cane, potato and corn. Is it the key to a renewable energy future? In Michigan, the number of gas stations selling E-85 — a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline — has risen from two in 2003 to 117 in 2008.  The state has five ethanol plants able to produce nearly 50 million gallons a year.

Power plant proposals narrowed

(MI) The Escanaba Daily Press – Proposals to buy Escanaba’s power plant and offers to sell energy to the city are under the microscope as city representatives looked deeper into details Wednesday. City administrators and members of city council and the Electrical Advisory Committee (EAC) met in a special joint meeting Wednesday to be updated on the proposals in greater depth. More

A Watershed Decision

(NY) The New York Times – The decision by the Chesapeake Energy Corporation not to drill for natural gas in New York City’s watershed is a smart and welcome move on the company’s part, and very good news for the 8.2 million New York City residents who depend on this environmentally sensitive region for their drinking water. The threat has not, however, disappeared. Chesapeake is believed to be the only leaseholder in the watershed, but its decision is voluntary and not binding on other oil and gas companies. New York State needs to adopt regulations that place the watershed permanently off limits, while imposing the strictest possible safeguards on drilling anywhere else where drinking water supplies might be affected. More

Gas Company Won’t Drill in New York Watershed

(NY) The New York Times – Bowing to intense public pressure, the Chesapeake Energy Corporation says it will not drill for natural gas within the upstate New York watershed, an environmentally sensitive region that supplies unfiltered water to nine million people. The reversal seems to signal a more conciliatory tone from the gas industry, which is facing mounting opposition in New York to its drilling practices. The decision also increases the pressure on state regulators to reverse their decision to allow drilling within the watershed. More