Last night the County Commission Chairman turned a routine event invitation
into front page news in the VDT this morning:
http://valdostadailytimes.com/local/x1162624684/Paulk-No-more-biomass:
Lowndes County Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk called a halt Tuesday evening to commissioners hearing biomass comments during public portions of regular board meetings.LAKE has videos; here’s a playlist, and here it is embedded: Continue reading
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:10:58 +0000Continue readingGood evening everyone.
It is obvious by now that Mr. Lofton has no proof whatsoever that biomass is “safe”. He does not have one statement by a medical organization, not one scholarly publication he can share with us that backs up his claim. (Coincidentally, the same is true for other claims, as the event on January 13 will show.)
Members of WACE (and others in the community) have tried to receive proof
On 28 Dec 2010
Brad Lofton wrote:
No one but WACE has made any claims about our efforts to substantiate this project.Who are all these people, then, asking questions at the VLCIA’s 6 Dec 2010 event?
For example, this one, following up about the Environmental Impact Study he requested back at the EPD air quality hearing (see video of that event). He didn’t get an answer then, and at VLCIA’s 6 Dec event he still only got allusions to studies and standards that were not produced.
You can see Brad Lofton in that video, listening. Did he forget so quickly?
What about SAVE’s event at VSU at which Dr. Sammons spoke? What about the well-attended Biomass Town Hall that Pastor Angela Manning organized? And other events.
What about my question at the 6 Dec 2010 VLCIA board meeting? Continue reading
From: Michael G. NollContinue reading
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:42:44 +0000Mr. Lofton.
Let’s remain focused on the health risks associated with your biomass project, the most important issue for our community. (WACE will deal with other claims you make, yet can’t back up with scientific studies, on January 13.)
The only thing the public has received in regard to your claim that biomass is safe are your “assurances” and the testimony by a hired gun, who is not even a medical professional, and who also could not back up his claim. No scientific studies. No statements by medical organizations. No links to scholarly publications. Nothing.
At the same time,
In these two videos, Col. Ricketts responds to materials sent to VLCIA
by WACE.
He dismisses certain material as being
from Massachusetts
or being from
“folks come into the community.”
That’s rather rich, since as near as I can tell,
all of VLCIA’s “expert” panelists at their
6 Dec 2010 event
were from not from around here.
Some were from states a thousand miles from here.
Maybe somebody can transcribe
Brad Lofton’s enumeration of those “experts” from the board meeting,
since as near as I can tell VLCIA has provided no written list of them.
And of course Sterling Planet is located in Atlanta, not Lowndes County.
In the first video, Col. Ricketts says he’s responding to WACE materials: Continue reading
A week after Brad Lofton failed to produce evidence and offered
to file Dr. Noll’s correspondence “in the appropriate file”,
VLCIA has still not published the videos or slides from their
6 Dec 2010 event at the Rainwater Conference Center.
However, Brad Lofton and Col. Ricketts summarized that event for the VLCIA board at their recent board meeting, and they never presented any actual evidence there, either.
Brad Lofton said his toxicologist says the biomass plant in “no way shape or form” will cause health problems. Then he rattled off a long list of supporters of a Gainesville biomass plant. The rest of this post has videos of what he and Col. Ricketts said, plus screenshots of each of Dr. Teaf’s slides: see if you can find the details. Continue reading
From: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>,
To: “Michael G. Noll”, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris
Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 14:01:51 -0500Dr. Noll-
Please feel free to continue sending e-mails, and we will make sure they get in the appropriate file. We appreciate your passion for one of our projects. As I mentioned yesterday, we’re enthusiastically moving forward at this time, and we will be breaking ground in the Spring.
Thanks,
BL
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
From: “Michael G. Noll”Continue reading
To: “blofton@industrialauthority.com”, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan”, <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris
Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:55:18 +0000Mr. Lofton.
Moving forward with a project like yours
is nothing short of irresponsible and speaks of the lack of respect you have for the health of our community.
- after it has been established that biomass is dirtier than coal (see the data we shared from the Georgia EPD)
- after it has been established by medical associations throughout the country that the hundreds of tons of pollutants your proposed plant would spewout (as identified in your own application) would result in significant health issues (increase and/or worsening of COPD, asthma, cancer, heart disease)
The fact remains that you have not been able to provide quantitative data or scientific studies that prove that biomass is “clean” or
From: “Michael G. Noll”Continue reading
To: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris
Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:19:15 +0000Hello Mr. Lofton.
You might remember that WACE handed out a “Myth vs. Fact” info sheet at the meeting. On it were clearly outlined major issues we have with your biomass project. I will only entertain the first three to refresh your memory, since they are the most important facts for our community:
From: Brad Lofton <blofton@industrialauthority.com>Continue reading
To: Michael Noll, “Mary B. Gooding”, Allan Ricketts <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, Roy Copeland, “John S. Quarterman, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:51:53 -0500
Subject: Re: Wiregrass Power, LLCGood morning Dr. Noll-
Thanks for your e-mail. With all due respect, however, your memory doesn’t serve you correctly, and I would ask you to please review your notes again. The environmental consultant from Golder referred extensively to a seven month environmental analysis performed by the EPD in our state. I’m confused why a seven month study performed by the impartial environmental and regulatory group empowered to provide governance and decisions related to this project isn’t a sufficient enough environmental study for you. During the forum, Golder and Associates, a world renown environmental engineering firm, also went on to provide results of their extensive air modeling study. The fuel supply expert presented the results of a detailed study his firm had just completed that showed 13 times the required regional wood waste fuel needed for this plant. This was his firm’s 20th study across the country, and they are considered experts. The Ph.D economist cited an extensive study his firm had just completed successfully defending a similar biomass facility before the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The Toxicologist has over 27 years of experience and is a leading expert at a major U.S. University. If you would read his CV,