Election Elucidation

Photo by Arnaud Jaegers on Unsplash

Michigan’s 2022 election calendar is 18 pages long and full of jargon and references to state laws and other documents. It’s not particularly easy to understand.

Fortunately, Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly agreed to a short interview where she helps to outline the process for people interested in running for local office. She’s also made herself available for other questions.

Check the calendar

Editor’s Note: This podcast focuses on the August primary and November general elections. The opportunity to file for candidacy in the city of Houghton’s council election in May has already passed.

The Birds and the Bats

This episode features interviews with Copper Country Audubon Society Vice President Joseph Youngman and KBIC Natural Resources Department Wildlife (and bat study) Coordinator Kyle Seppanen.

We discuss some of what supported EGLE’s decision last year to deny Circle Power the permit based on the anticipated environmental impacts of the project.

Scotia Wind Project documents

There are several documents at the above link that include information about Circle Power’s permit denial, including the denial letters themselves and recommendation letters from other agencies.

Visual aids

Below are a few maps Joseph Youngman thought would be helpful for reference while listening to his interview.

Known and projected raptor flights in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Map provided by Joseph Youngman

Typical waterbird routes that are flown during migration periods. Map provided by Joseph Youngman.

Possible common loon flights during autumn migration periods. Map provided by Joseph Youngman.

Property rights -- and wrongs

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

House Bill 4722 is “all the rage” right now in local government circles. Having recently passed the House, it threatens to override most local ordinances regarding short-term rentals (broadly defined as a rental lasting under 28 days).

Proponents of the bill say that local ordinances have been stripping the property rights of owners who want to use them for short-term rentals. Others fear that the proliferation of these establishments threatens the security, financial stability, and livability of their neighborhoods.

This podcast includes interviews with Houghton City Manager Eric Waara, who spoke out against the bill at a recent city council meeting; Houghton City Councilor Brian Irizarry, who declined to support a resolution against the bill; and excerpts from a public meeting with Senator Ed McBroom and Representative Greg Markkanen.

Important links:

The official text of HB 4722 as introduced, as passed, and bill history

Record of who voted for and against HB 4722

Coverage of Houghton City Council’s vote against HB 4722

Hancock City Council comments on HB 4722

Rep. Greg Markkanen’s homepage and contact info

Sen. Ed McBroom’s webpage and contact info

Wind Turbulence (Episode 1)

Almost since the day I moved here more than three years ago, I’ve been reporting on wind turbines.

There’s good reason to keep doing so, but I started feeling like I was just repeating the same story over and over again—public meeting, frustrated public, little concrete information, slow progress— only the names have been changed.

Rather than grow jaded with the important local story, I decided to try and dive a bit deeper. There are some questions that I don’t feel I’ve been able to answer in my reporting yet, and “Wind Turbulence” is an attempt to illuminate those questions for you using a different medium.

The purpose isn’t to help change anyone’s mind one way or the other about wind turbine development, but to bring some of the finer points of the discussion to the forefront while the moratoriums in place in Adams and Stanton townships give local citizens time to think without being concerned with looming construction.

In this first episode, I briefly interview Kathleen Halvorsen and Roman Sidortsov. I feel like any introduction I try to give them hardly does them justice. Both of them research and work with energy policy on a national and international level, but they also both live here, in Houghton County. We discussed the tradeoffs of local wind turbine development and the mitigating factor that distributed generation might play in energy development and resiliency.

In future episodes, I’m planning to explore the tax code surrounding wind turbines, how the Michigan Public Service Commission works, and other complex topics with people who are experts on them.

I hope the series will help people think deeply about the energy future of the Upper Peninsula.