MSU to pay for violating emission limits

MSU is giving a whole new meaning to the catch phrase “So green we’re gold.”

Our coal plant is in violation of the clean air act—-plain and simple. The solution is not to make us living in EL pay the real cost with our health and our environment.

MSU should stop burning coal: NOW!

Coal is a vital link in the power producing capabilities of this country. we can’t stop ‘now’. it will take decades to find and implement an economical and environmental solution. America had the chance to move away from coal in the 70’s and 80’s when we tried to make nuclear the base to our power producing capabilities…but you hippies didn’t want that either. you want nothing but wind, and sun, and rainbows, and buterflies…and that just won’t happen. if you knew anything about producing electricity you would understand why. that should be step one for all you anti-coal hippies…read a book. step two should be that you go and research France. France uses mostly all nuclear power. its cheap. its clean. and last I checked, France was rated the best place to live in the world…

How much would the local areas be paying for electricity if MSU shutdown the coal plant? I would assume their rates would increase as the demand in the local area would increase (MSU tapping into the East Lansing, Lansing areas) and the supply would decrease (shutting down the plant) but I could be wrong

Sara should stop using heat and electricity NOW.

Wether you live on campus or not, chances are 71% that you’re using coal for electricity.

I have to agree with the anti-hippy raving guy about one thing: nuclear is the way to go. According to my father who was an engineer and inspected plants for a living, nuclear energy is the cheapest (I think the unit is 2 cents per kilowatt but don’t quote me). It works as long as people don’t mess up and safety procedures are followed. I am not a fan of coal and I do agree with Sara that coal sucks, but I also wholeheartedly agree that nuclear plants are the way to go. The France example is pretty spot on too.

MSu Physical Plant did not let the public voice it’s opinion before they determined the course of “ corrective action” and did not consider the use of alternative energy sources as a means of solution. A 27,000 fine means nothing to the coal plant. It is probably cheaper for the plant to continue to violate the emissions. The public must hold the plant responsible for it’s violations and must make sure that they do not happen again. Nobody wants to shut down the coal plant. The coal plant just needs to stop burning coal and use biomass or natural gas both fuels that the equipt to use.

you should go research the neccesary steps to convert the msu power plant to natural gas. namely, the cost and regulations involved in a suitable pipeline to be built to supply the plant with said gas. I think you’ll see why msu will never be powered by natural gas. not to mention the extreme fluctuations in the price of natural gas.

“Nobody wants to shut down the coal plant.”

Bwhahahahahahaaaaa!!!

Nice one.

MSU is researching pelletization of biomass (a renewable, carbon-neutral) for co-firing with coal for reduced emissions. The coal plant at MSU could be a pilot-plant for that effort.

MSU physical Plant already burns some natural gas, in fact they used almost only natural gas a few years ago to power the whole campus

MSU already has made a choice to use Natural Gas over Coal because of price. The best part is that the public does not have to pay the health care costs of MSU burning coal in a dense urban population. MSU has done good things to save energy. However, those savings should be invested in renewable energy. I can tell you what the fuel delivery prices are for wind and solar-zero. Who would be against paying zero dollars for fuel. People who sell dirt coal for fuel, thats who. MSU can move beyond coal today if it wanted to.

Karen Zelt, an MSU Physical Plant Division spokeswoman, said the violation occurred when the plant bought “bad coal” and MSU has corrected the issue.

Ask MSU Prez Simon to have Karen Zelt compile a list of ‘good coal’ vendors, or maybe the fictional ‘clean coal’ vendors at advertising at the Olympics. Naw its probably easier for Karen to get a list of green leprechaun’s for St. Patricks Day.

After all, we’ve always been green…

MSU should take after the University of Michigan. Go Blue! my link

Zero dollars for wind and solar?

Go ahead and stick with that LIE.

The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, especially in Michigan. The cost per kWh of wind and solar is a multiple of that of coal, and is some of the most expensive energy you’ll every buy.

Just ask Austin residents who were conned by the “Green Choices” program.

Suckers.

@ Maximum Bob

“The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow.”

Point taken. But in typically in Michigan, when the sun doesn’t shine, the wind blows. When the wind doesn’t blow, the sun shines.

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have made solar and wind work. There is nothing to prevent us from pursuing the two as integral parts of our energy palette.

@MaximumBob

Btw, how do you figure the $Deca-Trillion price-tag of climate change figures into the cost of coal?

Do you take climate change seriously?

Deca-trillion price tag? Oh, are you referring to the cap & trade regulatory fees/penalties/taxes/etc that the enviros want to place on the coal industry so they generate enough revenue to play with their solar panels and windmills as well as making these alternative energies cost competitve with coal?

Be careful what you wish for… Changing the energy supply without a practical approach may result in exchanging your iPod for a Victrola.

In the meantime, stoke up the coal furnace. It’s cold out there! Darn climate change…

Mr. Hijak, Have you ever tried to sleep on a hot muggy night with no breeze blowing and your air conditioning won’t work because there’s no electricity being generated?

@Anthracite
As far as the $Deca-Trillion Price Tag… severe storms (e.g. Katrina), severe droughts (e.g. the past 7 years in eastern Australia), diseases (e.g. West Nile Virus), the collapse of biodiversity (currently 1000x the historic background rate) WILL cost the human race.

Btw, I agree, Cap and Trade is worthless. It prevents us from closing the oldest and dirtiest sub-standard power plants. In fact, MSU, being party to the Chicago Climate Exchange part-takes in such nonsense.

Fee and Dividend, an idea promoted by James Hansen, is far superior.

@Mr./Ms. wherethesundontshine
Notice I mentioned the two alternatives as “integral parts”. There are many more sunny days and windy day/nights than there are hot, muggy nights. But when your night does come around, you have the option of using anaerobic bacteria, algae, biomass, methane, tidal, geothermal, etc. The only place that is too dark and hot for wind and solar is the infernal regions.

I’ll tell you what: Use all the energy that you are wasting on protesting coal to develop an affordable, viable solution to coal. You know, something that works well enough that the cost of retrofitting EVERY COAL BURNING FACILITY in the country is justified by the savings.

I see a bunch of tree hugging hippies protesting something which they have no solution to. Some dumb b*tch was hanging out in the international center a few weeks ago, asking for signatures to protest MSU’s coal usage.

I said, “Oh, you guys have a viable, affordable alternative?”
She said yes, and then proceeded to spew a bunch of crap that would make the National Enquirer sound credible. She must not have realized that she was talking to someone who actually reads stuff, and has critical thinking skills.

I’ll tell you what: You hippies quit burning all that weed (You know, since burning stuff is NOT being green and all) and come up with a viable alternative. And hey, I’m not talking about something that you found on the ‘net, at the same website that is selling $20 plans to make your car run on water. I’m talking a real, cost effective, proven alternative here.

Quit wasting your time with pointless protests.

ALSO, @Hijak “The EU has made solar and wind work, blah blah blah.” NO, jackass. DO YOU KNOW what they have made work? NUCLEAR FREAKING POWER, man. That’s what we really need. Do you know where 80% of the solar/wind installations are in the world? Oh, well, they are split between the US and the EU.

Hahaha.

I like how you avoid the economic cost of climate change.

Your argument is that coal is affordable. How lovely. Do you take into account the fact that the federal government heavily subsidizes coal? Probably not. Ever read anything about the cost of climate change? It numbers in the tens of trillions of dollars. It WILL cost us far MORE than converting to wind, solar and other renewables. The question is, will we pay less now or will we pay much more later.

You write so emphatically about offering viable alternatives, but in a world of possibility, all you have is nuclear power. Where are we going to dump all that radioactive sludge again? Yucca Mountain? Yeah right, see if the Nevadan really go for that.

You take yourself as an adult with serious concerns, but in reality you are a degenerate. Next time, save your insults for the Hello Kitty chat room.

Ugh… I hate it when these damn environmentalists come around with all their “solutions” and try to make all these “improvements” in the name of social/ecological progress or “sustainability”… whatever the hell that means. I mean, our system works fine, right? If we threw out the clean air act and let them pump out as much sulfur dioxide as they wanted, it wouldn’t really cause that much acid rain to fall, right? And I don’t even like eating fish anyway, so all that mercury that goes into the great lakes is fine… just as long as it doesn’t make it into my drinking water. Temporary economic progress for energy companies is always more important than the long-term “sustainability” of our communities, so don’t try to tell me any different.

Now, don’t reply back to this because it won’t matter anyway… I’m going to stick my fingers in my ears and say “LALALALA!”

Hijak,
Yes. Global Warming/Climate Change/Whatevertheycallitnext is BULLSHIT.

Solar and wind are the most heavily subsidized energy sources out there. Far more than coal or nuclear. Yet, there’s almost no regulation of wind and solar (while nuclear and coal is the most heavily regulated). So, why do they need all these subsidies?

TO MAKE THEM WORK.
Without subsidies, wind and solar would be dead already. As it is, EVERY SINGLE wind or solar source is backed up by nuclear or coal, and will remain so.

I’ll trade coal for nuclear, but you’d have to be insane to put your faith in underperforming and unreliable wind or solar.