Dr. Cristóbal Serrán-Pagán y Fuentes reminds us we don’t need a biomass plant
because:
We have plenty of sunshine here.
You’d think the Valdosta City Council would know that, since
only about a month ago
Mayor Fretti assisted groundbreaking for Wiregrass Solar LLC.
Maybe it takes somebody from Spain to remind everyone.
Spain, which is a leader in solar power in the world.
Spain, which is actually north of Georgia.
Protesters outside the
Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Mayor Anthony Baker of the City of Gretna announced today that in light
of Adage, LLC’s decision to suspend activity on its proposed Bioenergy
facility slated for construction in Gretna (as well as suspension
of its application for an air permit through the Florida Department
of Environmental Protection) that the City now considers this matter
closed and will take no further action on Adage’s request to locate
this facility in Gretna. Inasmuch as the Bioenergy Plant could neither
legally operate nor be sited in Gretna without an air permit, the City
concluded that this was no longer a viable project and Adage’s decision
to suspend activity on its air permit indicated that further consideration
of the project by the City was unwarranted. Since there were no issues
pending before the City of Gretna requiring action by its Commission
relative to the Plant, the Mayor deemed termination of the project as
final disposition of this matter as far as the City is concerned.
ATLANTA, March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power expects to request
approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission to decertify two
coal-generating units totaling 569 megawatts, the company announced
Wednesday.
The request to decertify units 1 and 2 at Plant Branch in Putnam Co. will
be included in Georgia Power’s updated Integrated Resource Plan filing
with the commission in late summer. The company expects to ask for
decertification of the units as of the effective dates of the Georgia
Multipollutant Rule, which are currently anticipated to be Dec. 31,
2013 for unit 1 and Oct. 1, 2013 for unit 2.
The decision to decertify the units is based on a need to install
environmental controls to meet a variety of existing and expected
environmental regulations.
“After an extensive analysis of the cost to comply with environmental
regulations, we have determined the continued operation of these units
would be uneconomical for our customers,” said Georgia Power President
and CEO Paul Bowers. “This decision is in keeping with our focus to
provide affordable and reliable electricity for our customers.”
Chairman Jerry Jennett asked for Citizens Wishing to be Heard,
and first up was
Leigh Touchton, President of
Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP,
who presented them
a letter from Dr. Robert D. Bullard,
about his findings that 80% of the residents
within one mile of the proposed Wiregrass Power Plant are black
and 75% of biomass facilities in Georgia are sited in minority/poor communities.
She
also said
she
was tired of people who are against biomass being
represented as a fanatical fringe crew,
primarily by Mr. Lofton,
considering she stood before them representing the local NAACP,
the Georgia state conference of the NAACP,
“the largest organization non-profit of voters in the state of Georgia”,
and the national NAACP.
Leigh Touchton, President, Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Perhaps I missd it because I was a few minutes late,
but this was the only mention of the Wiregrass Power LLC biomass plant
that I heard at this VLCIA board meeting.
Here is a letter that Leigh Touchton forwarded, noting,
“Ms. Colleen Kiernan gave me her permission to share it publicly.”
-jsq
March 9, 2011
Brad Lofton
Executive Director
Valdosta Lowndes County Industrial Authority
2110 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA 31602
RE: Sierra Club position on the Wiregrass Energy facility
Dear Mr. Lofton:
Congratulations on the groundbreaking of your solar facility last month.
The Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club is very pleased and excited to
see those types of clean, renewable projects coming online all across
our state, after years of Georgia Power claiming that solar wouldn’t
work in our state.
However, I am writing to you primarily on a different subject as it has
come to our attention that you continue to claim
While the search is on for a new director, now is the time for the city,
county and industrial authority board to come together to make some
decisions about the organization and what the community leadership needs
and wants it to be.
Why do some people deny the overwhelming science of climate
change in a time when the evidence and analysis is so thorough
and so conclusive that no reputable scientific organization
in the world doubts any longer that humans are changing the climate
of the whole planet for the worse:
because it threatens their political and economic beliefs.
Naomi Klein: Why Climate Change Is So Threatening to Right-Wing Ideologues:
And the reason is that climate change is now seen as an identity issue
on the right. People are defining themselves, like they’re against
abortion, they don’t believe in climate change. It’s part of who
they are.
It’s like denying the earth goes around the sun.
Why would they identify with such a silly thing?
Because of what actually dealing with climate change would mean:
Continue reading →
Monthly LAKE Meeting
When: 5:30-6:45 PM, Tuesday 1 March 2011
Updated meeting location
Where: home of Thomas Ieracitano
414 East Main Street, Hahira
229-251-2462
That’s on US 122, just east of the Masonic Lodge.
Thomas says:
“Bring a lawn chair, laptop (I will have Mediacom wireless)
and your own food and drink.”
If it rains or there are too many bugs or something,
we will move to:
Down Home Pizza
103 South Webb Street, Hahira
229-794-1888
Help cover food, water, transportation, incarceration, solar energy,
biomass, and regular local government meetings: you never know when
news will be made!
Dr. Cristóbal Serrán-Pagán y Fuentes reminds us we don’t need a biomass plant
because:
