Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.
Hey, look mom, renewable energy! And from trash! The Grand Rapids Press reports this morning on a big win-win for Kent County residents and the private sector as a deal has been struck to tap the county landfill for it's methane gas.
County officials said the landfill is expected to produce 3.2 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 2,000 homes.
It also will generate profit for the county: an expected $380,000 a year to begin with and as much as $787,000 annually by the year 2030, Department of Public Works Director Douglas Wood said...
A county board Thursday approved a $6 million project that will turn methane gas produced by rotting garbage at the South Kent Landfill into renewable energy.
Bonus, the company tapping the gas is going to build a community education center to teach kids on field trips about alternative energy production. And unlike the city of Lansing, it doesn't look like there are any immediate plans to tax those field trips here in Kent County.
Of that $6 million up front cost Granger, the private sector waste disposal folks behind the deal, is going to cover two thirds. That leaves taxpayers with a $2 million investment that by the most conservative estimates will be paid back in the next five years. (There have been no reports of discussions about imposing any sort of extra tax or fee to up-front that two-mil either. Neither will it be accompanied by a rate hike at the meter.)
Figure that takes us through 2014... If we're pulling in only $500,000 a year between then and 2030, a much more conservative estimate than the County's, that'd pump $8 million into the coffers.
Oh, and by the way, the more garbage in the dump the more methane is produced the more the taxpayers benefit. And that's just on the public side of things. Granger is, last time I checked, a job maker. That means this deal is going to create jobs. Now just imagine if the Democrats weren't so incensed by the idea of importing garbage to open dumps via the free market process. Suddenly we'd be talking about a whole mess of new jobs and even larger County profits.
We've got the private sector stepping in here, making a common sense win-win proposal to a local government and we've got responsible action from the electeds. Refreshing, isn't it (if you'll indulge me the use of that word while discussing garbage)?
Unfortunately common sense took a detour after it jumped back on I-96 and got permanently lost somewhere around Lansing. A shame, too, because they could use a healthy dose in metro Detroit today. That pesky "S" word is rearing it's ugly head again. This time it's the Teamster's threatening to grab the picket signs and to literally shut down new car delivery.
The Detroit News reports:
(Company President and CEO Jeff) Cornish said PTS is looking for concessions similar to those won by the nation's largest car hauler, Allied Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy in 2007, and imposed a 17.5 percent pay cut on workers.
"This option was the only one available to us to try to save the company," Cornish said.
A walkout could halt vehicle deliveries for automakers that use the Allen Park-based (Performance Transportation Services), which delivers 2.7 million vehicles annually. Ninety-five percent of its business -- 10,400 vehicles a day -- comes from General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. The automakers are monitoring the situation and preparing contingency plans in the event of a strike...
The "option" is a temporary fifteen percent pay cut from now through July 31st. The company won court permission to impose the cut.
Something tells me that walking off the job for a few weeks at a company going through bankruptcy might not be in the best interests of continued long-term employment. Especially when your strike pay is going to be considerably less than you'd be making even with the temporary (two month) pay cut. But hey, I'm not going to tell Big Labor their business. If the union bosses want to make an example of someone by sending all of their dues paying workers on a job killing death march that can only hasten the day when we see a Right to Work proposal in Michigan, right?
Not that that'd ever be a slam dunk. We've got a hard time changing our minds about anything around here. Shoot, the AP reports the Governor still hasn't changed her mind about her favorite in the now defunct Presidential race.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Thursday that, while the governor has made it clear she'll support the Democratic nominee, she won't make a formal statement supporting Obama until after Clinton announces a decision on her campaign.
Sounds like somebody's not ready to concede just yet. God bless her.
