CHICAGO – Clean Energy Trust Executive Vice President Erik Birkerts has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. CET’s founding CEO, Amy Francetic, will transition leadership to Birkerts at the end of the year as part of a succession plan designed by Francetic and the Board. Francetic helped found CET and has built it from the ground
LANSING - The farms contributing to nutrient loads in Lake Erie also benefit from substantial federal subsidies, the Less=More Coalition said in a report released Thursday. The group found that subsidies to confined animal feeding operations outpaced fines for pollution violations, though pollutant levels in the western Lake Erie Basin increased. "While agricultural runoff has
LOS ANGELES -- The Chevrolet Volt was named 2016 Green Car of the Year today at the L.A. auto show, the first time a vehicle has won the award in two succeeding model generations. Judges noted the 2016 model's "sleek and sporty design, more energy-dense batteries, new electric motors, and quicker acceleration." The car has a more efficient
LIVONIA - Each year, evidence mounts that “sustainability” is far more than a buzzword designed to polish a corporation’s image. Business analysts now say that it’s clear that sustainability can also profoundly affect a company’s competitiveness. Broadly speaking, the rise of new world powers such as China has intensified competition for natural resources, making conservation an
DETROIT — Lean & Green Michigan announced Wednesday that Antrim, Delta and Leelanau County all joined the statewide PACE partnership this month. On Nov. 3, the county commission in the Upper Peninsula’s Delta County voted 5-0 to join the program. Lean & Green Michigan officials say they are already discussing potential PACE projects there and
LANSING - The Michigan House Energy Policy Committee reported a bill this month that included language requiring alternative electric suppliers in the state to have enough capacity for their customers for the following three years if a shortfall was determined, and some choice advocates say it would compromise the market in the state. Jason Geer,
LANSING - Clearing key legislation out of the Michigan House Energy Policy Committee last week was important to give the full House enough time with the bills so when the chamber returns from its Thanksgiving break, members will possibly be ready to vote, Rep. Aric Nesbitt, the committee chair, said Friday. The committee, last week, after
LANSING - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman announced Tuesday that the agency would conduct an audit of the Department of Environmental Quality drinking water program in response to the Flint drinking water crisis. The region will examine the department's implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and related rules on
LANSING - As has been the case with numerous other utilities that had imposed a surcharge upon their customers to pay for their renewable energy investments as mandated by the 2008 energy law, the Public Service Commission on Thursday approved a settlement agreement amending DTE Electric Company's renewable energy plan to eliminate the utility's energy
LANSING - Major energy legislation cleared the Michigan House Energy Policy Committee on Thursday with some significant changes, including changes to the proposed renewable energy definitions and a "goal" for utilities to get 30 percent of production from renewables and energy efficiency. But advocates for expanding choice, or at least keeping it the same as
