Observations: MDEQ/DNR presentation on Oil and Gas production in Michigan

May 1, 2013
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Last night (April 30th) I attended a public presentation in Troy on oil and gas production in Michigan put on by the DEQ and DNR. The presenters were Tom Hoane from the MDNR's Mineral Management Division and Harold Fitch, DEQ's Supervisor of Wells. Although the agencies tried to make it a general discussion on oil and gas, the presentation and most of the questions from the audience focused on the controversial topic of fracking….and it was clear the local police and the agencies were prepared for potential trouble as there were six conservation officers and three police cruisers in the parking lot.  (A clear difference from other DNR/DEQ presentations I've attended in the past!) Despite the controversial topic, decorum was maintained … [Read more...]

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Congress Extends Wind Energy Tax Credit

January 3, 2013
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     Late Wednesday night, President Obama signed a bill that, among other things, extended wind energy tax credits for one year.  The Wind Energy Production Tax Credit ("PTC") and other related tax credits will continue to apply to current projects and those commenced in 2013.  Wind energy projects comprised approximately 45% of all new electrical generating capacity in 2012.  This compares with about 30% for natural gas.  The threat of the expiration of these credits caused uncertainty in the market place and stymied new projects.  This is good news for the wind industry which has suffered from the political instability in Washington, D.C., as well as unstable market forces. … [Read more...]

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Kalamazoo River Oil Spill – Two Years Later

July 27, 2012
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Two years ago this week an oil pipeline owned by Canadian-based Enbridge oil company and operated by Enbridge Energy Partners ruptured spilling more than a million gallons of "dilbit" crude oil into the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Michigan.  ("Dilbit" is short for diluted bitumen. Bitumen is a thick, sticky form of crude that must be diluted with chemicals such as benzene to get it to flow through a pipeline.) The spill was one of the largest pipeline spills in U.S. history and some estimates put Enbridge's cleanup costs at nearly $1 billion. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) recently issued a scathing report on the events surrounding the spill (a summary of which can be accessed here) and the EPA hit … [Read more...]

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Greening the Army

April 13, 2012
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The Defense Department is no stranger to being on the forefront of advanced technology and its expertise was once again showcased with the recent opening of the Army's GSPEL (Ground Systems Power and Energy Laboratory) at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineer Center (TARDEC) in Warren this week. According to Army officials, GSPEL is an 8-in-1 lab designed to investigate and develop the next generation of power and energy systems for the Army, with a focus on what civilians would call "green energy" - technologies such as fuel cells, hybrid vehicles and energy storage. Why the focus on green energy?  According to information on the TARDEC website, 80% of the conveys in Afghanistan are ferrying fuel.  By converting to … [Read more...]

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Lending And Energy Efficiency – How Are They Related?

January 5, 2012
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Back in October when I was at the GreenBuild conference in Toronto I sat in on an interesting presentation headed up by Philip Henderson of the Natural Resources Defense Council regarding lending and energy efficiency. How do those two concepts relate you ask? Here's the premise: because energy costs can be a significant expenditure over the lifetime of a mortgage, the energy efficiency of a home can have a significant impact on a borrower's finances and should be factored in by the lender. According to Henderson, a homeowner's expenses are roughly broken down as follows: mortgage (35%), taxes (25%) and everything else (40%), with energy costs making up a large part of that. For example, the total energy costs for a $175,000 home over the … [Read more...]

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ENERGY STAR – New Guidelines for Homebuilders

December 13, 2011
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Since the EPA rolled out its ENERGY STAR Program for homes in 1995, 1.2 million new home received this designation. The designation is given to homes achieving established energy savings and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2012, the standards for this designation will be 15% more stringent than those homes built pursuant to the 2009 guidelines. The focus of the program is on stricter criteria for home sealing, insulation, window design, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and improved water moisture packages to protect roofs, walls and foundations. The Energy Star labeling will also be enhanced by an emphasis on the use of certified lighting and appliance. The ENERGY STAR labeling is granted after a third party verification … [Read more...]

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