Kathryn Grant at the
groundbreaking for the
Wiregrass Solar LLC plant:
We’re here to oppose the biomass plant…. We want people to know we support solar energy in hopes that that could be incorporated throughout the state.Here’s the video:
-jsq
Dr. Michael Noll at the
groundbreaking for the
Wiregrass Solar LLC plant:
We’re all for solar, go solar! But no to biomass.Here’s the video:
More Noll here.
-jsq
It was good to see
Georgia Power assisting at the groundbreaking of the
Wiregrass Solar LLC plant, instead of just studying and demonstrating.
The speaker equated solar, biomass, and nuclear.
Hm, what’s that over their heads?
Why, biomass doesn’t seem to be as popular as solar!
I didn’t catch the speaker’s name, but he also recognized
Robbie Hastings, detail manager in Valdosta.
Here’s
the video:
Georgia Power had several pages in the business section of the Valdosta Daily Times (VDT) the previous Sunday, written up on Monday as Harnessing the sun’s rays: Georgia Power kicks off 18-month solar power study, by Karah-Leigh Hancock, about what Gapower is doing instead of actually deploying solar: Continue reading
I’m in favor of solar plants, and it was good to see the participants
helping out at the groundbreaking for the Wiregrass Solar LLC plant
at the Valdosta Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant yesterday.
But wait! What’s that behind them?
Seems like even solar supporters aren’t all in favor of the
proposed neighboring biomass plant.
In this post are videos of the speeches by VLCIA personnel;
speeches by other dignitaries will follow.
Brad Lofton,
Executive Director of the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
said they’ll have a commissioning reception in a few months
(currently scheduled for
Wednesday 16th April 2011)
to which they’ll invite “the entire City Council
and the County Commission.”
Interestingly, there was nobody from the County Commission
at this groundbreaking ceremony.
They’ve said they’re in favor of biomass;
are they not in favor of solar?
Lofton says they’ll also invite
“…the governor of Georgia who has about half a million dollars invested in this project.”
Lofton also said:
“We’ll go around and if anybody has any comments, I’d like you to make them.”Hm, they never seemed to get around to me.
Brad Lofton explained that the property for the solar plant is owned by the City of Valdosta and leased to VLCIA and then subleased Continue reading
Deploying on a solar plant
does require a bit of legal work, and
the
attorney’s report
at the February VLCIA board meeting
mostly consisted of talk about completion of lease and sublease
agreements with Wiregrass Solar LLC.
What’s that, you may wonder, if you’re used to hearing about
Wiregrass Power LLC,
the shell corporation VLCIA contracted with for the biomass plant.
That one still exists,
but according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office,
Wiregrass Solar LLC
was registered 19 May 2010.
The agent is the same as for the other shell cojmpany:
Tammi Cody, 3500 Parkway Lane Suite 500, Norcross GA 30092.
The agent county is given as Gwinnett.
Here’s the video:
-jsq
At the February VLCIA board meeting, Col. Ricketts said groundbreaking
for the solar plant is scheduled for February 21st with production
less than two months after that.
Here you can see his timeline slide.
It’s a bit hard to read, but he mentioned at least these items:
Dan Chapman
writes in the AJC:
The premise, and the promise, were brilliant in their simplicity: Turn tree waste into fuel, help break the Middle Eastern choke hold on America’s economy and bring hundreds of jobs to rural Georgia.Hm, who was involved in that?What wasn’t there to like?
Plenty, starting with the closing last month of the Range Fuels cellulosic ethanol factory that promised to help make Georgia a national leader in alternative energy production. Then there’s the money — more than $162 million in local, state and federal grants, loans and other subsidies committed to the venture.
“Range Fuels represents a new future for our country,” proclaimed then-Gov. Sonny Perdue, flanked by dignitaries and beauty queens. “With Georgia’s vast, sustainable and renewable forests, we will lead the nation.”That reminds me of this press release from 15 Sep 2009:
“Georgia’s status as the nation’s Bioenergy Corridor continues to grow with the location of a renewable energy power plant in Valdosta,” said Governor Perdue. “Our vast supply of biomass, technology innovations and business-friendly environment are very attractive to companies such as Wiregrass Power.”Will history repeat itself?
-jsq
Sure, everyone wants jobs for the people right now and jobs
so the children don’t have to go somewhere else to find one.
But what good is that if those jobs suck up all the water
those children need to drink?
This is the problem:
“What I believe the three most important things are, not only for our community, and our state, and our country, but for our country, thats jobs number 1, jobs number 2, and jobs.”
I shook Brad Lofton’s hand after that speech and told him I liked it, because I did: in general it was a positive speech about real accomplishments. I’ve also pointed out I had a few nits with that speech. This one is more than a nit. This one is basic philosophy and policy.
Now one would expect an executive director of an industrial authority to be all about jobs. And that would be OK, if Continue reading
In a generally congenial and well-received speech
to the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCoC), Industrial
Authority (VLCIA) executive director Brad Lofton
gave an update on various projects and concluded
by asking for input.
“Economic development is a team sport,” he said, and
“Give us ideas” and “There’s one of us and hundreds of you.”
Lofton was introduced by LPCoC chairman Dan Bremer who said that Lofton and VLCIA brought a plant to Lake Park with 400 workers.
In his speech, Lofton lauded the LPCoC as a great incubator of local businesses.
It’s going to come from all of you.He talked about expanding local industries, especially PCA at length, asking David Carmon of PCA to stand up, saying PCA made a $230 million expansion in 2010, and noting “We had to compete for the PCA project.” Continue reading
Following up on his previous correspondence. -jsq
Continue readingFrom: Russ Anderson
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:20:24 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn: Clarifications on my comments
To: blofton@industrialauthority.com, info@sterlingplanet.com, bmaddox@sterlingplanet.comBrad,
I’m not saying the project is good, responsible, that it will actually happen, and def. not that you are in any way right in your opinions of “green” and “renewable”.
Furthermore, I really wish you could get beyond the talking point of “the agencies and groups endorsing similar projects”, because again that is a highly contestable and skewed figure as many local, regional, and national agencies, groups, and networks still voice heavy opposition to this issue and biomass incineration.
Using words like green, renewable, etc. does not magically make it so. I know all about framing language and tactics of those wishing to line their pockets and exploit subsidy and tax loopholes. The simple fact that you are so set in your opinion and mentality is quite alarming..
For example, I am more than willing to embrace control technologies and