Traverse City official calls biomass forums a ‘charade’

In response to community opposition to plans to build wood-fired power plants in Traverse City the municipally owned power company held a series of forums last month to gather public input on how best to generate power.

Traverse City Light and Power promised to analyze and publicly respond to community concerns before settling on a strategy for power generation, but in a letter mailed to ratepayers over the weekend the utility asserted that any plan other that wood-based power generation would cause rates to rise and create financial hardship for local businesses.

City Commissioner Barbara Budros told the Traverse City Record Eagle that the utility’s letter shows that the prolonged public input process about the proposed biomass plan was nothing more than a “charade.”

“Why are people showing up to provide input when the input’s irrelevant and the decision’s already been made?” Budros said.

The Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council told the paper that it believes the letter shows that despite promises to the contrary, Light & Power is committed to building the plant which some worry will deplete regional forests and lower air quality.

“We can’t overstate how disappointed NMEAC was to read this letter … the content and timing of the letter suggest to us that TCL&P has no intent to listen seriously to the concerns of the community about biomass or to look objectively at the alternatives,” a Tuesday letter from NMEAC board Chairman Greg Reisig and Director Ken Smith to Light & Power Director Ed Rice said.

“It feeds directly into the suspicion expressed by many people regarding the sincerity of TCL&P’s public involvement efforts.”.