Category Archives: Environment

the myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit” –Dr. Noll

A followup to his presentation at LCC last Tuesday. -jsq
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:59:50 -0500
From: noll_family
To: apaulk@lowndescounty.com, jevans@lowndescounty.com, rraines@lowndescounty.com, cpowell@lowndescounty.com
CC: kay.harris, “John S. Quarterman”
Subject: Last Night’s Meeting

Dear Chairman Paulk and Commissioners.

Thanks for providing my wife and I and others opposed to the biomass plant the opportunity to address you last night. As a follow-up to last night’s meeting, let me share some thoughts with you, including reflections on a comment made about other “biomass incinerators” in our county and the continuing myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit”:

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Environmental interest –Bobbi Anne Hancock

She says she has asked the Industrial Authority who in our local community has done studies on the environment and our health? She says she understands that they have constituents who are not from here, but who locally can do some investigating that specifically cares about Lowndes County, who has the environmental expertise?

Chairman Paulk thanks her for their earlier conversation, and says: “I will seek an answer.”


Video by John S. Quarterman
of the regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 25 Jan 2011
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Two cameras and the sound is bad in both, although for other speakers it’s fine. I attribute it to the microphone being too far away from her, and when Chairman Paulk speaks to the audience he leans around his laptop and thus away from his microphone.

-jsq

“Georgia’s EPA standards are a lot lower than other standards”

I didn’t get this questioner’s name. He wanted to know:
Georgia’s EPA standards are a lot lower than other standards and lower than federal EPA standards that are coming along. My question is what will the plant do when these new standards come along?
A: Don’t know what you got; probably didn’t include studies. GA EPD issues a permit.
No answer about when new standards come along.


Video by Gretchen Quarterman of 6 Dec 2011 VLCIA biomass event
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

-jsq

“An error was made” –Luana Goodwin

This LTE appeared in the VTD 23 Jan 2011. -jsq
I wonder if there is any way for the Industrial Authority, County Commission and City Council to now do the right thing for Lowndes County. How can they save face?

Reading the scientific data makes it clear that an error was made, and clearly this data wasn’t made available to those who have been charged with finding appropriate industry for us, industry that will raise the quality of life for the citizens of Lowndes County by providing good jobs. They can be excused for an industry that provides only a few jobs. Jobs are jobs, after all. But how can we help them apologize to all of us and thank those citizens who have spent so many hours of their own time gathering information and providing a forum to educate us? I wish it were possible.

Luana Goodwin
Valdosta

NAACP asks EPA for review of biomass plant permit

More from the NAACP about Wiregrass Power LLC’s proposed biomass plant. -jsq
From: Leigh Touchton
Subject: NAACP Georgia State Conference asks EPA for review of Wiregrass permit
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:39:26 -0500
To: [numerous parties]

Apparently some people have incorrect information about the Georgia State NAACP Conference position. Please see attached.

Attached was a PDF file. Here’s an excerpt. Continue reading →

Granting a permit is not evaluating safety –Dr. Sammons

Dr. Sammons responds to Brad Lofton’s email. -jsq
From: Bill [Sammons]
Cc: [Dr. Noll, Kay Harris, jsq, lhenderson, hopeforcleanwater]
To: blofton@industrialauthority.com, leigh.touchton@gmail.com, aricketts@industrialauthority.com, [Roy Copeland, Mary Gooding]
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:44:54 -0500
Subject: Re: Background information on Dr. Christopher Teaf

Dear Mr. Lofton:

Having talked with many different people in different departments in multiple state governments I do not think that any of them would suggest that granting a permit is the same as “do nothing but evaluate the safety of these projects”. When asked they all say the are following the guidelines set out by EPA/state regulations– they are not evaluating the safety of each project. Many will admit in private that the regulations/guidelines are not up to date with science, but the people in the permitting agencies do not have the authority to grant the permit based on the best available science/data. It’s not dissimilar to discussions of BACT– depending on the size of the stationary source not all BACT is the same.

As an example if you look at the EPA regulations on PM 2.5

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Biomass Rising echoes from Macon

Patrick Davis sums up the Valdosta biomass situation from Macon:
It appears to be the mainly conservative power structure of Lowndes trying to force this business venture into Valdosta’s community and not considering the environmental dangers.
He has some interesting points, such as who just got appointed to the EPD. I think he overestimates the power of the Valdosta mayor, however.

-jsq

“I don’t feel my interests were adequately represented” –Matt Flumerfelt

First-time speaker Matt Flumerfelt notes the Valdosta City Council and the Lowndes County Commission both disclaim responsibility for the Industrial Authority even though both appoint its members, and he thinks that may make VLCIA’s contract for the biomass plant challengeable on constitutional grounds. He also sent LAKE the appended article on 20 Jan 2011.

Video by John S. Quarterman of the regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 20 January 2011, for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Faith In Technology Is What Got Us Into This Mess

by Matt Flumerfelt

Many people in the Valdosta-Lowndes County community have faith that the proposed Biomass incinerator won’t harm anyone or anything, but faith in technology is what got us into our current environmental mess in the first place. Those old enough to remember the nuclear power debate will remember how many people gave assurances that nuclear power was safe, yet we see today how difficult nuclear waste is to dispose of and how much damage it has caused when things go wrong, which, human nature being what it is, they inevitably do. The recent gulf oil spill would not have happened if

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Text of letter from Russell Anderson to officials

Can you find a “veiled threat” in the appended letter? LAKE couldn’t.

Some people seem to be forming opinions of that letter without ever having read it. LAKE has published links to a PDF of it from four previous posts: “Far from Over”, “What is Fiery Roots”, Russell Anderson Responds, and “We got off on the wrong foot”. Formerly LAKE only had a PDF of a scan of a paper copy of the email of 3 Jan 2011. Per request, Russell Anderson has sent plain text, which appears below. -jsq

All,

My name is Russell Anderson. I am the Co-Director of Collectiveprogression.org and graduate of Valdosta State. I am writing to inform you of my intent to publish the below piece on our website and to our readership as well as produce a full length documentary about the community struggle against the proposed Wiregrass LLC biomass incinerator. I have you all on this email {Sterling Assets, Langdale’s, Council, Commissioners, Authority, Attorneys} and ALL of you have continued to pass the blame and buck on the building of this plant. Rather than doing the more responsible thing (pending EIS),

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Using sludge to build better communities –Matt Flumerfelt

This LTE appeared in the VDT 18 Jan 2011. -jsq
I was recently reading “Masterpieces of Eloquence,” which includes a speech delivered by the fourth Earl of Chesterfield to the House of Lords in Feb., 1743. “The bill now under our consideration appears to me to deserve a much closer regard than seems to have been paid to it in the other House, through which it was hurried with the utmost precipitation, and where it passed almost without the formality of a debate. Nor can I think that earnestness with which some lords seem inclined to press it forward here consistent with the importance of the consequences which may with great reason be expected from it.” He goes on to say, “surely it never before was conceived, by any man entrusted with the administration of public affairs, to raise taxes by the destruction of the people.”

I find this quote applies exactly, mutatis mutandis, to the present situation. The effects of these toxic chemicals are far more devastating to my mind than the effects of gin. The science panel assembled by Michael is more credible than the assurances of the industrial authority expert. In fact, the emissions from the plant are so close to the permit threshold that they could easily exceed that threshhold on occasion. Would the IA expert then continue to hold the position that there is “No health hazard to the public?” I don’t think anyone who favors the proposal is aware of the enormity that could result if the plant goes into operation. They have left the public health out of their equation. They have just enough science, they think, to push the deal through over the objections of an easily deceived public.

Matt Flumerfelt
Valdosta