Many industries in Michigan use natural gas – including the power, residential, commercial and transportation sectors. A lesser-recognized but equally important trade that has benefited enormously from the recent American natural gas renaissance is chemical manufacturing.

While most people are instinctively familiar with everyday products like shoes, clothing, packaging, tires, paints and carpeting – they may not realize that many of these products are made through chemistry with materials derived from natural gas. And in the past decade, we’ve seen unparalleled opportunities for the business of chemistry in Michigan and across the United States because of abundant sources of domestic natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.

The Michigan Chemistry Council (MCC) and a number of friends in industry and government recently came together to celebrate a notable occasion: the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the state’s Hazardous Materials Training Center. The development of this facility, which is still in active operation, represents a significant public-private partnership to address a major priority for the state of Michigan. In looking back upon this history, the MCC and its members are proud to have played a lead role in this worthy cause.

During the late 1980’s, there had been great attention to the issue of rail safety, particularly with regard to hazardous materials. A number of high-profile derailment incidents within the state led to heightened public awareness and investigations by the legislature. One of the major recommendations was the development of a permanent facility to provide increased hazardous materials emergency training to local first responders.

On July 29^th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Rover Pipeline. FERC’s extensive review process incorporated findings from a wide range of analyses, input from stakeholders gathered over the course of more than ten public comment meetings, and recommendations from other federal and state regulatory bodies. Ultimately, FERC concluded that Rover would be able to successfully mitigate its environmental impacts through enacting its detailed planning and FERC recommendations.

 The Michigan Chemistry Council (MCC) was extremely encouraged to see FERC take this important step in the approval process of the Rover Pipeline. Our region currently suffers from a dearth in midstream pipeline infrastructure – while a wealth of domestic natural gas is in production in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations, businesses and manufacturers in Michigan are unable to tap into those resources. The Rover Pipeline would readily grant that access, providing our energy-intensive members with affordable natural gas to produce the many everyday consumer products that our customers rely on.

Last week, a wide range of stakeholders and a vast majority of legislators from both political parties came together to make history: they helped to overhaul a major federal law that hadn’t been updated since it was signed in 1976.

This law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, oversees the federal regulation of chemicals in commerce. As more than 96 percent of all manufactured goods are directly touched by the business of chemistry, the TSCA law is an extremely important one for businesses, consumers and the environment.

There has been much written about the importance of natural gas to the members of the Michigan Chemistry Council. Natural gas heats and powers homes, generates electricity, and is even used to create fertilizer, plastics, pharmaceuticals, dyes, and detergents, among a litany of everyday products consumers rely on. There are two recent studies that illustrate the benefits of expanding our region’s access to natural gas through the construction of midstream infrastructure.

 Jeffrey Guilfoyle, a vice president of Public Sector Consultants (PSC), recently appeared before the Michigan House of Representatives Committee on Energy to present an economic impact study on oil and natural gas in Michigan. The report, titled “Michigan’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry: Economic Contribution,” details the positive effects that the development of our state’s natural resources have generated.

Most Michiganders are familiar with natural gas as the fuel that helps us keep our homes warm and comfortable in the winter. We may also use it to cook our meals, heat our water, dry our clothes, and light up our fireplaces.

Gas does all these jobs safely, efficiently, and affordably.

Date: March 23, 2016 - Chelsea High School, Chelsea, MI

Docket No. CP 15-93-000

For rent, available immediately - office space in downtown Lansing, directly across from the Capitol building.

• One dedicated, private office furnished with desk, file cabinet, and built-in bookshelves.
• Use of an adjacent office space with desk, bookshelves/storage, and work/break area.
• High-speed internet and telephone service included, as well as color laser printer use
• Use of conference room space with room for up to 12 persons and Polycom conference phone
• Reserved parking space(s) on site
• All located directly across from Capitol building and within minutes' walk of major state office buildings.
• Immediately available
• Asking $650 per month, negotiable, with soft six-month commitment

Please contact John at 517-372-8898 or [email protected] for more information.

Imagine if every time you stopped to buy gas, you spilled two gallons for every one you put in the tank. That’s exactly what happens with energy wasted at factories and power plants across Michigan and the rest of the country: for every barrel of oil or ton of coal burned to generate power, two-thirds of the potential energy is lost – enough energy lost nationwide to power the entire country of Japan.

What if we could capture that lost energy and use it, thereby increasing the efficiency of Michigan’s power plants and factories? Well, there are commercial technologies that do just that; they capture waste energy, the best clean energy source available. Combined heat and power (CHP) produces both heat and power from a single source of fuel, which provides double the efficiency of traditional power generation. Waste heat to power (WHP) captures waste heat that would typically be vented from an industrial facility and uses it to make electricity without additional fuel or emissions. Both of these “cogeneration” technologies dramatically lower energy use, emissions, and costs; thereby creating jobs, increasing private investment, and improving the competitiveness of Michigan businesses.

It’s no secret that the U.S. auto industry is riding a major hot streak, with car sales surpassing more than 17 million last year. American automakers are turning out loads of innovative new models that deliver not only performance, style, and comfort - but increasingly, environmental sustainability. This year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) offers plenty of proof that consumers are demanding “green” cars, and that automakers are turning to chemistry for the solutions.

Michigan’s chemical industry has long been a key supplier to Detroit. Chemicals are essential in the production of automotive adhesives, coatings, plastics, composites, batteries, rubbers, fluids, and many other components. In fact, the average vehicle made in the U.S. and Canada already contains over $3,500 in chemistry products. As automakers strive for improved environmental performance, many of Michigan’s chemical companies are stepping up to meet these sustainability challenges.

On February 19th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (dEIS) that assesses the potential environmental effects of the Rover natural gas pipeline project, as well as details for the next hearings the agency will hold in communities in our state.

The release of the draft EIS is a step in the right direction toward final approval of this important project. The Rover pipeline represents a tremendous opportunity to create jobs and provide our country with energy security. The pipeline will create 10,000 local construction jobs and provide $4.2 billion of investment into state and local economies.

One could say that the chemical manufacturing industry makes the world go round. More than 96 percent of all manufactured goods are directly touched by the business of chemistry. Every new home built in the U.S. contains over $15,000 of chemistry products, while every light car produced in the U.S. contains over $3,500 of chemistry products.

For Michigan, home of America’s major automakers and the 13th-largest chemical-producing state in the nation, the chemical industry is particularly vital. At $15.5 billion, chemistry is the third-largest manufacturing sector in Michigan.  Chemical manufacturing provides approximately 30,000 direct jobs and another 90,000 related jobs in Michigan, including more than 34,000 jobs in plastics and rubber products.

In 2014, Gov. Rick Snyder announced a statewide plan to double Michigan's residential recycling rate, and tasked the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) with developing strategies to boost recycling in the state. Key components of the Governor's plan include improving measurement, education, access, and marketing. The Governor's Recycling Council is a nine-member panel formed as part of the plan to advise the DEQ.

To provide input to the Governor's Recycling Council on the issue of plastics recycling, the Michigan Chemistry Council (MCC) and American Chemistry Council (ACC) provided comments on January 12th, 2016. The comments note the significant nationwide increases in plastics recycling and discuss proven strategies to achieve further gains in Michigan. The comments also urge the adoption of a sustainable materials management approach that combines recycling with other approaches and technologies to reduce overall environmental impacts.

How large is it, and what is its composition?

How has it changed over time?

The following is a brief outline summarizing the key elements of the U.S. EPA Clean Power Plan from a Michigan perspective, prepared for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs Committee Meeting on September 22, 2015.

Please click here for the full memo.

EPA finalizes demand for 36 states to remove automatic SSM exemptions from SIPs, no later than Nov. 22, 2016.

Neither EPA nor the states may provide facilities with an affirmative defense for Clean Air Act violations that would alter the jurisdiction of the federal courts to assess civil penalties.

On Tuesday, June 16^th, a package of Senate bills (SB 400, 401, and 402) was introduced to implement changes to the Part 121 Liquid Industrial Waste Rules. These changes are a product of a stakeholder workgroup formed to address an ORR recommendation that the DEQ streamline the process of handling these materials. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

The MCC and member company representatives participated in the stakeholder process to develop these recommendations. Please let us know as soon as soon as possible if you have any questions or concerns about the changes.

We have posted updates, presentations, and pictures from our 2015 Annual Meeting, which took place on Wednesday, May 13th at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing.

Please click here for the details!

On Friday, May 29th, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a memo (attached) detailing its interim enforcement guidance for the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) labeling requirements, effective today, Monday June 1st.

The memo clarifies that manufacturers and importers will not be cited if able to demonstrate reasonable diligence and good faith efforts to obtain classification information from upstream suppliers or alternative sources. Also, existing stock that has been packaged for shipment prior to June 1st may continue to be shipped downstream with no requirement to re-label such containers.

On June 1, 2015, OSHA’s revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) goes into effect.

Any employer that uses hazardous chemicals in its workplace is subject to the communication and training requirements of the HCS.