Overview
- According to a recent inspection report commissioned by the City of Ann Arbor, at least 31 trees in the city are being damaged or killed by natural gas leaks from DTE Energy’s distribution system.
- Leak detection experts canvassed 307 miles of public roadways to test for methane gas emanating from cracks in DTE’s gas pipe infrastructure, and the study found that gas was damaging roots and the ground near the base of the trees. The number of trees affected likely exceeds what was reported, but, overall, the report found DTE’s lines to be in well-maintained condition.
- While Ann Arbor would like to see the gas lines repaired immediately and changes made to infrastructure so that leaks like this are unlikely to happen, the city has a broader goal of weaning itself off of dependence on natural gas in order to meet ambitious climate change-mitigation goals.
Transcription
David Fair: A recent study indicates leaks in some of DTE Energy's natural gas lines are killing some trees in Ann Arbor. The utility denies that is the case. The city is asking for repairs, while, at the same time, advancing the conversation for moving away from natural gas to more sustainable energies as part of its A2Zero plan. I'm David Fair, and welcome to our weekly Issues of the Environment conversation. We're going to get caught up on what is happening with Ann Arbor trees, the status of the formal complaint, and an update on the A2Zero plan in the summer of 2024. Our guest is Missy Stults. And Missy is Ann Arbor's sustainability and Innovations director. Always glad for the opportunity to talk with you, Missy!
Missy Stults: Oh, David, it's always such a pleasure! Thanks for making time and space!
David Fair: Well, how did the matter of trees potentially being killed by natural gas leaks come to the city's attention?
Missy Stults: Yeah, it's actually an intriguing story where--folks we know--Council authorized us to work on a new heating franchise. And the intent, when Council authorized it, was for us to move as fast and as intentionally as we could towards a decarbonized system of heating and cooling our homes and businesses. And in the arc of doing that, we did a lot of research on what others were doing, and that involved a trip to Massachusetts, where I got to meet with a lot of technical experts. And one of the experts I met with, who's working on decarbonizing heating and cooling, made the case because they realized that gas leaks were pretty pervasive. And so, they actually had done a gas leak analysis from multiple cities, including the city of Boston. And they took us on a tour in Boston and showed us how they were doing the measurements where the leaks were. We could see the trees and the damage, and it got us thinking. Is that true for us here in Ann Arbor and in Michigan as well? And we didn't know. So, we asked the utility for data on leaks. We didn't get the information, so we hired the expert to come out and actually map every single road in Ann Arbor twice to measure gas leaks and to do a visual inspection of our urban tree canopy to see if leaks were correlating with killing vegetation.
David Fair: And you found that they are?
Missy Stults: We did. We found notable cases. Now, I do want to clarify. So, the gas leak detection was looking for all different kinds of leaks. We did not find any major leaks on the system--really catastrophic leaks, right, that need immediate instant repair.
David Fair: Right.
Missy Stults: That's good news. But we did find some low-grade leaks that leaked methane. It gets into the soil, and it can suffocate trees. And we found vegetation that had been killed. We found lawns that had been destroyed. And the only discernible reason for that is the gas leaks in the system. So, we have included that information in our intervention. And this is the first time we've intervened in a gas case. We're actually in two gas cases: the depreciation case and the gas rate case. We share that information. And we said two things that are of importance. One is we need to fix those trees, right? We need to fix those leaks. And we need to repair those trees because trees are incredibly valuable. We all know it for multiple reasons: sequestering carbon, providing urban heat, island mitigation, providing habitat for natural species, aesthetics. They're just incredibly valuable. And this is further reason why we actually should not be replacing the gas infrastructure, but repairing it, because a lot of the system is doing just fine. It just needs some patching. And when you replace that system, you lock in that system for decades.
David Fair: We're talking with Missy Stults on 89 one WEMU's Issues of the Environment. Missy is director of sustainability and innovations for the City of Ann Arbor. Well, when the city's report came to light, DTE issued a statement to WDIV. And it said, and I'll quote here, "Ann Arbor residents enjoy a healthy tree canopy, and there is no evidence that gas lines are impacting the health of the city's trees. In fact, DTE is replacing older natural gas lines in the city and across the state, so that we can continue to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers. Our new gas lines will also deliver environmental benefits." Your response to that statement.
Missy Stults: I'll say rational people disagree all of the time, and the data that we have just doesn't validate that. It is not the gas infrastructure that's leaking. So, we're gonna litigate that, right, before the Michigan Public Service Commission. Moreover, it is not just old pipes that are leaking. New pipes also have some leaks on them. And so, our concern is not to go out and replace every single mile of pipe in the system. That is actually a bad use, I would say, of ratepayer dollars, especially in communities like ours that have very clear climate goals and health goals. And so, I don't want to see our utility replacing assets that work just fine because we pay for those assets. I want to see them repairing assets that get us to 2030, 2040, 2050, so that we can transition to something that's actually clean, healthy and safe for heating and cooling our homes. So, two points. I think we disagree on the fundamental facts. And secondly, replacing that infrastructure is the wrong direction and certainly is not more sustainable, healthier and better for people or the planet than a decarbonized solution.
David Fair: Well, I think I'm going to get an education on this part of our conversation. As you've mentioned, the city has filed a formal complaint, and that report was submitted and as part of DTE's natural gas rate case before the Michigan Public Service Commission. The utility is seeking a $266 million increase, which would amount to about a 9% increase for its natural gas customers. The report is on hand for the Michigan Public Service Commission, but will you or a member of city administration have an opportunity for presentation as that request moves through the process?
Missy Stults: Yeah, absolutely. So, we are working right now to do some visualizations of what we've been finding in the system to share with the public and others. Again, we didn't see anything in terms of leaks that was harmful to public health immediately in any way, shape or form. So, there's no cause for concern in terms of "Oh my gosh! This is an explosion risk!" But we didn't see that. So, that's great news. But we do want to make sure that people are aware of what we've found, so that they can understand. They can monitor. More educated folks about this situation is going to be more valuable for all of us in protecting our our urban tree canopy. I also do want to respond to the previous statement that you're right. We do have a beautiful urban tree canopy here in Ann Arbor, and that's largely because our urban forestry department and the teams and our residents work really hard to maintain it. So, we agree we want to maintain that infrastructure and keep investing in it. And any threat to that is something we take very seriously, which is why we're involved or part of the reason we're involved in this case.
David Fair: And is this the first time the city has gone to this length to intervene in a rate case?
Missy Stults: No, but it is the first time we've gone to this length in a gas case. So, almost since I've been at the city, which, oh my goodness, it's almost six years now, we've been in electric cases.
David Fair: Right.
Missy Stults: We intervene on the rate cases. This is the first time that we've been on the gas side of things. So, there's a lot of learning that's happening. There's a lot of process work, but I would say it's not outside of the scope. When we intervene in cases, we take it very seriously. We don't represent an interest. We represent the public. And so, we really want to make sure that whatever we present and however we frame arguments is grounded in the public benefit.
David Fair: Once again, this is WEMU, and we're talking with Ann Arbor's director of sustainability and innovations, Missy Stults, on Issues of the Environment. Now, to this point, all the issues we discussed fit into that ongoing conversation and action measures undertaken as part of the A2Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan. This is obviously an opportunity to further advance the notion of getting to carbon neutrality by 2030. Is that part of what you hope the outcome of these cases before the Michigan Public Service Commission will lead to that move away from natural gas?
Missy Stults: Yes. And not just for Ann Arbor. We're having broader conversations as we look at the state schools or the MI Healthy Climate Plan or surrounding municipalities. We want to see the utility do what's known as a future of gas study. We want them to actually understand how are they going to meet their own climate goals, because what we're seeing is not actually a pathway. You know, DTE has decarbonization goals. What are the specific actions they're going to take to get there? We need to know that. We need to understand it. We need to see the calculus. And we need to be able to understand from a ratepayer perspective if those are the right pathways. You know, we hear about blending hydrogen into the system. Well, great! What most people might not know is that hydrogen can only be blended to a certain percentage. And then, you have to replace the pipes anyway. And not only do you have to replace the pipes, you have to replace the equipment the pipes' attached to. You are now talking about your furnace. I'm talking about the things in your home. And so, if our utility is seriously considering a transition to hydrogen that's going to require replacement of all pipes and indoor infrastructure, we better know that because that's a very expensive proposition. And if that's the proposition, why are we not talking about district geothermal? Why are we not talking about other solutions? We're asking, in this case, to deeply understand what is the proposed pathway to decarbonization? And what are the impacts on people, on our rates, on our infrastructure, on our planet, so we can all make an informed decision. And we just don't have those insights. They haven't been shared with us.
David Fair: And, obviously, that's where the conversation will move from here. But to bring us full circle for our conversation today, is there a plan in the works to protect impacted trees in Ann Arbor if no remediation of methane leaks is going to take place?
Missy Stults: It's a good question. I think that I might be a little bit outside of my technical ability to answer that immediately. I mean, what we're trying to do is the image I'd use is if you've got a leak, right, if the faucet is running, the first thing you do when it's flooding your house is you turn off the faucet. So, we're trying to do that first, right? We're trying to fix the leak that's causing the problem. If we're incapable of doing that, we are going to have to find an alternative solution. But I will say we will not stop fighting. If we've got a gas system that is hurting the health of our planet and our city, we're not going away in terms of finding a solution to that.
David Fair: Well, thank you so much for bringing us up to speed today, Missy. I do appreciate it. And I will look forward to our next conversation!
Missy Stults: It sounds great, David! And thanks everybody! More information is available on the city's website, too. This is a very technical topic.
David Fair: And we will certainly have all the links available to all of you at wemu.org. Missy Stults is sustainability and innovation director for the City of Ann Arbor. And Issues of the Environment comes to you every Wednesday and is produced in partnership with the office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti.
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