Twenty five states have requirements that more electricity is to come from renewable sources. Michigan is not one of them, but Governor Granholm would like Michigan to be come the 26th state. Unfortunately she has faced a very partisan legislature, which has stymied her every move. According to an article in the Sunday March 9, 2008 Free Press
Some Republican lawmakers are reluctant to mandate green power.The majority of Michigan's power is coal generated (60%)and new electricity sources are needed. According to the article:
No matter which fuel is used to generate electricity, costs are going to go up because state regulators say Michigan needs at least one new multibillion-dollar power plant by 2015, and another nine could be needed by 2025 if demand grows as expected.Granholm believes that Michigan has the potential to become a regional manufacturer of renewable energy sources - something that would bring in much needed capital ($6 Billion) and create 17,000 jobs.
The problem is that it will cost consumers more to move toward renewable energy. The House is considering capping resident's additional costs at $3 monthly over 20 years.
Granholm wants to require power companies to produce 10% of electric power by 2015, and 25% by 2025. Currently, about 3% of Michigan's electricity is renewable.
So should Michigan become a "green power" state? Is this important for our economy? Is there a future is a renewable economy? And....do we need to continue to grow our use of electricity, or should we learn to conserve power, rather than continue to grow in its use? The US consumes almost a third of world power, but is only 4% of the total population.
17 comments:
Ideally not any one country should be consuming almost 1/3 of the worlds power, so shouldn't it be that country's responsibility to at least create the most power? Since the U.S. isn't going to cut back on its energy usage, then it is a great idea to make the states create mandatory "green" energy sources, and without a doubt Michigan shold jump on board. Given the water and climate of Michigan with effects of global warming, Michigan may one day be an extremely populated area, in need of great amounts of energy.
It would be great if we could simply cut back on the use of all energy resources but in my opinion, short of some miraculous discoveries, this will not happen, certainly not in our lifetimes. Really, I see no reason that renewable energy will not be a profitable future for Michigan, the U.S. and much of the world, and there is no reason not to support the creation of more "green" resources.
With all the water that the Great Lakes region has, Michigan needs to use it to help off set the high and increasing energy costs of the times. The move towards green alone should increase more jobs in the state. And I have a feeling that many of the people in the South will eventually be coming back to Michigan once they experience how severe a drought can be, so that is more reason for the State of Michigan to get on the green bandwagon. I feel that it would be easier to do something slowly, than to be forced to do it all at once, by mandates.
Charlene Dew
Geog 320 Tues
There's so many ways we can cut down on our energy use that arn't being addressed. You know those little red lights that are on our computers, cellphone, alarm clocks, and pretty much every electrical device - those little red lights that don't do anything besides let us know that the device is on and working. I read an article that said 10% of our national energy use goes into lighting those little red dots that don't really do anything at all. That is embarrassing. Asking us to become a leader in renewable energy is like asking a toddler to drive a car. We need to reevaluate and learn how to use the energy we produce efficiently and effectively before anything else.
Kyle Kurtzal, Geog 320
Josh Drozdowski-
Michigan should definitely take the legislative steps necessary to increase the prevalence and productivity of renewabel energy sources in this state. Renewable and clean energy does not seem to be a fad and the more money and effort that is put into its use and research, the further the costs will go over time. Also if Michigan can become a moajor regional producer of green power that could create many much needed jobs for its citizens as well as revenue for the state, coming from its exporting power to other states.
Ideally there would be a bright future for alternative energy, but how bright is up to the decision makers and citizens of this country. For Michigan coal is a cheap and abundant energy resource that is easily used as a cruch in depressed economic times. We as a society should also learn to conserve power. The rate of consumption of power as a nation is ridiculous and we are all to blame at least a little.
I fully believe that Michigan goes need to take action and go green. Our economy is going down the tubes right now and has been for a while. Thousands of people are out jobs and would jump at the chance of a new job. The more that is invested into going green, the more jobs that will be created. And when people have jobs, they spend more money, which boosts the economy.
In time, I think that a lot more people will be moving to or back to Michigan. We have such a great source of water and other resources that many places don't have. With a possible increase in people, we are going to need a lot more power. But, if we start finding alternative energy resources, there won't be a problem in supplying power and the environment would not be negatively affected.
Since this class has started, I have began to look at ways that I can reduce the amount of energy and water that I use. Just think if we all did this, what a huge difference it would make.
-Chelsey Kasper GEOG 320
I like the idea of states setting new goals towards renewable energy sources. It is going to be very funny when the source of the newly established energy is controlled by the same country and entity that has a strong hold on the oil market now. I think that one of the problems in each state setting mandates is that until the country as a whole sets the goals then we will never produce the masses of efficient and abundant renewable energy sources available. Different parts of the country are best suited for certain sources of energy. With each state running rampant with their own projects will may be in actuality reducing the effectiveness of this new technology. Not saying that everyone doesn't have a source of each type of renewable, but that worldwide cordination would be a better judge of the scale needed. I hate to sound like a broken record but as you see in the article until the politicians see that the saving the environment can serve as more than a campaign slogan for votes then I see no progress being made and Granholm continuing to speak to deaf ears at the steps of Congress.
I think Micigan should become a "green power" state. The article says that by creating renewable energies, 17,000 jobs could be created. These days, people living in Michigan are losing their jobs. If Granholm really focus with the renewable sources, it would help those people.
Also, other than adding $3 monthly for 20 year, if people living in the U.S. pay attention more to turn off the lights that they are not using, it would help energies.
If Granholm require power companies to produce 10% of electric power by 2015, we really have to work on it, or it won't be accomplish.
We should continue on the quest for sustainable renewable engery. I think wind electricity is just one of the options that we have available to us. Hydroelectricity in the northern parts of Michigan would be a great source as well. The currents of the Great Lakes would be enough to generate some sort of electricity to the residents around that area. But, not to get off topic, I think if we found a way to increase or harness more wind energy and decrease our use of energy at the same time it could have great benefits around the globe. MIchigan should take the turn towards green energy, it is only beneficial to our state. The amount of coal we use is very large, and eventually these resources are not going to be available to us. Sooner or later, whether we like it or not, we are going to have to find alternative energy sources, so why not do it now.
Like most, I believe that Michigan should get on the bandwagon and take initiatives to become a more "green" state. Not only the benefits from the renewable energy would be substantial, but also the jobs created is something that this region needs desperately. I believe that the hurdles that we face need to be recognized before we have any opportunities for success.
The two big reasons we are not seeing more renewable energy projects is: 1. Cost, 2. Aesthetics. While most of the currently available methods of capturing renewable energy would be applicable to the characteristics of Michigan, the reality is that it's a substantial initial investment and in these tough times, who is going to pay for it? Do we use tax dollars or expect large corporations and investors to float the bill? I vote for decreasing military spending, but we need to get more of the nation to agree in November.
I feel that windmills, wave generators, hydroelectric dams, and other methods almost always get concerned citizens and extremely powerful organizations to object because of what it will look like, and its' impact to the environment. For example, will birds be killed? Will marine life be harmed? I don't think many would agree that we should start damming some of the rivers found in Northern Michigan. Even nuclear power, even though not technically renewable, would benefit everyone greatly, but this nation hasn't built a new power plant in decades. What's ironic about this issue is that it often gets the same reaction as dumps. It's simply a case of "not in my backyard!"
Matt Smith GEOG (online).
Do I think that the Michigan should become a Green State, YES!!! Michigan is too far behind the rest of the United States or the world. Especially, since Michigan is a well needed state for the United States with our source of water. The fact that only 3% of our electricity is renewable is just crazy. Michigan taking the steps to create a better environment in order to create a healthier area for everyone. I am not the biggest fan of our current Governor, but I think that she is headed in the right direction with pursuing a Green State for Michigan.
I am not currently the biggest fan of our current Governor, but I do believe that she has the right idea on creating a Green State for Michigan. Half of the United States have moved in this direction, and I believe that there is no way around it. The entire United States at some point in time will be required to move in the Green State direction. There is really no negative when moving to that direction other than money, and at that point, it is going to be better for the country if states begin moving NOW. There is no need to wait to move in that direction when it will be better in every way. Michigan only used 3% electricity that is renewable. That is just crazy to me. With such a big transition and talk about becoming a Green State there needs to be a realization made that this is invitable. We need to start the move now, before it's too late for our environment, and before it's too late to be done by our economy.
The tough question always seems to be "environment vs. economy"? Should we move toward a more sustainable environment at the expence of our economy?
To me, this question has a very simple solution: If we do not make changes toward a more sustainable environment, we will eventually have no environment, nor any economy.
Michigan is a mainly coal generated state, contributing to the downfall of our environment. It is imperative that we be proactive as a state in order to preserve and sustain for future generations. We may not be as over populated or as pollutant as some states in the country, but we create waste, damage our environment and pollute plenty. The concept of going green is a challenge with a state like Michigan, but a challenge that has benefits beyond compare. From reducing greenhouse gasses to improving water quality to reducing waste, we will be contributing to the saving of our environment. Benefits that we will see as a state include better air quality, lower cost of living, healthier communities and in general a better quality of life now, and especially for the future.
Considering the state of our environment and all of the side effects we are staring to see. A lot of work needs to be done to change the way we live our lives. If everyone just does a little bit it can help greatly. I drive aroung the state at night and I see large homes with every light on in the house, is this necessary? If renewable energy costs more than make the people pay more and in return they will or should reduce their use. There is a huge future in a renewable economy and it is coming, it is time Michigan starts to help and do what they can.
The question should Michigan become a "green power" state seems to be an obvious one. Shouldn't every state strive to becoming more "green". In the case of Michigan since we are the motor capital of the world I believe that it would be much more beneficial to our economy than the average state. I believe that while power continues to run low we should worry about conserving more of our power supplies but I also believe that that is simply taking a step backwards in our economical development. Everything around us continues to grow it's a never ending process, the ideal solution would be to continue to develop more efficient renewable energy sources.
The main problem is that as a society we take things to excess. Using 1/3 of the worlds power for 4% of the worlds population is absurd. three bucks a month is not a whole lot to ask to help move towards greener energy, but it does not solve the problems of high emitions, and wasted electricty. Should Michigan take leglistative steps towards greener energy? Yes. However we need to find unity with in our state goverment before that can happen.
Michigan should without a doubt become a "green state". It might be costly at first but the end result will overtrump the initial costs. We will be saving our planet and providing cheaper renewable sources of energy in the long run. The creation of a ton of jobs would seem to be something this state could benefit from in so many ways because of the struggling economy. It will help the economy out without a doubt by the creation of jobs and the prices of energy will be able to drop because we will not be using up natural resources. It is unfortunate that Granholm is having such a hard time getting the Republican lawmakers to help Michigan become a leader of the Midwest like it once was. It is always important to conserve power because it cuts down on costs and for now while we are using natural resources will limit the usage of them. I have not been a very conservative person in the past, but when I moved out onto my own I started noticing that little things such as turning off the tv, the lights, your computer will all add up and help reduce that dreaded end of the month bill that comes in. In the long run we are going to need to continue the growth and expansion of alternative energy sources because it is inevitable that we will have to use power. It's hard to be able to compare what it was once like before the invention of electricity because we have advanced technologically so quickly that we can no longer be appreciative of what our ancestors did not have the opportunity to experience.
Kyle Seay
Online Geography 320
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