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DTE Energy Receives Certification, Recognition -- Including Inaugural Prairies for Tomorrow Award -- from the Wildlife Habitat Council

Posted on: Monday, 1 December 2008, 11:43 CST

DETROIT, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- DTE Energy's wildlife habitat programs earned significant recognition last week at the Wildlife Habitat Council's (WHC) 20th Annual Symposium, 20/20 Vision: Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future. Habitat programs at six DTE Energy facilities received WHC certification for the first time, five other programs were recertified.

In addition, the Monroe Power Plant received special recognition as recipient of the inaugural Prairies for Tomorrow award and the MichCon Mt. Pleasant Service Center received a nomination for Rookie of the Year honors.

"While we appreciate the recognition that accompanies the certifications and awards, the true payoff for our efforts is seeing the land returned to its natural condition and seeing the wildlife re-inhabit the area," said Skiles Boyd, DTE Energy vice president, environmental management and resources. "It also is gratifying to see that the hard work and commitment by our employees -- who contribute hundreds of volunteer hours every year -- is appreciated and recognized as being successful."

The new Prairies for Tomorrow Award is presented jointly by the Wildlife Habitat Council and Pheasants Forever. It recognizes corporate wildlife habitat projects, specifically prairie restoration projects.

Prairies are home to myriad wildlife species, including pheasants, quail and a variety of endangered birds and other animals. Prairies also remove and store carbon from the atmosphere, conserve soil resources, and filter water run-off. Prairies are the fastest disappearing ecosystem on the planet.

In 2007, in partnership with, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever, and Monroe Public Schools, a team of Monroe Power Plant employees spearheaded the restoration 57 acres of farmland to prairie and 5 acres to wetland to create habitat for local and migratory wildlife populations. This wildlife habitat area is located south of the power plant on property which is used, in part, for ash disposal. The site allows direct access for students taking classes nearby at the Monroe Public Schools' Charles & June Knabusch Mathematics & Science Center. Student activities on the site include class projects, monitoring plant and animal populations and habitat management.

Also at the symposium, habitat programs at six new DTE Energy sites received certification by WHC. The addition of those six sites brings the total number of WHC-certified programs at DTE Energy facilities to 18, moving the company into the 4th position in total number of sites with WHC-certified programs. The newly certified sites are:

DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its largest operating units are Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan, and MichCon, a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio of businesses also includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, coal and gas midstream, unconventional gas production and energy trading. In 2006, DTE Energy posted revenues of approximately $9 billion. Information about DTE Energy is available at www.dteenergy.com.

SOURCE DTE Energy

Source: PR Newswire

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