Warden permit would OK pellets; DEQ public hearing at LAS Jan. 23

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A session of Baraga County Circuit Court on Friday , Jan. 11, 2019, was packed with pleas, arraignments and motions. Above, Genevieve Lynn Meyers of L’Anse, right, pleads guilty to a methamphetamine possession count. She also faces a preliminary exam in 97th District Court on Feb. 12 on a 1st Degree Felony Murder count arising from the death of two year-old Walker Meyers in December, 2017. L-r, Probation Agent Scott Dewar, Prosecutor Joseph O’Leary, Public Defender David Gemignani and Meyers. She is in Baraga County Jail on a $1 million bond for the murder case.

by Barry Drue
A public comment period and public hearing are set by the Department of Environmental Quality’s Air Quality Division (AQD) in regard to the L’Anse Warden Electric Co. Convergen, owner of the L’Anse biomass electric generator, wants to add its engineered fuel pellets into the fuel stream at Warden. The plant is permitted to burn natural gas, wood chips, wood fines and bark, chipped tires and creosote-treated railroad ties. Convergen makes its pellets from 60-70 percent fiber/paper material, and 30-40 percent plastic material. Convergen has been permitted to test use of its pellets at Warden, and is now applying for a Permit To Install (PTI) to burn them on a permanent basis. Convergen is seeking to burn up to 50,000 tons of pellets per year. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.