(Holland, MI - WHTC News) - The Holland City Council has joined with the Holland BPW in crying “game on” against the state.
In a unanimous vote last night, council members concurred with the board of the municipal utility in retaining a Grand Rapids law firm to appeal a decision two weeks ago by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment that rejected an Air Quality Permit request for a new 78-megawatt boiler at the DeYoung Power Plant. State officials say that the BPW didn’t fully explore all of the possibilities before asking for an upgrade of the coal-fired facility.
The panel believes that the city should have the final say on its energy decisions, and that this is a matter of economic survival. The appeal will be made through litigation in Ottawa County Circuit Court, with an initial expense expected to cost 65 thousand dollars.
Council also approved 600 thousand dollars for efforts to stop bank erosion that threatens Windmill Island, and established a new Tool and Die Renaissance Recovery Zone policy.
-Gary Stevens, WHTC/WYVN News
