BY TONY ANDERSON
----
---- — The "little guys" took a big hit recently when the Rogers City coal plant proposal was denied its clean air permit. Reliability and affordability are dependent on balancing a diverse energy portfolio (coal, wind, gas, etc.) Although it may be temporary, we lost a great chance of achieving both when the governor denied our permit.
Wolverine Power Cooperative, the energy supplier for Cherryland Electric Cooperative, was the driving force behind the proposed plant, which would have contained state-of-the-art emissions controls and been the start of replacing Michigan's 50-year-old fleet of plants.
Cherryland and Wolverine know a lot about clean energy. Together, we use the largest wind farm in Michigan. There are 32 huge turbines located in Michigan's thumb region. What we found out after two years of energy production is this: We only can count on the wind to produce reliable energy 28 percent of the time. The cost of green energy is almost three times the cost of coal-powered energy. Green may be clean but it not as reliable and not as cheap. If Cherryland were suddenly to stop using coal and go with 100 percent green energy, our members would have power about a quarter of the time they wanted it. And when they got their bills, their jaws would drop.
When Wolverine came up with a plan to build a new coal plant in Rogers City, we knew it wouldn't be cheap. But we knew in the long run it would provide its cooperative members with reliable power that would prove economical when compared to the sun and wind.
We also knew that the Rogers City site was ideal because it is located on the water and readily was accessible for coal shipments. We also knew it would generate jobs in the economically challenged east side of the state.
The way we figured it, this was a win-win for the member: reliable, affordable power and a chance to boost the lagging Michigan economy.
So why are some people celebrating the news that the clean air permit for the coal plant was turned down?
Good question.
The people opposing the coal plant want you to think that coal is not part of the energy solution. They don't want to believe that new coal technology is here.
It is.
They want you to believe that rates would skyrocket, even triple.
They won't.
In the last 20 years, our rates haven't gone up 20 percent, let alone 300 percent.
So while scare tactics might generate "sound-bite" attention, our members know us better than that.
They know that as a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we wouldn't allow rates to triple because any profit we make ends up back in the hands of the membership.
Cherryland has a proven record, a 72-year history of trust equity. We'll still be here providing reliable, affordable electricity when our critics have moved on to another cause in another community.
About the author: Tony Anderson is general manager of Cherryland Electric Cooperative in Grawn.
About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
