by jboullion | Dec 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jake Miller in the Wausau Daily Herald:
ROTHSCHILD — Union leaders, village officials and small business owners were among the overwhelming majority who spoke Tuesday in favor of a proposed — and highly debated — biomass plant.
Only four of the 43 speakers opposed the plant during the first of two public hearings held by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, which will assess the comments when deciding whether it will approve the project in mid-January, said Administrative Law Judge Michael Newmark.
We Energies and Domtar first proposed the plant, which will burn a woody biomass as fuel, in September 2009. It has been at the center of public debate for nearly as long.
At the afternoon hearing attended by about 200 people — another hearing was held Tuesday evening — supporters continued to argue that the biomass plant is critical to keep Domtar competitive and that it will create both temporary and permanent jobs.
Opponents stood strong, saying the plant, which is expected to burn 500,000 tons of biomass each year, will adversely affect air quality despite We Energies data that say emissions would be cut by 30 percent.
Jeff Morzenti, an employee at the Domtar Mill in Rothschild for more than 25 years, said he is one of those responsible for monitoring what exits the mill’s smoke stacks.
Not just as an employee, but as a longtime resident of Weston, the 51-year-old Morzenti said he wouldn’t support the plant if he didn’t believe it was safe.
by jboullion | Nov 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a column by Francisco Enriquez in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A cloud of soot engulfed Milwaukee recently, with particle pollution levels so high that the Department of Natural Resources issued four days of advisories and watches that warned children, older adults and people with asthma, bronchitis and heart or lung disease to pay close attention to their symptoms. On days when air pollution levels are high, more people suffer from more frequent, more severe and more deadly asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes.
As a pediatrician on the near south side of Milwaukee, I am deeply concerned about the effects of breathing polluted air. Some of my patients’ medical conditions get much worse when they are exposed to an environment that is loaded with irritants and noxious chemicals. Access to health care and medication can lead to improvement, but if they are to heal, then cleaning our polluted environment is paramount.
Where does this pollution come from? In Milwaukee, We Energies’ Valley power plant, operating without modern pollution controls, is the single largest source of particle pollutants. Sitting in the Menomonee Valley among some of the most densely populated communities in the state, the stacks are neighbors to some 24,000 people who live within a mile of the plant. The pollution from the plant contributes to violations of health standards that are set to protect public health. Cleanup of the Valley coal plant is long overdue.
by jboullion | Nov 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Xcel Energy Inc. on Monday halted plans to build a biomass power plant on Lake Superior in Ashland.
The utility holding company’s Eau Claire-based utility informed the state Public Service Commission of its decision in a letter Monday.
Xcel had planned to build a biomass gasification plant that would have made the Ashland power plant the largest wood-burning power plant in the Midwest.
The decision came as a result of a significant increase in the cost of the project, as well as declining costs for other generation options. The utility also cited “considerable regulatory uncertainty at the state and federal level.”
The announcement was made one day before the start of Public Service Commission hearings on a separate biomass power plant, proposed by Milwaukee-based We Energies to be built at the Domtar paper mill in Rothschild.
The timing of the announcement was coincidental and not linked to the We Energies proposal, said David Donovan, Xcel manager of regulatory policy.
“Although we are disappointed with the outcome, we have gained considerable value from the evaluation that we have completed,” said Mike Swenson, president and chief executive of NSP-Wisconsin, a unit of Xcel Energy, in a statement.
“The engineering studies will advance gasifier technologies for utility applications and our efforts to procure sustainable biomass supplies have resulted in a model that can be adopted in future projects,” Swenson said. “In addition, as part of this project we helped fund the development of two biomass energy plantations in northern Wisconsin, which will provide valuable research and study opportunities for decades to come.”
Those plantations are testing the development of hybrid poplar and black willow trees for harvesting and burning at the power plant.
by jboullion | Nov 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Steve Schultze of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
$800,000 in energy saving has been realized from efficiency program
Milwaukee County has reaped some $800,000 in energy saving from its “green print” environmental program, as well as millions of gallons of water and gasoline saved through more efficient plumbing, cars and trucks.
Though slow to adopt “green” efficiencies, the county jump-started its efforts once a half-time sustainability director was assigned to monitor the program in early 2009. Since then, the courthouse complex and more than 50 other county buildings either have undergone energy audits or soon will.
Lighting, heating, cooling and other upgrades enabled the saving, though it’s applied to upfront costs of some $10 million. In theory, after eight years the costs through contracts with private vendors will be covered, and savings will go to the county’s bottom line.
“I’m happy with the successes we’ve had with the resources we’ve been given,” said Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, who pushed for the program’s creation in 2007. She said more could be done if the county would add more staff time to the effort.
It took more than a year to designate a green print coordinator, with the county’s budget problems hindering the initiative.
“By having small changes all over the place, we’ll have a very huge result,” said Dimitrijevic.
by jboullion | Nov 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
As a new administration prepares to take office in Madison, with a different attitude toward renewable energy than the Doyle administration, We Energies is pressing forward with plans to build a wood-burning power plant in north-central Wisconsin.
The state Public Service Commission will hold a hearing on the project this week, with a decision expected early in 2011.
Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, the cost of the project and even competition for biomass are all being reviewed as the proposal makes its way through the state approval process.
We Energies is optimistic, as it has won all the local approvals it needs from officials for the Village of Rothschild and the Village of Weston, utility spokesman Brian Manthey said.
“We believe we’ve answered every question that has come up, and we are pleased that we’ve gotten unanimous support from the municipal boards for the project,” he said. “We’ll continue to supply the information needed to move the project forward at the state level.”
The $255 million project at the Domtar Corp. paper mill in Rothschild, south of Wausau, would generate 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 40,000 typical homes. It also would provide steam for the Domtar mill. . . .
The $255 million cost of the Domtar project is also raising concerns.
An analysis by auditors at the PSC found that building a wind farm would be less expensive for customers than building this project. The commission suggested that We Energies explore the possibility of burning wood in conjunction with coal at some of its existing coal-fired power plants, such as its older coal plant in Oak Creek.
An estimate by the customer group Citizens’ Utility Board found the plant would be twice as expensive as a similar-sized wind farm, executive director Charlie Higley said.
While the cost may be higher, We Energies said the utility wants to diversify its renewable energy sources beyond wind. And unlike wind and solar projects, biomass power plants have the added benefit of being able to run round the clock.
In addition, Allan Mihm, We Energies director of generation projects, said the project is more efficient because it’s supplying electricity and steam. It would cost the utility $20 million more to build a power plant separate from the paper mill, he said.
by jboullion | Nov 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Joe Lanane in The Daily Reporter:
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host a pair of public meetings on the proposed high-speed rail line from Milwaukee to Minneapolis-St. Paul despite assurances from Gov.-elect Scott Walker that he will kill the project in Wisconsin.
Since March, MnDOT has studied the environmental impact of possible routes between the two cities. During the two open houses, agency officials will provide updates and seek public input on their findings. . . .
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which partnered with MnDOT on the study, will host its own public meeting in La Crosse to discuss the extended portion of the proposed rail from Madison to the Twin Cities. The hearing will take place 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at the La Crosse Best Western Riverfront hotel.
by jboullion | Nov 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Pat Eggert in The Dunn County News:
A lot is going on in sustainability here, and 50 local residents gathered Thursday at the First Congregational UCC Church in Menomonie to learn more about what is happening.
Linda Walsh, member of the steering committee of Sustainable Dunn, introduced panelists from the city, county and UW-Stout who reported on recent efforts.
“I think that sustainability is the most important area in which we participate,” Dunn County Board chair Steve Rasmussen told the group. “The County Board endorses sustainability, engages in it and tasked our staff to come up with a sustainability action plan. It was one of my priorities when I was first elected chair.”
“We’re very fortunate that the County Board has supported us,” Dunn County Planner Bob Colson told the group.
Plan of action
Some of the elements of the county plan are an eco-county resolution, a sustainability action plan charter, and a sustainability action plan, Colson said. The county approach has been to complete an internal process first.
An action plan, adopted in February of 2010, covers purchasing, energy, education and public policies.
by jboullion | Nov 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission:
MADISON — The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (Commission) will hold public hearings in Rothschild on Wisconsin Electric Power Company’s (WEPCO, doing business as We Energies) application to construct a Biomass-Fired, Cogeneration Facility in the village of Rothschild, Marathon County, Wisconsin. The public hearings will be held Tuesday, November 30, 2010, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, Crystal 1 Room at 1000 Imperial Avenue in Rothschild. Administrative Law Judge Michael Newmark will preside over the hearings.
We Energies filed an application with the Commission on March 10, 2010 for approval to build and operate a 50 megawatt, Biomass-Fired, Cogeneration Facility in the Village of Rothschild.
Prior to acting on the application, the Commission will seek and consider public comments.
Public comments offered at the public hearings on the proposed biomass plant will be included in the record the Commission will review to make a decision. Attendees at each hearing will be able to provide testimony to the Administrative Law Judge presiding at the hearing. Citizens are encouraged to attend. If you cannot attend the public hearings, but would like to provide comments, you can do so on the PSC’s website through November 30, 2010. Click on the Public Comments button on the PSC’s homepage and click on the case title.
by jboullion | Nov 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Daykin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
About 200 people attended a Saturday rally at Milwaukee’s Amtrak-Greyhound station, asking Governor-elect Scott Walker to back off his pledge to cancel contracts for a planned Milwaukee-to-Madison passenger rail line.
Rally speakers said the rail service would create badly need jobs, provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to driving, and link Milwaukee and Madison to a national rail network that includes Chicago – and eventually Minneapolis.
Without that link, said state Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee), Wisconsin “will be isolated from the rest of the national rail network.”
The rally, organized by the Sierra Club and other groups, was part of a statewide action that included rallies in Madison, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Oshkosh and Watertown.
Milwaukee rally organizers asked the crowd to write or call Walker.
Walker says the estimated annual costs to state taxpayers of operating the train, $7.5 million once fare revenue is subtracted, would be too high for an underused and unneeded service.
by jboullion | Nov 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kevin Murphy in the Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, Iowa:
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Pioneer Farm at University of Wisconsin-Platteville touts itself as a state-of-the-art agricultural research facility. However, it’s been lacking renewable energy systems that have become an increasing area of importance in agribusiness.
That changed Wednesday when the State Building Commission approved a $1.18 million bio-energy project that will produce about 7.5 percent of the campus’ electricity needs from the university’s 160-head dairy herd.
Anaerobic digesters, which turn manure into methane used to generate electrical power, typically need 600 cows to reach a break-even point. The Pioneer Farm digester will show that process can be economically feasible on a much smaller scale.
The farm will test other organic material in the digester such as cheese whey, food waste and byproducts from biodiesel processing to determine if they adequately supplement manure in the production of biogas.
Pioneer Farm currently buys all its energy from local utilities, but its master plan considers using power from renewable sources, including wind and solar. However, the intent of the digester project is to install a system compatible with the farm it serves.
“A unique aspect of the project is demonstrating a renewable energy system that is highly integrated into the current farming system with little modification to current livestock cropping and manure management practices,” according to the information supplied to the commission.
The system should save the farm $73,400 in annual energy costs and have a 14-year payback period. That is within the state’s energy-efficiency program that seeks a 16- to 20-year payback period for major projects.
