I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Corn growers and ethanol makers are excited about EPA’s recent decision to allow 15 percent ethanol fuel to be used in vehicles made within the last ten years. Though Michigan has five ethanol plants there is little demand for E15 fuel, in part because motorists worry it will damage their cars.
In January the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of 15 percent ethanol gasoline in cars and truck manufactured between 2001 and 2006, vastly expanding the potential market for the fuel.
Some Michigan businesses were very pleased, The Grand Rapids Press reports:
Citing that Michigan’s five ethanol plants add $594 million per year to the state economy and increased demand for corn, the Michigan Corn Growers Association called the EPA decision a “victory.”
A statement from the Carbon Green BioEnergy plant in Woodbury claims E15 will help create 136,000 U.S. jobs while strengthening national security and reducing carbon emissions. The blend also will displace about 7 billion gallons of imported foreign oil yearly, said Mitch Miller, chief executive officer of the plant near the Barry-Eaton-Ionia county borders.
But Craig Hoppen, president of J & H Oil in Wyoming and chairman of the Michigan Petroleum Association/Michigan Association of Convenience Stores told the Press that there is no local demand for the fuel.
“I haven’t heard of anybody chomping at the bit to try it,” he said. “To just go to E15 sounds good, but I don’t want to be the guinea pig on that one. I don’t want to be the one who tries this, only to find out that it eats the pipes or something. There’s no guarantee on what it’s going to do to your equipment.”
The Washington Post reports that EPA had delayed decisions on the appropriate use of E15 fuel over safety concerns.
The agency has approved the blend only for newer cars and trucks because they have more durable emissions systems.
Ethanol burns hotter than gasoline, causing catalytic converters, which help clean engine emissions, to break down faster.
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