Joseph Parnell McCarter, Georgetown Township, volunteer leader of SaveTheCampbell effort.
More and more Ottawa County citizens are coming to realize just how bad the Net Zero Agenda is for us, not only in terms of grid reliability and cost, but also in terms of the dangers with a growing number of massive lithium ion battery storage plants. The reality is that these battery plants are far more environmentally dangerous than the Campbell, but since they only store energy for 4 hours, they do not solve the solar/wind weakness of variable energy generation. Two such battery plants are already planned for Ottawa County, and more are likely on the way. Sections of Allendale Township are within the 5-mile radius evacuation zone of the planned Blendon plant.
We need to cut off the money train that funds the Net Zero Agenda’s dangerous battery plant and solar panel field developments in Ottawa County, as well as seeks premature demolition of the Campbell.
The money train begins with outrageously expensive and rising electric utility bills that Consumers Energy charges their customers in Ottawa County, in order to fund their aggressively pursued Net Zero Agenda. The Whitmer-appointed MPSC rewards Consumers Energy executives and investors handsomely to aggressively pursue the Net Zero Agenda. Flush with that money from electric rate payers, Consumers Energy enters into contracts with globalist corporations to build massive dangerous battery storage plants and solar panel field developments in Ottawa County and across Michigan that bypass local control via Michigan’s PA 233 law.
We need to cut off this money train by exploring the possible replacement of Consumers Energy in Ottawa County with our own locally controlled electric cooperative, seeking the assistance of the Trump Administration. Zeeland’s Electric Cooperative has shown a locally controlled electric cooperative can be successfully run at half the price of Consumers Energy residential rates.
The Consumers Energy representative that spoke before the Allendale Township Board lied to you. He said electric rates would go down if they closed and demolished the Campbell plant. Irrespective of the Campbell costs, Consumers Energy is now asking for the largest price hike in decades, after just recently hiking prices. Additionally, they are asking for cost recovery money to keep the Campbell open, rather than instead cutting their Net Zero expenditures and adopting a sane energy policy.
The Jamestown Board already passed this new round of “Save The Campbell” Resolutions, the Utilities Committee of the Georgetown Board unanimously passed it, and there are good indications that at tonight’s 7 pm Georgetown Board meeting the whole board will pass it. There are also indications other township boards will be passing them. I would request you pass them too. As you know, the first round of Campbell Resolutions was passed by many township boards and the County Board, which the Trump Administration has favored by its executive orders.
Resolution#1:
“WHEREAS, Consumers Energy has publicly stated it will seek cost recovery to keep the J.H. Campbell generating plant operationally available consistent with the Trump Administration executive order, which would result in customer price hikes on top of already high and escalating energy charges by Consumers Energy; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy is spending significant sums of money in achieving the “most aggressive clean energy plans in the nation” towards Net Zero goals, beyond what Michigan law requires; and
WHEREAS, there are significant warning signs of rapid implementation of Net Zero goals, such as manifested in recent nationwide power outages in Spain and Portugal, and excessively high electric rates and a tenuous grid in the United Kingdom; and
WHEREAS, Net Zero goals depend significantly on taxpayer subsidy, but much of that subsidy are being reduced or eliminated given the new Republican President and Congress; and
WHEREAS, regional grid operator MISO and grid expert NERC have recommended delays in planned fossil fuel plant closures in order to avoid undue risks to the regional electric grid, wherein electric supply cannot meet demand, as even recently occurred on our own regional grid in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, there are justified concerns about converting our valuable Michigan farmlands and forests into solar panel fields and battery plants, facilitated by the undermining of local zoning rights by the MPSC; and
WHEREAS, there is increasing demand for reliable electric by AI data centers, including location of an AI data center next to an electric generating facility; and
WHEREAS, Michigan law recognizes the important role of municipalities with respect to utility services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the ______ Township Board hereby requests that Consumers Energy foregoes seeking cost recovery to keep the J.H. Campbell generating plant operationally available, but instead offsets those costs by reducing its Net Zero expenditures and delaying its Net Zero implementation, as well as seriously exploring providing an AI data center with some of the electric provided by the Campbell, in order that residential electric rates can be reduced.”
Resolution#2:
WHEREAS, a 2022 Zealand BPW study showed Consumers Energy residential rate electric pricing was already around 58% higher than Zealand BPW electric pricing, and a more recent Mlive study showed it was more than 80% higher; and
WHEREAS, there have been a significant series of price hikes by Consumers Energy since the Zealand BPW study, and recently Consumers Energy proposed the largest price hike in decades; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy says it will seek cost recovery for its Campbell closure delay, which would further hike electric pricing, rather than offsetting this cost by scaling back its Net Zero implementation; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy is far in advance in its Net Zero spending and plan of what Michigan law requires, and has shown no signs of scaling back, despite many reasons to do so; and
WHEREAS, studies indicate Net Zero is more costly than traditional fossil fuel electric generation because the solar and wind that Net Zero generally relies on is variable, and so requires redundant fossil fuel back up, given the current state of battery technology; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy has thus far been determined to close the JH Campbell generating facility rather than using it in part to provide electric for an AI data center, for which reliable electric is currently in high demand; and
WHEREAS, regional grid operator MISO and grid expert NERC have recommended delays in the currently planned fossil fuel plant closures in order to avoid undue risks to the regional electric grid; and
WHEREAS, three cities in Ottawa County successfully exercise local control over electric rather than utilizing Consumers Energy as their public utility for electric; and
WHEREAS, Michigan law recognizes the important role of municipalities with respect to utility services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the _____ Township Board hereby joins together with other township boards in Ottawa County in setting up an exploratory committee to investigate acquiring Consumers Energy’s interest in the JH Campbell generating plant, via local electric cooperative(s), financed with the assistance of a data center that would utilize some of the Campbell’s generated electricity and/or Federal Government assistance, and facilitated with the assistance of the Ottawa County Board. It would also investigate the possibility of attaining local control of electric for the parts of Ottawa County currently utilizing Consumers Energy as its electric public utility.