For Friday, March 8, 2024

1 – The Saginaw Bay watershed was in the spotlight this week (March 8) at a seminar for the Michigan Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

According to an agenda, scientists from The Nature Conservancy and Saginaw Valley State University were due to speak on “Water quality results and their potential to inform conservation and restoration activities.”

An abstract says the Saginaw Bay Monitoring Consortium has established a first-of-its-kind tributary and open water monitoring framework for the watershed. 

The presentation was to provide background on the rationale for the program, highlight initial water quality results, and describe how the program can guide soil conservation to have the best impact on water quality in the region.

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2 – A new solar manufacturing facility in Saginaw County will bring more than 1,100 jobs. 

State officials recently announced that Corning Inc., on behalf of subsidiary Solar Technology LLC, plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Richland Township next to Hemlock Semiconductor, which will be dedicated to the creation of U.S.-made solar components

Officials say an investment of up to $900 million by Corning will help meet a sharp rise in demand for solar power. The state will kick in about $109 million in subsidies, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

State officials say the current domestic solar supply chain cannot meet demand, and the new facility and jobs it creates will put Michigan on track to achieve a greener, more sustainable future. Richland Township anticipates that the influx of jobs will result in spin-off investments and redevelopment opportunities. That includes more than $5.6 billion in new personal income generated over 20 years from the project.

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3 – Increases in electric rates will fund investments to improve reliability, aka decreasing power outages. 

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a more than $92 million increase in rates for electric customers of Consumers Energy Co. The increase is lower than what the utility asked for. 

A typical residential customer will see an increase of about $1.53 on their monthly bill.

The plan includes a pilot program to bury overhead power lines. 

The Detroit Free Press reports that lines will be buried in six countries including the Flint area in Genesee County and the Tawas City area in Iosco County. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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