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Waste Management's New Pine Tree Acres Green Energy Plant Begins Production

LENOX -- Waste Management announced today that the company has completed construction of its new gas-to-energy plant at the Pine Tree Acres Renewable Energy Facility in Lenox. The plant helps power approximately 12,000 Michigan homes and has created positions for five newly hired staff.

"Waste Management is committed to the investments and innovative technology required to bring a state-of-the-art facility like this to Macomb County communities," said Chuck Cassie, Senior District Manager for Waste Management. "By converting waste into energy for more than 12,000 residents, the new Pine Tree Acres Green Energy Plant represents the best of having tomorrow's technology here and now."

As waste naturally decomposes, it produces landfill gas, which can be captured and used as a green energy source and alternative to fossil fuels. At the Pine Tree Acres Renewable Energy Facility, up to 4,800 cubic feet per minute of landfill gas is being channeled into eight 20-cylinder Caterpillar engines to produce electricity. Located on 14.5 acres of land acquired from ANR Pipeline, the electricity generated at Pine Tree Acres is delivered to Consumers Energy using International Transmission Co.'s transmission system.

The new energy plant is designed to generate 12.8 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 12,000 Michigan homes. The other existing gas-to-energy plant at Pine Tree Acres generates 8.8 megawatts of electricity, which produces enough energy to power 7,500 homes. Through these two gas-to-energy facilities, Waste Management will be generating 21.6 megawatts of electricity, creating enough renewable energy to power approximately 19,500 homes.

"Green energy is reliable energy," said Cassie. "As technology allows Waste Management to extract more and more out of waste, landfill gas will continue serving as an ideal source of reliable energy -- for Macomb County and beyond."

Currently, Waste Management creates enough energy to power more than one million homes, and it is looking to double that to two million by 2020.

More at www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

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