Tag Archives: Floridan Aquifer

Video: Solar panels, heck yeah! –Tom Fanning, CEO, at SO stockholder meeting 2017-05-24

Tom Fanning, our genial CEO host, said some things I’ve never heard him say before like Southern Company is “pivoting towards wind” and SO’s board soon has to decide whether to go forward with Plant Vogtle “or not” probably by August. Fanning gets the first and last word in this blog post, plus a complete transcript of what I asked and Tom Fanning’s response, along with summaries of the other questions and answers.

Well see how it develops --Tom Fanning
Please hear me! I think renewables are exceedingly important in the future.
— Tom Fanning, CEO, Southern Company

In SO’s own meeting video of the 25 May 2017 Stockholder Meeting, you can see much praise about solar power and wind and R&D and a smart grid, along with stockholders wondering: Continue reading →

Videos: Sewage, Coal Ash, Historic Preservation, a dead cat, and turkeys @ VCC 2016-03-09

The Valdosta City Council heard from citizens about coal ash, wastewater, and toxic waste in the landfill. Mayor John Gayle offered to answer later in his office Eric Howard’s question about wastewater in his yard. The Mayor expressed his opinion that he and the council couldn’t do anything about the landfill, and read for yourself what he said about the Florida county resolutions about Valdosta wastewater. George Boston Rhynes told a droll tale about a dead cat and turkeys.

The Historic Preservation appeal was long and contentious, with the Mayor twice breaking a tie because only four City Council members were there: the appeal was approved. A citizen spoke about that afterwards, as did Council Tim Carroll.

Council Robert Yost recommended all the Hospital Authority Board should resign.

They unanimously approved both of the rezoning items; ditto the right of way maintenance bids.

And Firefighter Michael Penland is employee of the month.

Below are links to the LAKE video of each item, with a few notes (some drawn from Valdosta’s own SUMMARY OF ACTIONS), followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.

Brief agenda plus Water @ VCC 2016-03-09

No water on the agenda, but there’s a WWALS event for those who want to speak about water issues.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, March 9, 2017
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Valdosta City Council

  1. Opening Ceremonies Continue reading →

Pipeline in Floridan Aquifer is total insanity –Marcellus Shale drilling veteran @ FERC Lake City 2015-10-01

“If you go through with this, you stand a very good chance of destroying this [the Floridan Aquifer] the rest of our lifetimes. And in many lifetimes to come.” Said Marcellus shale drilling veteran Rocky Stewart to FERC in Lake City, Florida, October 1st 2015. Transcript and video:

I am a homeowner in Suwannee County, by Boys Ranch, I currently do not live there, I live in Corpus Christi [Texas]. I’m sure some people here regard me as the enemy, but I am in total opposition to what you all have planned.

By profession, I’m what’s known as Continue reading →

Insanity: Sabal Trail pipeline in karst sinkhole Floridan Aquifer @ FERC Lake City 2015-10-01

“What you all have proposed is total insanity…. experts lie… The companies, they don’t care. It’s just greed and arrogance,” said a Marcellus Shale drilling veteran. Karst mitigation won’t work according to Sabal Trail’s own FERC filings, children downwind of compressor, Sabal Trail quashing evidence of its unwanted, unneeded, and unsafe Sinkhole Pipeline, and FERC is cigarette companies pushing cancer cigarettes: on the wrong side of history. We aren’t your test subjects and we can win!

Videos from previous FERC meetings:

-jsq

Videos: Trash, Vallotton agriculture, animals, body armor, HEAT, water, and a canopy road @ LCC 2015-04-14

ADS trash collection price and performance wasn’t on the agenda, but even former Commissioner Richard Lee stood up to speak about it two weeks ago at the April 14th 2015 Regular Session, along with two other citizens David Eaton and me. See also VDT trash story. The VDT didn’t pick up on Ann Swayze’s smoot and soot concerns also being related, because nobody stood up to complain about burning in Foxborough before the collection centers closed.

Commissioners did the right thing and unanimously rezoned Vallotton Farms back to Estate Agriculture, like it was before county-wide rezoning happened. It wasn’t like the County Planner said, “it has developed around it in an urban way”. The subject land and landowners didn’t do that: other people have built subdivisions around it the the county’s active promotion. And for once agriculture won, after landowner attorney Bill Langdale, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, and I spoke up for it.

They’re even going to preserve the canopy on Boring Pond Road and I thanked the County Engineer for that.

The two Sheriff’s requests for Continue reading →

Videos: Vallotton agriculture, animals, body armor, HEAT, water, waste, and a canopy road @ LCC 2015-04-13

The County Planner said “I can’t tell you anything beyond that” about why Vallotton Farms is requesting rezoning to Estate Agriculture, which is mysterious, since he (and the County Chairman) sat through the entire Planning Commission explanation by attorney Bill Langdale, several Planning Commissioners, and me: see the LAKE video of that GLPC item. The County Planner did say “we expect development” in that area. They vote on their expectations tonight at 5:30 PM, although they have to listen to citizens for and against first.

300x225 Canopy, in Boring Pond Road, by John S. Quarterman, 13 April 2015 I’d like to commend County Engineer Mike Fletcher for preserving the canopy in the plans for Boring Pond Road Phase III.

The Vickers rezoning item was withdrawn by applicant, and the County Planner yesterday morning explained that was because they’d worked out a way for the property to count as five acres so no rezoning was necessary. The Vickers Jennings rezoning to commercial is still being considered. Also discussed yesterday morning and to be voted on tonight at 5:30 PM are three water-related items, a Georgia Department of Agriculture Spay/Neuter Grant Request, two Sheriff’s requests ( body armor, and High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) Team grant), another paving items (Resurfacing of 3 County Roads (Howell Road, Whitewater Road and Ousley)) a Fuel Island Upgrade. The Execution of the Resolution for the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund is about reimbursement for monitoring of the closed Clyattville landfill about which the county chooses to reveal very little. Last I heard, the Sabal Trail methane pipeline was still proposed to go through there with its hundred-foot right of way and 36-inch pipe. I wonder how that would affect monitoring?

Here’s the agenda and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Why Vallotton wants to rezone back to agricultural @ GLPC 2015-03-30

Yesterday morning the County Planner seemed perplexed about 2. REZ-2015-06 withdrawn 3. REZ-2015-07 Vallotton Farms Inc. R21 to EA the Vallotton family request to go back to the most agricultural zoning, E-A. Yet he was there when Bill Langdale explained that at the Planning Commission 30 March 2015, aided by multiple Planning Commissioners, plus a few words from me.

He didn’t bring agriculture to the city; the city come to him….

I think it’s going to be real hard one day trying to eat this concrete.

–Tommy Willis

See for yourself. And remember the County Commission votes on this case this evening at 5:30 PM; maybe you’d like to come speak for. Continue reading →

Thanks for concern about drinking water from the Floridan Aquifer –Don Thieme about Valdosta draft resolution against Sabal Trail pipeline @ VCC 2014-12-09

Water matters, too, said a comment yesterday on We all live in Lowndes County: Valdosta Draft Resolution Against Sabal Trail Pipeline @ VCC 2014-12-09. The Valdosta City Council votes tonight at 5:30 PM on this resolution. And don’t forget to get your comments or motions to intervene to FERC before the deadline of 24 December 2014. -jsq

Many thanks to Tim Carroll for adding the part about this important environmental issue which affects everyone in the city of Valdosta and Lowndes County as well. This is not just about the property rights of a few concerned citizens although those are important as well and demand protection from elected politicians.

–Don Thieme

A newspaper opposes the pipeline: the Spectator

A major big city daily? A local newspaper of record along the proposed pipeline path? Nope: the Valdosta State University student newspaper, The Spectator, has done what its bigger newspaper colleagues have not dared: oppose the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and demand renewable energy instead. Where students lead, maybe their elders will follow.

Editorial in The Spectator 1 May 2014 (I added the links and images), Pipeline a risk to Valdosta, Continue reading →