We wanted to kick off the first America’s Power (SM) Factuality Tour stop of the new decade with a bang. That’s why the crew and I headed up to Bay City, Mich., a blue collar, working class town just on the edge of Lake Huron.
This town is truly something special. Despite the economic downturn, Bay City has managed to keep afloat in part thanks to stable jobs from the Consumers Energy Karn/Weadock coal plant and the prospect of a new expansion project that will update the facility with advanced clean coal technologies.
The proposed 830-megawatt project could create more than 1,800 jobs, 1,000 in construction alone. It would be built adjacent to the existing power plant, which currently employs 300 people.
Folks in the community are excited about what this could mean for the local economy. According to Carol Campau, a Bay City resident, “The majority of the people…really want the plant to come just so we could have more jobs and more employment, maybe keep more of the young people in the area.”
Simply put, the new Karn/Weadock project can help keep Bay City flourishing.
After speaking to a few more residents about the plant, I couldn’t help but notice that they also had an acute understanding of the type of electricity that coal provides: low-cost baseload power.
Both Michael Seward, president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and William Borch, Jr., member of the Iron Workers Local 25 union, expressed that wind and solar energy simply can’t beat the steady, affordable power of coal.
Knowing the distinction is important. As we just learned from our most recent study, energy costs will continue to take up a growing percentage of household budgets, particularly for low and fixed-income families. Using coal-based electricity can lighten the load on the family budget – which has been especially important to Bay City residents and small businesses during the economic slowdown.
It’s clear that the folks in Bay City know that coal helps keep their economy stable. Be sure to check out the Factuality Tour Web site for more photos, videos, interviews and blog posts from Bay City and other clean coal tour stops all across America.
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is committed to the idea that America can have the affordable, reliable electricity we need, with the clean environment we want. ACCCE’s Behind the Plug blog is the place for up-to-date news and analysis on clean coal technology developments and energy policy progress.
[...] Mich., where Consumers Energy’s Karn/Weadock coal plant – and the jobs it provides – has helped the town stay afloat during the recent economic [...]