Lawmakers are working to update Michigan’s 8-year-old energy law to account for aging coal plants, new environmental standards and ever-changing technology. Over the course of the last year, both the Senate and the House released energy reform bills that were passed by their respective committees. These packages are the product of hundreds of hours of dialog and testimony from environmental groups, business owners, utilities [...]
When new energy regulations were passed, an important and potentially influential renewable energy source was overlooked - geothermal. Geothermal heating and cooling systems (which bring in heat from the ground or conduct it back into the earth) currently have a tax credit, which allows more businesses and homeowners to purchase them. Why should more home and business owners install geothermal systems? Electric capacity – [...]
Thumb Electric Cooperative (TEC), held its 79th Annual Meeting and Member Appreciation Day on June 11. About 500 people attended, which was highlighted by the election of three directors and entertainment activities. Re-elected were Randall Dhyse (Huron County), Louis Wenzlaff (Tuscola County), and Kim Nunn (Sanilac County). Officers re-elected are Louis Wenzlaff, president; Donald Wolschleger, vice-president; Beth McDonald, secretary; and Randall Dhyse, treasurer. General [...]
Mother Nature tried to foil Team Midwest with threats of storms, but in the end Team Midwest took Cassopolis by storm in this week’s Changing the Landscape Day of Service. On Wednesday, the entire southwest Michigan family of Midwest Energy Cooperative, Midwest Propane and Midwest Connections employees came together in an unprecedented day of community service across Cassopolis and surrounding communities. Nearly 90 employees [...]
Everybody loves food. It nourishes, delights and unites us. Perhaps that’s why the members’ recipe feature in Michigan Country Lines has been a favorite for decades. “To build on that strength we launched MI Co-op Kitchen- an interactive digital cooking community exclusively for Michigan co-op members,” explains Casey Clark, director of communications and marketing at MECA. MI Co-op Kitchen launched on May 7, 2016 [...]
The Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) and Great Lakes Energy Cooperative have launched a special project to explore options for the future of the Great Lakes Energy Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program. “Great Lakes Energy has been providing quality instruction and leadership in our apprenticeship lineman program for more than two decades,” said Craig Borr, MECA CEO. “However, because of the resources necessary to [...]
The Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE) is a political action committee for electric cooperative member-consumers who support safe, reliable, affordable energy. Together, we advocate for responsible energy policies in Washington, D.C. and Lansing. “I don’t need to explain the legislative challenges our program faces in the future,” says Tony Anderson, Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO and Michigan’s NRECA Director. “We have a history of [...]
Michigan has put its efforts to comply with new federal carbon rules on hold until the courts decide the future of the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Under the CPP, Michigan is required to cut emissions by 31 percent by 2030. Before the U.S. Supreme Court called “time out” on the CPP, Michigan was required to submit a plan to the EPA detailing how it [...]
A stunning decision by the U.S. Supreme Court called ‘time out’ on the enforcement of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) until legal challenges are resolved. The main question that must be answered is whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even has the legal authority to impose these regulatory requirements on existing power plants under Section 111(d) in the first place. Last August the EPA [...]
Unlike other states, there is no question as to whether or not Michigan will attempt to meet the Clean Power Plan’s aggressive targets for carbon dioxide emissions reductions from power plants. We will. The question the state is currently wrestling with is, “How will we do it?” The Timeline By September 2016 Michigan must show that we are on a path to developing a [...]
