MECA News

MECA member-cooperatives participating in the Energy Optimization (EO) collaborative have again exceeded the kilowatt-hour reductions set by the Michigan Legislature in P.A. 295. Overall, the collaborative achieved 114 percent of its 2013 goal. All collaborative members exceeded their residential and Commercial/Industrial (C&I) goals, which included carryovers from 2012. Programs that exceeded target goals were Residential Energy Star; Residential HVAC; Residential Audit and Weatherization and C&I General Business [...]

In his fourth “State of the State,” Gov. Rick Snyder said that Michigan’s comeback is continuing. Snyder shared some welcome news when he said Michigan leads all other states in manufacturing job growth and the addition of nearly 221,000 private sector jobs. The personal income growth rate is tied for No. 1 among Great Lakes states, and the population is seeing its first growth [...]

Nationwide, 24 states have declared propane shortage emergencies, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), and regional inventories are 43 percent below this time in 2013. This shortage affects about 9 percent of Michiganders using propane as their primary heating fuel, as well as three Michigan electric co-ops that provide propane service. “We have notified all our propane customers of the shortage, and also [...]

A new safety program that would help co-op lineworkers avoid common injuries is being developed by Joe McElroy, MECA safety director, and Heather Johnson, an exercise physiologist from WMU. It focuses on offering a stretching program that would help lineworkers avoid muscle strains. Currently, the program is being tested at Midwest Energy and Holland Board of Public Utilities. McElroy is working with Johnson to [...]

From the recent launch of its ACRE Co-op Owners for Political Action program, Cherryland Electric now has 109 members signed up, with a current total of $3,672 in contributions, reports Rachel Johnson, Cherryland’s grassroots advocate. Member response came largely from an ad last fall in Country Lines magazine and an ACRE bill insert. “All of these members will be receiving a thank-you letter and [...]

Co-op Promotions – Alger Delta’s Troy Tiernan is the co-op’s new operations manager. He ascends to the position after nine years with the co-op and four years of previous experience with contractors and other line constructors. Tiernan’s first priority will be to fill the lineworker position left vacant by his promotion. At Great Lakes Energy, the board has taken action to promote Bill Scott [...]

Gov. Rick Snyder has laid out his vision for a “no regrets” energy future by 2025, calling for an emphasis on eliminating energy waste and replacing coal with newer, cleaner technologies – natural gas and renewables. “Michigan needs an energy policy that ensures we can be adaptable, have energy that is reliable and affordable, and protect our environment,” he said. Snyder’s report laid out [...]

Cloverland Electric Cooperative announced that the Michigan Public Service Commission has approved a rate settlement reached between the cooperative, public service commission staff and the City of Mackinac Island, an intervenor in the rate case. The approved $2 million or approximately 2.4 percent increase is about half of the amount requested by the cooperative in its August 2013 rate filing. In May 2010, the [...]

We Energies and Wolverine Power Cooperative announced today the two companies have decided to end their joint venture at the Presque Isle Power Plant. The joint venture would have resulted in joint ownership of the plant by We Energies and Wolverine along with the installation of state-of-the-art emission controls. “Since the time we first agreed that joint ownership of the plant would be beneficial [...]