Because this has been a pretty hot topic here, I thought a floor speech from 05-25-10 would be an interesting read. Because of Jen's work, many of us are quite familiar with the rejection by Granholm of jobs for Northern Michigan. The power plant is but one part of the bigger picture, of the systematic dis-assembly of Michigan's manufacturing infrastructure.
Jason Allen puts it on record here:
"I would like to express my personal disappointment in Governor Granholm and her administration's decision late last Friday to deny Wolverine Electric Co-operative's application for an air quality permit needed for its proposed power plant in Rogers City.
But I would be only a single voice expressing this displeasure.
Maybe I should be speaking on behalf of the hundreds of construction workers, engineers, suppliers and contractors who would find employment at the power plant construction project in an area of the state that has been experiencing near 20 percent unemployment levels.
But I'm certain that they also are letting the Governor and her administration know that they strongly disagree with her ill-advised action.
~ More below the fold ~
Maybe I should be speaking on behalf of the thousands of residents of Rogers City and northern Michigan and members and owners of the Wolverine Electric Co-op who have studied this plant and overwhelmingly supported it as a good neighbor and economic benefit to their community and cooperative.
But judging from the proactive campaign they undertook in support of the plant to urge Governor Granholm and her administration to approve the project I'm sure they have already effectively told her what they think.
In all likelihood, I should be speaking on behalf of the millions of residents of Michigan and the United States who believe that this state and nation's quest for energy independence will require investors and entrepreneurs to support a diversified mix of sources for electric generation.
The Rogers City plant would use advanced clean technology in burning coal to generate electricity. The project will include state of the art programs for carbon sequestration and has already been cited by the federal government as a demonstration location for this world class technology.
It would use control systems to make sure the plant was compliant with the environmental quality of Northern Michigan.
Governor Granholm - you did not just reject a needed source of electricity for future generations of Michigan residents, you told the nation that our state is closed for business."
Indeed.. Granholm seems to want the lights to go out for Michigan, figuratively and literally both.
