CASE STUDIES

The McCartin Group Services Provided

The Client
Energy Services - Manitowoc LLC
The McCartin Group - Hammond, Indiana

The Issue
The McCartin Group, a Hammond, Indiana, company that provides capital and construction services to the electric power industry, hired Neil Palmer & Associates to manage regulatory permitting and public outreach for a 99-megawatt power plant in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The Actions
Neil Palmer & Associates developed a regulatory and public affairs plan in close cooperation with the project developer and environmental consultant, contributing to an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) filed with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The EIR initiated the agency’s public record and served as the foundation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Such a document is necessary to obtain air and water permits for the plant’s construction and operation

Neil Palmer & Associates established an identity for the project, creating a logo, letterhead, brochure and a comprehensive set of public information materials. These materials were used to reach out to the people of Manitowoc, assuring them of a project that would be developed with a minimum of impact to the community. Open houses were conducted to announce the project and later to provide information on the review and approval process. Neil Palmer & Associates also served as media relations and local government relations representatives for ESM. Third-party support for the project was developed by reaching out to local businesses and industries s well as trade unions.

The Results
Energy Services of Manitowoc LLC is the first solid-fuel power plant to receive an air permit in Wisconsin in 20 years. The McCartin Group collaborated with Belgium-based Alstom Power to develop the power plant in a vacant industrial site along Lake Michigan.