Michigan’s Gov. Granholm Moves to Promote Renewables, Limit Coal
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced a plan to limit coal power and promote more renewable energy in Michigan during her State of the State address. Granholm called for a 45 percent reduction in fossil fuels by 2020 in order to bring more innovation and jobs to Michigan.
ELPC Senior Attorney Faith Bugel is the lead counsel on the permit review for the Wolverine coal plant. Bugel wrote comments reviewing the flaws in the permit application and shared them with the Governor’s office. She cited failures at the federal, state and permit level, including the need to limit CO2 and fine particulates, and to seek cleaner alternatives according to the Michigan Environmental Protection Act.
“One month ago, we stood before the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and called upon Michigan officials to lead the state into the next century by demanding cleaner alternatives to coal power,” said Bugel. “We’re thrilled with the Governor’s announcement today. Michigan is ready to take action to protect the health of its citizens and to be a leader on global warming solutions.”
Read Greenwire’s article on the announcement.
Tags: Clean air, Coal Plants, Michigan, Renewable Energy
February 12th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I am curious what the states are doing with respect to programs to help homeowners and farmers re-insulate their homes/buildings. If you can shed some light on this for me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Have a great day.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:21 am
States are doing a lot to help but it really varies state by state. If someone qualifies as “low income” the state provides a lot more help and with do things like energy audits and weatherization. A lot of cities and states pass out simple DIY weatherization packages that include caulk (to fill in cracks), weather stripping (to use around door and window closures), and plastic sheeting that can seal whole windows. A lot of states like Minnesota and Wisconsin have much broader programs without eligibility limited to low income individuals that involve energy audits and weatherization (insulation, new windows, etc.).