What a Fossil!

by: GreenJobs4MI

Wed Apr 07, 2010 at 16:25:57 PM EDT

I find it extremely amusing that David Joos, departing CEO of Consumers Energy and "Michigan's 2010 Fossil Fool of the Year" sees his title as an "unwarranted personal attack."  Not only does it show he's feeling the pressure from environmentalists calling for Consumers Energy to back off their folly of an investment-- a 930 megawatt coal plant proposed for Bay County, Michigan, it also clearly shows he doesn't understand that coal is a personal attack on all of us!

Read more about how coal is an attack on our wallets, our health, and on Michigan's clean energy future!

Coal is a personal attack on all of us.

It's an attack on our wallets-- coal will raise utility bills for all of Consumers Energy's customers.  In the Upper Peninsula, residents have recently been hit with energy bills that have increased at least 33% since a new coal plant was built in Wisconsin, the source of most of the U.P.'s power.  Instead of burdening ratepayers with high construction costs, expensive fuel, and the hefty cost of complying with environmental regulations, Consumers Energy should maximize energy efficiency, which puts the same amount of energy back on the grid for as little as 1/4 the cost of a new coal plant while creating value in homes and thousands of good-paying jobs across the state.

Coal is also a personal attack on the health of Michigan's residents and environment.  Air pollution from coal plants causes asthma, lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and other serious helath effects.  Mercury pollution from coal plants has infiltrated all of our lakes and streams, making our fish unsafe to eat.  Dangerous contaminants from coal ash waste like selenium and arsenic are already leaking from the state's existing ash storage sites, including the site of the proposed new Consumers plant.

Strong federal regulations regarding coal ash storage are expected to come out soon and will increase the cost of burning coal.  At the May 21st Consumers Energy shareholder annual meeting, a vote will be taken on a resolution that would require the company to account for how they plan to deal with the over 700,000 tons of coal ash waste they produce every year.  

Consumers Energy and David Joos say that environmentalists don't have the facts, but I say that the company just doesn't want to face the facts that pollution such as over 860 tons of particulate matter, 63 pounds of mercury, and over 7.5 million tons of CO2 make this proposed plant anything but clean.  Even if Consumers Energy retires five of its existing plants in an attempt to justify a need for new power, the proposed Bay County plant would create over 3 million additional tons of CO2 than those other plants combined!

And, it's terribly apparent after this week's coal mining disaster that coal is an attack on workers and those who live in communities devastated by damaging mining practices.  Though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took action last week against pollution from mountaintop removal mining, all types of coal mining still carry grave safety and environmental risks.

Coal's an attack on Michigan's clean energy future since every dollar spent on coal is one less dollar that could be used to grow our solar and wind industries and one less dollar spent on Michigan-made energy efficiency products like windows and appliances.  The proposed plant could end up costing more than $3.5 billion to install, according to Consumers Energy filings with the Michigan Public Service Commission. That's a whole lotta' dollars that should be supporting Michigan's emerging clean energy sector instead of old-school ideas like coal.

It's clear to me that coal is the wrong choice for Michigan. But, don't take my word for it!  Listen to the hundreds of students from campuses around the state who came out last week on Fossil Fools Day to call on Consumers Energy to move beyond coal.  These are the faces of the future.  Faces that want good-paying jobs in 21st century industries, not a fossilized state burdened with a legacy of high energy prices and coal plant pollution.