Environmental team helps preserve a community treasure

Our Environmental department recently volunteered to assist Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc.

Volunteering took place at Milwaukee’s Lynden Hill Urban Teach Responsible Environmental Education (TREE) House, located at North 22nd Street and West McKinley Avenue in Milwaukee. The area is a green space used to help urban children learn the value of natural resources. There are gardens for local kids to come and plant vegetables. Lynden Hill Urban TREE House plans to have classes for the kids to learn how to make meals out of the things they grow. The property has a rich local history. The site was the location of the residence of Milwaukee’s first mayor, women’s rights activities, orphanages and hospitals dating to the 1800s.

The Environmental department’s community service project consisted of relocating, mulching and watering trees; paving and finishing a stairway entrance into the area; cleaning a garage for use with the environmental learning center, and helping with community gardens and trash pickup.

Mesha Johnson, office assistant, and Liz Stueck-Mullane, manager - land quality, organized the event, and Steve Stretchberry, senior engineer, and Bob Paulson, senior environmental consultant, served as team captains. About 35 environmental staff members provided the muscle, resulting in a successful team contribution to the community.

“I was impressed at how beautifully kept the area was,” said Johnson. Even a little boy from down the street came and helped us. It was a pleasure to help with what they are trying to accomplish. I was truly touched by the experience.”

Warning: Government stimulus voucher to pay energy bills is a scam

We recently heard of a scam that could compromise customers’ identity. Beware of any invitation that offers assistance from the federal government to help pay high energy bills due to the heat wave. The only state- and federal-supported program for utility payments is Energy Assistance, and you must qualify to receive assistance. The number to contact in Wisconsin is 866-432-8947. Other tips:

• Guard your identity. Only provide your credit card or bank account number when you are actually paying for something with it.
• Keep your social security number confidential. It’s the key that unlocks your identity. Don’t give it to anyone unless you’re sure who it is and why it’s necessary to provide it.
• The We Energies My Account online bill review and payment system is secure. If you have questions, please call us. We’re here 24/7 to serve you. 800-242-9137.

Related local media coverage:

We Energies warns customers to beware of identity scam (WISN-TV)

Utility customers falling victim to scam (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)  
National media coverage:
Thousands fall victim to utility payment scam (AP via Google News)

Other scams

Criminals sometimes pose as our workers in an attempt to gain access to homes.

Our line mechanics, forestry workers, meter readers, service technicians and other employees as well as our contractors may visit your home or neighborhood from time to time. To ensure your safety, please check for ID. All of our employees and contractors wear photo identification badges. If the employee does not have an ID or if you have questions, call us at 800-242-9137 before allowing anyone access to your home. Although many of our workers wear a uniform, clothing or hard hat that features our logo, some do not. Whether they wear a logo or not, always ask for ID.

If you believe you have been victimized by someone posing as a We Energies representative, contact your local police and report it. We will cooperate with their investigation.

PSCW approves plan to upgrade natural gas facilities

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSCW) approved our application to replace natural gas facilities along a corridor that includes Milwaukee, West Allis, West Milwaukee and the eastern edge of New Berlin. The project, called the Lincoln – Arthur Main Replacement Project, is part of our ongoing replacement of older natural gas mains in the service area. The proposed cost of construction is $29.8 million.

The project is the best alternative and most advantageous means to meet our obligation as a utility. The segment identified for replacement is a main artery of the high-pressure gas system supplying customers in Milwaukee County.

Seventy-five percent of the gas mains between South 124th and South 47th streets along West Lincoln and West Arthur avenues were installed more than 60 years ago and vary in size between 18- and 30-inch pipe. These are high-pressure transmission mains operating at 175 pounds per square inch gauge (PSIG).

The Lincoln – Arthur Main Replacement Project will help meet future anticipated gas consumption in the Menomonee Valley area related to business development. It also will provide a possible option for supplying our Valley Power Plant with natural gas, provided we can demonstrate a direct economic benefit to the electric and steam customers served by Valley, and that the PSCW approves the fuel conversion.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in March 2013, with completion in September 2014. Construction work would occur from March through September of each year.

Bald eagles benefit from our protection plan

Our Bald Eagle Protection Plan protects nesting eagles from disturbance, protects canopy trees for future nesting sites and offers financial incentives to members of the public who report raptor nesting sites on company lands. This plan supports bald eagle recovery in Wisconsin and Michigan, primarily in our Wilderness Shores Recreation Area – now home to about two dozen bald eagle pairs.

On distribution system projects, we evaluate records for known nesting sites. We also screen project routes for potential nests and nesting trees. If we find any, we develop a plan to either reroute the line or find another way to avoiding impact to nests.

On our hydroelectric project lands, we participate annually with wildlife and environmental agencies in monitoring known nesting sites, reporting new nesting sites and identifying nests that are either inactive or fallen. Our monitoring occurs while we conduct other survey work on the hydroelectric facilities. Agencies monitor activity in flyover surveys.

“We find some nests that are undiscovered during flyovers,” said Mike Grisar, senior consultant in our environmental department. “We report those, and whenever we have a project within close proximity to an active eagle nest, we work with state and federal agencies to ensure we have no impact to a nest.”

Grisar says that construction work within 1,500 feet of a nest is delayed to avoid active nesting periods. “We also conduct some selective timber harvests on the hydro project lands to aid in the forests’ long-term viability and sustainability. To protect the eagles, we create and maintain no-cut zones around the nest sites. Harvests are conducted outside the active nest period as well. Finally, some canopy trees are maintained and not cut to provide the habitat for eagles and other species dependent on these canopy trees.”

Wilderness Shores Recreation Area is located primarily along the border of northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The area covers about 30,000 acres for 12 hydroelectric projects along the Menominee River system just north of Crystal Falls, Mich., to east of Amberg, Wis. About half the area is land and half water -- both essential habitat requirements to sustain eagles and their young.

Biomass cogeneration facility remains on schedule

The biomass cogeneration facility at Domtar’s Rothschild mill has been under construction for about a year, and progress is on schedule.

The steel framework is complete for most of the main buildings, and some structures already have siding and roofing material in place. The boiler, which is the largest piece of equipment at the facility, is being assembled inside the steel framework of the tallest building on site. Three other large pieces of equipment -- auxiliary boiler, steam turbine and generator -- will be shipped to the site this summer.

On any given day, more than 150 workers, many from north central Wisconsin, participate in building the facility. By late summer or early fall, the crew will be at its peak, with approximately 275 construction employees. Many local vendors also have assisted, providing various services and materials.

Environmentally beneficial practices are being used in the fuel storage building that will hold processed wood chips for burning in the boiler unit.

The building features a concrete pavement called an EcoPad. The pavement was made with recycled concrete and existing aggregates on site, fly ash and Portland cement. These ingredients were mixed on the ground surface with a special piece of equipment used in pavement recycling called a Pulverizer. The fly ash ingredients were sourced from the Presque Isle Power Plant and make up 50 percent of the cementitious material. EcoPad components in this project feature 92 percent recycled content overall.

The EcoPad's economical, durable and hard surface avoids sand and stone that would get into the fuel from a soil surface. The EcoPad also prevents moisture and mud from getting into the fuel. Recovered sand and stone from the site was recycled and used to avoid importing new materials, and coal combustion products (CCPs) from our power plants helped produce a superior product at a lower cost while avoiding landfill disposal and conserving natural resources. 

The EcoPad is one-third to one-half the price of traditional paving, such as asphaltic concrete or regular flatwork concrete. The EcoPad installs more quickly than conventional paving. Large areas can be installed within two days, helping advance construction schedules.

Further benefits of CCPs at the Rothschild biomass plant include additional concrete work that uses Class C fly ash in the mix design to produce concrete flatwork and a high strength, durable foundation.

Additional information about CCPs

Michigan rates change

We Energies residential customers in Michigan will see a slight decrease in their electric bills for the rest of 2012 based on an order issued by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) June 26. Although the order from the MPSC included a base rate increase over all customer classes, the company will also apply a customer refund of $2.7 million to bills through December. The refund is associated with a legal settlement with the U.S. Department of Energy over the storage of spent nuclear fuel.

The average We Energies residential customer using 750 kilowatt hours/month will see a bill decrease of 89 cents per month through the end of the year. That bill would increase by 80 cents per month in 2013 when the customer refund expires.

We Energies initially filed the 2012 rate case on July 5, 2011, requesting a $17.5 million increase. The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) issued a final order on June 26 for We Energies to increase its electric rates across all customer classes in that state by $9,197,912 annually. The approved increase includes $5,648,807 that was added to bills on Jan. 5, 2012.

The new electric rates reflect costs for substantial investments in reliability, renewable energy and environmental upgrades. Inclusion of these investments in customer rates represents the final piece of the recently completed Power the Future plan.

Keep cool, stay efficient during extreme heat

Tips:

• Keep heat-producing devices, including lamps and TVs, away from your thermostat. They can create a temperature higher than the true room temperature that leads to excessive cooling and wasted energy. 
• Keep the air conditioner condenser and filter clean. Keep leaves, grass and other debris away from the outside condenser. Also, clean the filter monthly and replace it as needed. (Your central AC uses the same filter as your furnace.) A clean condenser and filter help the unit run more efficiently. 
• Increase the thermostat setting. When at home, set it a few degrees higher to save energy. When leaving, move it even higher -- about 80 degrees. Cooling the house when you return costs less than keeping it cool all the time. 
• Keep the sun out. Close blinds, shades and drapes on the sunny side of your home during the day to keep the house cooler, causing the air conditioner to use less energy to get the temperature to a comfortable level. 
• Cool only rooms in use. Close unused rooms to avoid cooling them. 
• Don’t make more heat. Delay dishwashing, cooking and laundering until cooler time of day or evening. 
• Use microwave or outdoor grill rather than standard oven or range. 
• Turn off electronics. Don’t leave TVs, stereos and computers on if not in use. They produce heat that makes your air conditioner work more. 
• Keep vents clear. Keep furniture and drapes away from air vents to allow cool air to move and keep your air conditioner from working more than necessary. 
• If you use a room air conditioner, use a plug-in timer and set it to turn off when you leave home and to turn it on just before you return. 
• Don’t set the thermostat at high initially. When you first turn on your room air conditioner, set the thermostat at normal or medium. Setting it colder won’t cool the room any faster. 
• If you buy a room air conditioner, locate it centrally and keep it out of the sun if possible to help it operate more efficiently. 
• Close the fresh-air vent on a room air conditioner to avoid cooling outside air. Open the vent when outside air is cooler. 
• Use fans with your air conditioner to circulate cool air. This allows you to raise the temperature and still be comfortable. Use oscillating and ceiling fans for best circulation.

More tips to stay safe during high temperatures