Opinion:

The House Bill No. 4472 is an amendment to the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, section 3106. This section of the Act refers to enforcement of the Act in regards to giving permits to polluters and deciding what type and how much water pollution is "allowable." The changes in the section include adding unannounced inspections to those who have been given permits to make sure they are following through and are abiding by the laws. These inspections would occur annually for facilities that the EPA has determined are large polluting facilities (as described in section 3120), and biannually for small facilities. The amendment also changed the wording of one of the sentences of section 3106: "The department may ascertain and determine for record and in making its order what volume of water actually flows in all streams, and the high and low water marks of lakes and other waters of the state, affected by the waste disposal or pollution of any persons." This sentence has become: "The department may determine for record and in making its order what volume of water actually flows in all streams, and the high and low water marks of lakes and other waters of the state, affected by the waste disposal or pollution of any persons."

In Ancient Greece, builders used light colored materials on buildings due to their knowledge that light colored materials kept buildings cool during the warm summer months. Light colored roofs and building remained a norm among Greek society as well as other civilizations until the invention of air conditioning. Black roofs became popular in society mainly due to the invention of air conditioning but they are now a contributor to the greenhouse effect (global warming) as well as energy consumption (Barry).

During the summer on a hot sunny day, black roofs can heat up to temperatures over 160 degrees Fahrenheit, while white roofs get only slightly hotter than the actual air temperature (Barry). This is because the color black, absorbs all sunlight which makes things hotter. The sunlight absorbed by black roofs and roads is released as infrared radiation (heat) which has a longer wavelength than visible light. Most of the infrared radiation released from the roofs and roads gets absorbed by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapor (H2O) in earth's atmosphere. Only a small amount of infrared radiation escapes back into space due to its long wavelength. The infrared radiation absorbed by the greenhouse gases is released as heat, which is redistributed throughout earth's atmosphere and is responsible for global warming. Greenhouse gases are important for keeping the earth warm, but human activity has released an excess amount of greenhouse gases especially CO2 (West).

White roofs act similar to polar ice caps and clouds which regulate earth's temperature and reflect sunlight back into space. White roofs reflect sunlight and keep buildings cooler than those with black roofs. This helps customers save 15-40% on air conditioning costs while paying slightly more during the winter months. Because of this, white roofs are the fastest growing segment in the roofing industry. They may get dirtier and show more scuff marks than black roofs but they have longer warranties and are no more expensive than black roofs (Barry).

In Michigan, Timm Construction Company LLC, located in Alpena, has noticed a growing trend among commercial buildings switching to Michigan made Duro-Last white roofs to save money. For years commercial buildings have had black rubber roofs which have short life-spans requiring frequent repair work. Duro-Last lasts much longer than black rubber roofs and is more durable requiring less maintenance (Timm Construction Company LLC). The material is made by Duro-Last Roofing, Inc. located in Saginaw, Michigan. Their Duro-last material is ideal for flat or low-sloped roofs and can be installed quicker, safer, and quieter than black and rubber roofs (Duro-Last Roofing, Inc.). Reasons for why people should purchase Duro-Last white roofs instead of black and rubber roofs are listed below:

The DEQ put out a press release today stating that the public comment period for Consumers Energy proposed coal-fired power plant in Bay County has been extended until May 20th. There are no scheduled additional public hearings, but residents can send in their comments either by mail or email to the department.

To email comments follow the instructions on this page.

Otherwise you can mail your comments to:

Mary Ann Dolehanty

Acting Permit Section Supervisor Air Quality Division

Department of Environmental Quality

P.O. Box 30260 Lansing, MI 48909-7760

Public comment hearings were held last week by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality concerning an air permit requested by Consumers Energy to build a coal-fired power plant in Bay County. The meetings were well attended and stirred up passionate speeches from both sides of the debate. This video was taken at those meetings.

From The Bay City Times