Lawmakers find time to ponder license plates

By ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service

LANSING – As the state confronts a budget chasm, battered economy and high unemployment rate, some lawmakers have found time to think about license plates.

In the first two months of this year, they’ve proposed issuing specialty fund-raising plates to support the Michigan Humane Society, Boy Scouts of America, Ducks Unlimited and foundations associated with NASCAR and the Detroit Red Wings, Tigers, Lions and Pistons.

More competing ideas are likely, based on recent history. In 2009-2010, there were proposals for more than 15 new plates, including ones to support the War of 1812 bicentennial, U.S. Army Airborne and National Rifle Associaition.

State law limits fund-raising plates for special causes to eight at a time, but legislative proposals would remove that cap.

The Olympics Education plate that benefits Northern Michigan University’s U.S. Olympic Education Center falls outside that cap because it predates the creation of the cap and the other special cause plates, said Fred Woodhams of the Secretary of State’s communication office.

The ceiling was set “to prevent the proliferation of license plate designs,” according to a 2009 Senate Fiscal Agency analysis. “For law enforcement purposes, it is preferable to minimize the number of different designs so officers are able to distinguish Michigan plates from out-of-state plates quickly and accurately.”

Last year, the state sold about 107,000 special cause plates, counting the Olympics Education plate, bringing in almost $1.2 million, Secretary of State statistics show.

The most popular were the Patriotic and Critical Non-Game Wildlife Habitat plates.

In addition to special-cause plates, vehicle owners can buy plates touting any of 15 Michigan’s public universities. Collectively, the state issued almost 118,000 of them last year, generating $1.3 million in added revenue. The highest number went to fans of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Boosters of U of M’s Flint campus were scarcest.

All cost an initial extra $35 for the first year, with $25 going to the cause and $10 for the Secretary of State’s overhead, Woodhams said. The full $10 annual renewal fee goes to the cause.

The recently introduced proposals are generally resurrected from past years when they failed to win approval.

For example, a Humane Society plate bill passed the Senate in 2009 but died in the House. A revived version is pending in both the Senate and House Transportation committees.

The organization runs shelters in Detroit, Rochester Hills and Westland.

Senate sponsors are John Pappageorge, R-Troy; Tory Rocca, R-Sterling Heights; Jim Marleau, R-Lake Orion; Darwin Booher, R-Evart; and Glenn Anderson, D-Westland. House sponsors are Reps. Chuck Moss, R-Birmingham; Ray Franz, R-Onekama; Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck; Lesia Liss, D-Warren; Dale Zorn, R-Ida; Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth; Holly Hughes, R-Montague; and Hugh Crawford, R-Novi.

Rep. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, sponsored the sports teams measure.

The Boy Scouts proposal comes from GOP Sens. Roger Kahn of Saginaw Township; Rick Jones of Grand Ledge; Arlan Meekhof of Olive Township; John Proos of St. Joseph; and Jack Brandenburg of Harrison Township, among others.

Booher led the Ducks Unlimited sponsors in the Senate. Others included Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton; Goeff Hansen, R-Hart; Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor; and Mike Green, R-Mayville. The House version came from 11 representatives, including Phil Potvin, R-Cadillac; Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City; Jon Bumstead, R-Newaygo; and Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake.

If any of the proposals become law, groups that benefit must pay a $15,000 start-up fee for the Secretary of State’s office to design and produce their plates.

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Uncategorized

Growers welcome, critics leery of genetically modified sugar beets

By EMMA OGUTU
Capital News Service

LANSING – Sugar beet farmers are upbeat about a federal decision to permit the continued use of the Roundup Ready sugar beets, a genetically engineered crop.

“There’s overwhelming support for this technology and the farmers see no problem with it at all,” said Bob Boehm, manager of the Michigan Farm Bureau’s Commodity and Marketing Department.

But farmers want more access to the technology, he said, and are still concerned about complying with federal requirements.

Boehm said he’s confident that sugar beet growers will have sufficient support from field specialists and Extension services to assist with meeting regulations.

Early last month, the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services announced that farmers could continue growing sugar beets that have been genetically engineered, (GE) to resist the herbicide known as Roundup, but only under certain conditions.

The agency is charged with regulating genetically engineered organisms and will enforce the conditions until it completes a full environmental impact assessment, according to the agency.

Though Michigan doesn’t have a statewide regulatory process that protects farmers from market failures due to such technology, Boehm said that he isn’t worried because the Farm Bureau relies on “the best science available and strong regulatory protocols.”

U.S. Sen. Debbi Stabenow, D-Lansing., Senate Agriculture Committee chair, praised the decision to allow planting this spring.

“Sugar beets are a major economic driver of Michigan’s agriculture industry,” she said.  “Michigan is on the leading edge of national beet sugar production, and this decision comes at a crucial moment when farmers need certainty to efficiently plan their crops.”

In 2009, Michigan harvested more than 3.5 million tons of sugar from about half a million acres of harvested sugar beets, according to Michigan Sugar Co., a cooperative owned by more than 1,000 growers based in Bay City.     The crop is mostly grown around Sebewaing and Saginaw.

GE crops are associated with lower production costs and higher yields, but critics say that they could cause potential environmental and health risks.

“There’s a lot of scientific analysis showing the safety of genetically modified crops,” said Rebecca Grumet, a professor of genetics, plant breeding and biotechnology at Michigan State University.  “These crops are more tested than anything we’ve ever eaten.”

Grumet is co-author of an upcoming book examining concerns about the impacts of GM technology on the environment and human health.

“Environmental Safety of Genetically Engineered Crops,” Grumet’s new book, says that there is no inherent danger or difference in the nutritional value of GE food products.  That conclusion is based on 50 independent scientific studies by different groups in different places in the world, according to the book.

But even if there’s a consensus on safety, the book says there’s no guarantee of safety as more foods with new genetic traits are developed.

George Kimbrell, a senior attorney and policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety in Washington, said some Food and Drug Administration, (FDA) safety processes are too antiquated to detect problems with emerging biotechnology products.

Moreover, it’s hard for independent organizations to perform their own testing on such products because of patent restrictions, Kimbrell said.

“You have to get the permission of companies and they have to approve your research — it’s a case where patent controls research.”

Kimbrell also said there’s a lack of transparency in GE safety regulatory procedures.

“It’s very important for the public to understand how the government is regulating new bioengineered products,” he said.

The center has been lobbying for compulsory independent pre-market testing by the government to certify the safety of products before they can be sold for human consumption.

The FDA, the agency responsible for food safety, expects companies to perform safety and nutritional testing on their own without any requirement to submit their reports for evaluation, Kimbrell said.

“But even when companies volunteer such reports, the safety verification process is kept confidential,” he said.

The center also wants regulations mandating labeling of GE products.

“We believe that consumers need to know what they are feeding their families,” Kimbrell said.  “If these companies are proud of what they produce, they should make them public.”

FDA regulations require labeling of production processes only when food products are nutritionally different or if their uses are different from similar products.

Siobhan DeLancey, a press specialist with FDA’s Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, said that the agency is more focused on the quality of the end products, not the processes used.

“We require labeling where there could be some allergenic or toxic reactions from the use of products,” she said.

The center, which also represents companies in legal suits about genetically engineered hazards, hasn’t documented any health complaints about such products.  But Kimbrell said that in the case of such complaints, labels could provide a lead to the cause of the problem.

MSU’s Grumet, who works closely with farmers, said sugar beet growers want the Roundup Ready crops because of “terrible” weed problems in the past.

“With Roundup Ready seeds, they are able to produce more at less cost,” she said.

Grumet also said that farmers are knowledgeable, savvy and skillful and often weigh their options before planting such seeds on large scale.

“The concept that companies are forcing stuff on farmers isn’t true at all,” she said.

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Filed under: Agriculture

New app lets Michigan map go high-Tech

By PAIGE LaBARGE
Capital News Service

LANSING — This is not your father’s Michigan map.

A new smart phone application on the horizon is intended to boost tourism throughout the state.

The application, to be released this spring, incorporates QR codes, which will be printed on the new paper edition of the state map, said Dawn Garner, media services manager at the Department of Transportation (MDOT).

QR stands for quick response, Garner said, “They will be little graphics labeled on the map and this is what people will scan with their phones.”

Once a smart phone scans the code, interactive maps, travel information and scheduled events from that region will pop up on the screen, said Garner.

A Traverse City tourism official said he’s looking forward to the success of the project.

MDOT is partnering with Travel Michigan to discuss the design for the code on the maps, according to Garner.

“We’re experimenting with how the codes will look and the size of them,” Garner said. “The codes will most likely be 1-by-1 inch, and 10 to 15 codes will appear on the maps.”

Options for designs include images, business logos and web links.

“We don’t want the codes to be distracting on the maps, but appealing to the tourists,” Garner said. “The codes will also have a web address that links people directly to the Internet if they don’t have a smart phone.”

Kirk Steudle, the MDOT director, said it’s a new way to re-invent maps.

“QR codes will cover all travel places, and this will help to promote areas in the state or information on whatever interest the tourist has scanned,” Steudle said.

He said MDOT will continue to print traditional foldable maps as well.

Dave Lorenz, managing director at Travel Michigan, the state’s official tourism agency, said his office is working with MDOT to design codes for the new maps.

“Maps are an integral part of traveling,” Lorenz said.

Lorenz said many people still turn to traditional foldable maps, but a growing number use more technology to find information.

“Blending traditional maps with new technology will help in gaining a larger audience of tourists,” Lorenz said.

The QR codes will offer different interactive options, Lorenz said.

“For example, Pure Michigan’s logo will be a QR code, and once it’s scanned, the website will instantly pop up on the phone and advertise upcoming events or activities in specific areas,” Lorenz said. “MDOT’s will be similar, but their interactive options will advertise road delays to help travelers.”

Mike Norton, media relations director at the Traverse City Visitors Bureau, said QR codes are already used at local stores and restaurants.

“The code is printed on store windows and shows print advertisements and gives tours of the store,” Norton said. “Restaurants in the area are also using the codes to give tourists more interaction by showing menus.”

“We are very exciting for the codes to be included on the new maps and to see the potential of everything it can offer to the tourism industry,” Norton said.

Lorenz said the push for better technology is becoming a main factor in tourism.

“Tourists are expecting greater things from the industry to help them travel easier, and technology is the most accessible medium for people on the move,” Lorenz said. “Michigan will be among the first to use the codes in such an extensive way.”

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Uncategorized

Startups seek new tax credits

By LAUREN WALKER
Capital News Service

LANSING — A new state tax credit designed to encourage the development of startup companies in one of Michigan’s fastest-growing industries is now available.

Paul Brown, vice president of capital markets at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said there has been exponential growth in the number of technology startups, but limited access to early-stage capital meant Michigan lost some of them to states with more funding sources.

The Small Business Investment Tax Credit promotes access to capital for early-stage companies by offering a 25 percent personal tax credit on investments in young Michigan-based technology companies.

While the tax credit was modeled after other states’ in the Midwest including Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota, it offers less credit to investors, Brown said.

However, he said the appeal for technology seed companies to root themselves in Michigan soil goes beyond the tax credit.

“We don’t need to have a credit that is a higher percentage than other states because we already have a competitive advantage with the large number of incredibly talented engineers, students and the higher education that spends a lot of money on research and development,” he said.

Skip Simms, president of Ann Arbor SPARK, an organization that promotes business expansion, said that the effects of the credit are unknown because of its newness, but ideally the credit will act as a catalyst for releasing more private equity.

He said that the credit encourages potential investors to provide more capital. Those investments will draw the attention of people wanting to grow their business, he said.

Charles Bisgaier, president of ProNAi Therapeutics, said access to capital has been a concern for his pharmaceutical company, which is in the clinical stage. He said that the credit may be the necessary catalyst to attract investments.

ProNAi Therapeutics, in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, does research and development of cancer therapeutic agents.

“Any incentive for any businesses which are starting up is valuable,” he said.

“It’s extremely hard to raise money these days. You’re relying on investors who have had profitable investments in the past to reinvest money and the economy has been pretty bad,” he said.

“There haven’t been returns in the investment funds so investors are reluctant to invest,” he said.

ProNAi recently received preliminary qualification for the tax credit program.

The Michigan Strategic Fund can certify up to $9 million in credits and each investor can receive a maximum of $250,000 in credits per year. If each investor received the maximum, 36 investors could receive the credit in one year.

Brown said that 18 investment groups have registered with the Michigan Strategic Fund to receive the credit and more than a half dozen businesses were qualified.

Brown said the response of technology-based startups and investors was expected and that he hopes the entire $9 million will be allocated to companies this year.

“It’s always the first year of any new program — it takes a while to get awareness in the community,” he said.

“I would be very impressed if we were able to use the full $9 million in the first year, and then in years two and three,” he said.

Simms said he believes that the program will serve as a valuable incentive to promote the entrepreneurial culture in Michigan.

Rick O’Connor, chief executive officer of Knowledgewerks in Bloomfield Hills, said that by targeting seed companies, the credit will have positive results for the technology industry.

The company consolidates news from around the world to help businesses make informed decisions.

Knowledgewerks has received preliminary approval for the program.

“The hardest money to get is seed capital. It’s like propagation; one of the basic strategies of it is to be prolific,” he said.

“If I’m a plant, I don’t generate a couple of seeds, I put millions of seeds out there and some of those seeds fall on fertile ground and sprout and take hold and reproduce,” he said.

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Business

MDOT aims to cut construction inconveniences

By SARA QAMAR
Capital News Service

LANSING – The upcoming full construction and peak tourism season – widely known as orange cone season — has prompted the Department of Transportation (MDOT) to lessen the adverse impacts of road projects on travelers and commuters.

“Tourism is a huge industry in the state, and if possible we would like to keep the experience easier and more enjoyable for those coming into the state,” MDOT communications representative Carie Arend said.

Upcoming projects include a lane expansion project on I-94 near Kalamazoo and three bridge replacements on US-12 between Union in Cass County and Motville in St. Joseph County.

The I-94 project in Portage is in its final year and is widening the interstate to six lanes on both sides.

This year the westbound lanes are being rebuilt, and that will have the biggest impact on motorists, said Southwest Region MDOT communications representative Nick Schirripa.

The majority of I-94 traffic carries commuters between Chicago and Canada each day, Schirripa said.

One strategy that lessens inconvenience and delays is working on only one direction of the highway at a time. In the meantime, both westbound and eastbound traffic will be able to flow on the eastbound side, Schirripa said.

Reconstruction of bridges on US-12, however, will cause a detour of approximately three times longer than the six-mile stretch of work.

Because bridges cannot remain open during repairs, detours are the best option, especially on rural routes, he said.

“Locals will find their way around the work on their own. The detour is more for commercial traffic,” he said.

Commercial vehicles, mostly trucks, make up 350 of the 5,000 motorists who travel between Union and Motville on US-12 every day.

The roadwork may not deter tourists from coming into the state initially, but may affect whether they visit a second time or recommend Michigan as a desirable destination to family and friends, Michigan State University tourism expert Sarah Nicholls said.

“Tourists tend to remember the very best things about their trip, and they also tend to remember the worst experiences. So if someone happens to be on a route that’s single-lane for miles and miles, that’s going to negatively impact their experience,” she said.

Nicholls would like construction work to occur during off-season for travelers, but understands weather constraints make that impossible.

“It’s unfortunate the prime work season corresponds with peak tourism season,” she said.

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Transportation

Turbulent skies for some small airports

By BRANDON GRENIER

Capital News Service

LANSING — Abrams Municipal Airport in Grand Ledge is a small, publicly owned airport that handles mostly personal and charter traffic.

Like many of its counterparts across Michigan and nationally, Abrams has watched small-scale aviation business – and thus revenue – shrink in the continuing aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Although Abrams is making its lowest profits in years, netting about $5,000 last year, its management predicts business will bounce back.

Abrams is one of about 240 public use airports and heliports in the state, according to the Department of Transportation (MDOT).

They range from 17 with commercial airline service – such as Detroit Metropolitan Airport and ones in Flint, Grand Rapids, Marquette, Pellston, Alpena, Traverse City and Lansing – to small privately owned and municipal ones, like Abrams. Almost 32.4 million passengers got on or off at those with commercial service last year, according to MDOT.

The city of Grand Ledge owns Abrams, which has revenue from farming the surrounding land, payments from the National Guard that operates there, fuel sales and hangar rentals.

According to its operations budget, Abrams collects $19,000 annually from the National Guard and $24,000 from hangar rentals. It receives $150,000 annually from the federal government for infrastructure, said City Administrator Jon Bayless, who also manages the airport

Bayless said maintenance costs eat up most of the operational income. Most of its budget goes to mowing the grass and plowing snow from the runways.

Dave Powers, director of operations at GrandAir Aviation Inc., said, “If this airport had to exist on generating its own revenue, or any airport for that matter, it wouldn’t work.”

GrandAir, a charter service, is the airport’s fixed base operator and offers flight training.

Powers said Abrams is better than most other general aviation airports at saving money, although it still needs federal funds for paving runways and building improvements.

In February, MDOT named Branch County Memorial Airport in Coldwater as Michigan’s Airport of the Year. The department cited it for “efficient use of limited available funding, and for maintaining strong community support for the general aviation airport, which has about 12,000 takeoffs and landings annually.”

Meanwhile, belts could tighten significantly for rural and small-city commercial airports as Congress considers Republican proposals to cut federal subsidies that support service at about 150 cities nationally, including six in Michigan.

For example, the federal Essential Air Service program gave Muskegon County Airport the smallest subsidy in Michigan last year, $660,770, and Manistee County Blacker Airport the largest, $1.8 million, U.S. Department of Transportation figures show. The state’s other four that may be affected are in the Upper Peninsula: Escanaba, Hancock/Houghton, Ironwood and Iron Mountain/Kingsford.

MDOT Director Kirk Steudle commended small general-aviation airports for their ability to maintain budgets, but said small airports must still make sacrifices, even with excellent management.

Given the state’s economic problems, they can’t count on MDOT to rescue them from financial problems, Steudle said. “We internally have stopped a whole bunch of services we used to provide, primarily because we don’t have the money, and we don’t have the people.”

Bayless said the weak economy means many people can’t afford to fly small planes like they used to. Just a few years ago, it was common for private plane owners, including working-class people who owned property in Northern Michigan, to fly back and forth.

“We’re in a recession right now,” said Bayless. “And general aviation has slowed down a lot over the last four years.”

There are about 7,000 planes registered in the state, according to MDOT.

While money is a key factor in that slow-down, security also deters many people from flying their own planes.

“This whole thing got stung with 9/11, and it never really did come back,” Bayless said. “You go back in the ‘70s and ‘80s and there was a whole lot more going on then than there is now. It was coming back in the 1990s, then you had 9/11 – and it really did in aviation.”

GrandAir’s Powers said that while the privately owned component of aviation has been hurt, there have been advantages on the corporate side.

For example, with commercial airline security tighter than ever, some corporate executives find small planes a better way to travel.

“When they go to the airport it’s a three-to-four-hour process to get on an airliner. If they went on a corporate jet or a charter airplane, they can get there, have the meeting and be back in their office in two hours,” Powers said.

Powers said that as security gets more onerous in commercial airports and the economy improves, more people will likely turn to charter planes.

“What you have is a typical story – the rich are getting richer and the middle ground is going away. The gap is spreading, but there is still business,” he said.

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Transportation

Rising gas prices drive interrest in vanpooling

By KATHLEEN LOFTUS

Capital News Service

LANSING – With more than 335 state-sponsored vanpools and escalating gas prices, the state Transportation Department (MDOT) predicts that van commuting will gain popularity.

VPSI Inc. in Troy has had a contract with MDOT since 1981 to coordinate commuter vans in a program intended to help the environment, reduce wear and tear on vehicles and save commuters money.

VPSI runs more than 6,000 vans nationwide. According to VPSI, one 15-passenger van eliminates 136 tons of carbon dioxide emissions daily.

Michelle Romano Rockwood, MichiVan division manager, said to qualify for a van, at least five people must pool to a common area.

The group then sets a meeting point, such as a supermarket parking lot, loads up in the morning and drives to work, she said.

Romano Rockwell said the newest MichiVan routes are between Washington Township and Flint, between Clarkston and Detroit, between Clinton Township and Detroit and between Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.

She said some of the first routes linked Ann Arbor with Detroit, Southfield with Lansing, Chesterfield Township and Flint with Warren, Jackson with Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids with Lansing.

Most vanpools are set up by individuals, but the company also offers lease agreements, she said. For example, there are 80 vans in the University of Michigan vanpool.

Alice Cheesman, admissions coordinator of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan, promotes vanpools to employees.

She is the primary driver for five fellow employees commuting between Tecumseh and Ann Arbor.

“My responsibilities include vacuuming the van, making sure tires are at the right level, taking it in for oil change and documenting information for MichiVan and U of M.”

MichiVan wants to track how many riders are using its vans. The university reports fuel cost, how many days each rider commuted per month and how many drove their own car.

Because of gas price increases, MichiVan riders have multiplied.

MDOT Director Kirk Steudle said getting the first 100 vanpools took a long time, getting the next 100 was a lot quicker and the last 100 even faster.

Doug Carmichael, an analyst from the Department of Community Health, said, “I started my own pool in November 2008 because there were none in existence that met my 10-hour, four-day schedule at the time. Even in my 36-mpg car, I was still using four gallons of gas each day driving myself.”

“We park the van in Novi and leave at 5:50 a.m. to arrive in Lansing, dropping everyone off by 7. Our riders come from Livonia, Sterling Heights, Novi, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Brighton and Highland.

“We stop in Brighton to pick up additional riders. We leave Lansing at 5:30, and generally get back around 6:30 p.m.,” he said.

Their pool uses about eight gallons of gas per day, but Carmichael said with gas costing $3.33, would cost $13 a day to drive to work alone, even in his economical car.

He said he likes the experience the vanpool provides for new friendships and expanding networks among participants.

Cheesman said gas used to cost $10 a day for her group’s commutes. Now the cost is more like $11 a day for their route.

Cheesman said U of M supplements a large amount of the cost, making it less expensive for the poolers.

In vanpools generally, one primary driver takes the vehicle home each day and up to five alternative drivers cover in case of sickness or vacation.

The primary driver rides free but is responsible for maintaining the vehicle.

VPSI’s Romano Rockwood said, “All maintenance, washes, oil changes and filing MDOT required reports is billed to MichiVan. Poolers hand car companies a coupon for maintenance so no passengers or drivers pay out-of-pocket.”

The other passengers pay an annual rate for the service. The monthly cost includes maintenance and insurance, but riders pay for fuel, sales tax and necessary parking, she said.

The commutes range from one to 90 miles, Romano Rockwood said.

Cheesman said a main reason U of M helps its poolers is to save parking spaces on campus. MichiVans park free and leave free as many as 480 parking spots if all commuters pool daily.

“More and more vans should be made available because of the big savings. It saves the environment — we’re not using as much fuel — saving gas and lowering personal auto insurance, and we’re leaving one less footprint on the environment,” she said.

“Every rider I know would say it’s great. I’m just sorry I didn’t do this a long time ago. I wish I would have started 30 years ago instead of three.”

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Transportation

Criticism, money and doubts stall new biomass plants

By JONATHAN GANCI
Capital News Service

LANSING – Optimistic plans for biomass plants in the state are largely on hold, leaving the expansion of a highly publicized renewable energy source up in the air.

Proposals to add to the existing seven commercial biomass plants,which use organic matter to produce energy, have faced problems ranging from public backlash to funding to concerns  about fuel supplies,  causing projects to be shelved or delayed.

Last year, a plan to build a biomass plant in Traverse City was thrown out after fierce public complaints about uncertainties regarding pollution and deforestation.

However, one plant is close to breaking ground.

The  Frontier Renewable Resources plant in Kinross Township in the Upper Peninsula, which will use wood to  produce cellulose ethanol, is expected to start construction  by mid-summer, according to Kevin Korpi who represents the plant.

Korpi, who is the executive director of the Michigan Forest Products Council, said the facility will bring jobs to the area.

“Frontier will create 70 full-time jobs, 150 construction jobs and approximately 700 indirect or spin-off jobs once the plant is fully operational.”

However, the path for other plants has been rockier.

According to Gary Melow, director of Michigan Biomass  in Ithaca, some projects have been put aside because of the unknown effects of increasing the number of biomass facilities in the state.

“We have to ask if there is enough wood to go around, what is the carbon footprint of that wood and how will it be regulated,” Melow said.

Melow said those questions mean high risk for investors.

“It presents an enormous amount of uncertainty within the marketplace where investors are hesitant to invest in biomass energy facilities because we don’t know where the questions about  biomass  are going.”

The current commercial plants are in Cadillac, Grayling, Flint, Hillman, Lincoln, McBain and L’Anse.

Melow, whose organization advocates for  six of the seven commercial plants in the state, said that increase demand for waste products to make energy has also stalled plant openings.

According to Melow, plants formerly paid only for collection and handling of material from waste-generating companies. But with new incentives for renewable energy, the waste itself has gained value, changing the economic model.

Melow said that questions remain  about whether wood waste, the state’s  most abundant source of waste matter,  would be a sustainable source of fuel in the economic model.

“We don’t know yet if it’s economically or environmentally feasible to harvest biomass materials specifically for energy,” Melow said.

Tania Howard, the Michigan Biomass Energy Program coordinator, said that because 63 percent of the state’s forest are privately owned, biomass companies don’t have unlimited access to them.

The Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth Operates the program.

Howard said that restricted access would protect forests from deforestation. .

Even with an unlimited wood supply, companies would have an interest in avoiding deforestation. “No business wants to kill their resource. Right now there is a lot of current focus on sustainable forest management,” Howard said.

Korpi said the Kinross plant will follow sustainable practices by using material that’s not being used in the marketplace today.

“We’re not taking material away from higher-value use,” Korpi said. “And we’re certainly not taking material away to sap the nutrients.”

And Howard said that while breaking ground for new plants is tough in the current economic climate, the public needs to be educated on how biomass companies work, especially in areas rich with resources.

“For biomass to remain viable, we not only have to make sure that companies have a solid business plan and financing in place, but the public outreach component has to be better,” she said.

According to Howard, biomass plants have potential and to be part of a comprehensive renewable energy plan for the state. “We need to keep moving in every direction so we have flexibility in all renewable options.”

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Smarter cars, smarter roads mean safer driving

By DAN SMALLWOOD
Capital News Service

LANSING – Roads that communicate with cars and cars that more effectively communicate with their drivers and other vehicles may be well on their way to reality.

For now, it’s a steadily progressing vision of the future held by Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Kirk Steudle.

That vision is helped by MDOT’s Connected Vehicles initiative, which is aimed at testing, developing and implementing so-called IntelliDrive systems to make driving safer.

Michigan is one of three states at the forefront of a broader national initiative to make smarter cars and roads, Steudle said, in part because of testing done across the state. California and Virginia also participate.

In the future, he said, “we will have vehicles smart enough to know where they are on the road and refuse to crash” because of the technologies being developed. Cars are already being built with some of those advancements integrated.

Stuedle said cars being tested are smart enough to know optimal speeds to avoid red lights and to refuse to run through those signals.

That’s accomplished with wireless technologies, including specialized Wi-Fi, broadcasting information to receptors in vehicles. That information may be knowing when a light is ready to change and the posted speed limit, which can then be more easily conveyed to the driver. Cars can also communicate to each other to help avoid collisions.

Other applications include adjusting signal timing to help manage traffic, adjusting traffic signals for emergency vehicles’ safe passage and easing traffic jams. It can also help drivers make left turns more safely.

Auto manufacturers are on board with the initiative.

Carmakers across the world are working together in a Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership. Ford, GM, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen are involved and were joined by Hyundai Kia last year.

The systems under development require cooperative technology, according to Mike Shulman, a technical leader for Ford Research and Advanced Engineering’s Active Safety Research division in Dearborn. The companies are working to create an industry standard so vehicles can communicate with each other regardless of brand.

Wireless communications are the next step forward in safety developments, Shulman said.

“We’re giving the vehicle more information about the world around it,” he said. That information can then be used to warn drivers and help implement avoidance measures. One potential use could integrate knowledge of accidents or traffic jams with a car or smart phone’s GPS to help avoid delays.

Manufacturers are also exploring smart intersections, both internally and with government partners, Shulman said.

One of the major testing operations is in Oakland County, whose road commission is working with MDOT in Farmington Hills on operating a test bed on Telegraph Road between 8 Mile and 13 Mile. That was recently upgraded and expanded in a process that ended earlier this year.

Danielle Denau, a signal systems engineer for the Oakland County Road Commission, said the Telegraph Road corridor is unique among test beds because of its continuous length.

“Telegraph is a really heavily traveled corridor,” she said, which makes its data more reliable to testers.

Such test facilities not only help develop technologies but keep automakers’ testing in Michigan, Steudle said.

One of MDOT’s primary objectives is to ensure that research – and the jobs that come with it – stay in the state as much as possible. Steudle estimated the potential jobs from continued research and implementation at 24,000.

He said that while testing continues, it’s time to start implementing such systems at critical points around the state. MDOT is applying for federal grants to do that and is lobbying the federal government to be the site of an upcoming model development.

The explosion in technology, especially mobile and wireless technology in the past few years, is contributing to making smarter cars a reality, Steudle said.

And Shulman said mobile technology and aftermarket components will make it easier to connect older vehicles to new systems.

While it’s hard to accurately predict where technology is headed, Steudle said he doubts automated driving will happen anytime soon.

“We love to drive cars,” he said, “but there are times where the cars get away from the driver – an accident.” And while IntelliDrive can make accidents less likely, he said society isn’t prepared to give up driving completely, at least not in the foreseeable future.

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Transportation

Long work hours for high schoolers can hurt college success, study finds

By YANAN CHEN
Capital News Service

LANSING—High school students who work more than 15 hours a week are less likely to complete bachelor’s degrees than those who work less, a new University of Michigan study found.

The study, Monitoring the Future, shows that “working a lot in high school may be shortchanging students’ futures and risking long-term education and health.”

The research by U-M’s Institute for Social Research, tracked more than 68,000 young adults nationwide from 12th grade to their 30s. It suggests that long hours working during the 12th grade hurt students’ chances to complete college.

According to the study, the completion rates for those who worked 15 or fewer hours remain stable at around 52 percent, while the rates drop dramatically with the increase of working time.

Only 20 percent of high schoolers who worked more than 31 hours completed their bachelor’s degrees.

Professor Jerald Bachman, the lead author of the study, said, “At least some students during high school are trading off long-term opportunities for short-term earnings.”

Bachman said, “Most do not save much of their earnings for college. Instead, they treat their earning as spending money.”

Another factor in long hours working, Bachman said, was that some students consider it a way to show “success” in a different sort of environment.

He said the study doesn’t mean high school students cannot work. “I have some advice for high school students. First, limit your paid work to 15 hours per week, preferably less.

“Second, if you do work, you can save a lot of your money for long-term things, such as college, a down payment for a house or an apartment,” Bachman said.

His last advice is that they should use their job as a chance to build a credential as a good and reliable worker. They should also arrange in advance for their supervisor to provide regular ratings and recommendations.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, minors 16 years and older may work fewer than 48 hours per week and six days in one week.

Generally, school districts don’t impose additional restrictions on working hours.

The Community High School in Ann Arbor has no extra restrictions on students’ working hours beyond the state maximum, according to school counselor Diane Grant.

“If we find out students who work a long time, we will talk with them because they are not supposed to do that,” Grant said. “Study is their priority.”

“The reasons for them to work vary from person to person, such as earning money for college, supporting their families and buying their first cars,” she said.

Christine Swadley, a counselor at Marquette Senior High School, said her district also doesn’t have any restriction on working hours.

“Some students work a longer time because they want to earn money to pay for their college tuition fee,” Swadley said.

When told about the U-M study, she said she wants to put it in the school’s newsletter so more students become aware of it.

Cherie Stafford, a counselor at Greenville High School, said her district has no additional restrictions on working hours.

She said it is students’ choices how long to work. “The economy here is very bad. Some students need to earn money and they don’t have another choice.”

Stafford said some students, whose parent or both parents are out of jobs, need to work longer to support the family.

As for the relationship between longer working hour and lower college completion rates, she said, “Not all the students plan to go to a four-year college.”

© 2011, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Not to be reproduced without permission.

 

Filed under: Education