I thought the Governor's comments in the SoS about the potential for "$6 billion" investment by DTE and Consumers was a reference to their plans to build new coal plants. Her comments talk about alternative energy sources but the only big dollar proposals I've read about have been for the new coal plants. As I understand it, both companies are pushing for changes to the energy legislation so that they can have the assurances they want about the long-term flow of user dollars before they'll proceed with construction. So by their way of thinking, if we want the jobs and investment, energy policy has to be changed to benefit them. I think a good question for the Governor and for DTE and Consumers would be "How much of that $6 billion is being invested in wind farms and other renewable energy sources"? Otherwise, $6 billion will just get us a few very large, very non-renewable coal
plants:
"The Consumers Energy complex near Bay City will be the site of an 800-megawatt clean coal plant...The new plant at
the companyʼs Karn-Weadock complex is expected to cost more than $2
billion to construct. It should be up and running by 2015."
----- Original Message ----
From: David Holtz <dholtz@cleanwater.org>
To: enviro-mich <enviro-mich@great-lakes.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 2, 2008 9:36:44 AM
Subject: E-M:/ Where's Granholm on coal plants?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enviro-Mich
message
from
David
Holtz
<
dholtz@cleanwater.org>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mt.
Pleasant
Morning
Sun
columnist
lauds
the
governor's
clean
energy
plan,
but
wonders
why
she
is
silent
on
new
coal
proposed
plants.
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