Tag Archives: LAKE

Sun and wind are winning over fracked methane shale gas –Goldman Sachs

Solar PV, onshore wind, electric vehicles, and LED lighting will win for all of us and profit in the next five years, says Goldman Sachs, which just put $150 billion of its own money where its mouth is. How about you, world leaders gathered in Paris?

Chris Martin, BloombergBusiness, 30 November 2015, Wind, Solar Power to Supply More Energy Than Shale, Goldman Says,

New wind turbines and solar panels worldwide will provide more energy over the next five years than U.S. shale-oil production has over the past five, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Four Front Runners

The leading renewable-energy technologies will add the equivalent of 6.2 million barrels of oil a day to the global energy mix, exceeding the 5.7 million barrels a day pumped from U.S. shale oil wells since 2010, analysts including Brian Lee and Jaakko Kooroshy said in a research report Monday….

“Wind and solar are on track to exceed 100 gigawatts in new installations for the first time,” Continue reading

Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant packet materials @ GLPC 2015-11-30

The mysterious missing materials from Monday’s Planning Commission meeting are on the LAKE website now, thanks to Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport, by electronic mail today, 3 December 2015.

He explained that this requested zoning, REZ-2015-20, was a followon to rezoning REZ-2010-15 from 2010 for the new Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant, plus since then Valdosta had bought another adjoining parcel. The materials explain the current concerns about buffers, setbacks, roads, other uses, noise, lights, etc.; see the text pages. The County Planner said the packet for next week’s County Commission meetings will also include an agenda item cover sheet.

For all the other packet items from Monday’s GLPC meeting, see the previous post. See also the related variance VAR-2015-16 that was before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) Tuesday.

Here’s the beginning of the overview from the GLPC materials:

The main reason for this request is the current conditional requirement of a bermed buffer along the norther boundary of the subject property. Right now if the previously approved conditions (Attached toward the end of the packet), approved site plan (Attached . . ,), and ULDC are combined it looks like what is currently required to be constructed is Continue reading

Videos: MAZ, Tillman Crossing, Withlacoochee River WWTP, 7 * Valdosta @ GLPC 2015-11-30

Still invisible: the change to Valdosta’s Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Documents related to all the other items are inked into the agenda in a previous post.

Moody AFB speaking about proposed Lowndes County MAZ ULDC text amendments
Moody AFB speaking about proposed Lowndes County MAZ ULDC text amendments

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MAZ comparison table: TRC, Chamber, GLPC –Jason Davenport @ GLPC 2015-11-30

Contested County Planner Jason Davenport sent email to the Planning Commission yesterday noon before their evening meeting:

In light of the comments from the Chamber of Commerce from last week related to TXT-2015-01 I have prepared a document that helps show the amendments and various TRC and Chamber recommendations/comments side by side. The amendments are overall organized into two groups, those that are recommended for approval and have no objection and those that have opposition and/or other comments. I will plan to provide physical copies of the attached document at tonight’s meeting. Thank you.

Maybe this is a precedent for the county taking citizen comments more seriously; one hopes it doesn’t apply only to the Chamber.

Here’s the table (PDF on LAKE website), Continue reading

Valdosta packet items @ GLPC 2015-11-30

Within hours in response to an open records request she took over the telephone, Zoning Location Map Valdosta City Clerk Teresa Bolden sent PDF of the packet materials for the six Valdosta items for tonight’s GLPC meeting, at no charge, including all the maps. See below those six Valdosta items linked into a copy of agenda: a funeral home, a radio station, a church accessory, a community commercial rezoning, an amendment to a Planned Development, and City of Valdosta sign regulations changes.

The change to the Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant remains invisible, because, since it’s in the Lowndes County part of the agenda, the City of Valdosta can’t divulge it. The materials for the county subdivision rezoning after the old US 41 N widening. and the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) Text Amendments are also linked into the agenda below.

-jsq

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission Continue reading

Southern Company buys 157MW Roserock Solar Farm in Texas

That’s great, but how about more of those hundreds of construction jobs and operation money right back here to Georgia? But since you’re buying solar power, why do you need to buy a pipeline company? How about helping us against Sabal Trail invading us from Texas through Southern Company territory?

Southern Company PR, 30 November 2015, Southern Company subsidiary acquires first solar project in Texas,

Continue reading

Cell tower, cemetery, sewer, and radio tower @ ZBOA 2015-12-01

Two ZBOA agenda items for tomorrow are also on the Planning Commission agenda for tonight: the Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant and the radio tower Snake Nation Press for WSNK-LP, Valdosta Community Radio. Apparently both of these applicants want a variance from ZBOA in addition to a conditional use permit.

Verizon wants a variance in Hahira for a cell tower and the Lucas Brothers want a cemetery variance.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

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MAZ, Tillman Crossing, Withlacoochee River WWTP, 7 * Valdosta @ GLPC 2015-11-30

An invisible change to Valdosta’s Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Already a subdivision rezoning after the old US 41 N widening. And still going in its third year, the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) Text Amendments, with updates last week, including the Chamber’s latest position, all on top of the previous updates. Those are just the Lowndes County cases on the agenda tonight for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

The six Valdosta cases include a funeral home, a radio station, a church accessory, a community commercial rezoning, an amendment to a Planned Development, and City of Valdosta sign regulations changes.

All that plus Continue reading

MAZ and Tillman Crossing Packet Updates @ GLPC Work 2015-11-23

Updates about Moody, Tillman Crossing, and the Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant, Non-Conforming Lots, MAZ Map, 2015-11-03 (1 of 2: New Bethel Road) for tonight’s Planning Commission meeting, received after last week’s GLPC Work Session. I would post tonight’s GLPC agenda, but it’s not on the county’s website.

See the surprise addition in this update of REZ-2015-20 City of Valdosta WWTP, about which details were not included: “The proposed site plan is the same one that was presented to you with your paperwork last night.” So if you’re not a Planning Commissioner, you don’t get to see what the City of Valdosta is proposing for its new Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Another item is apparently known by several names: Continue reading

A clean energy future is already arriving –350.org & LNS

I’m thankful we’re already on the way to a clean energy future, Big Light bulb with more jobs, less expense than doing nothing, no new nukes, no coal at all, much less natural gas, no need for any new pipelines, better health, clean air and water, and profit. The COP meeting in Paris can do what it will, and we can still make a better world and profit by it. We’re already doing it, with solar and wind power, energy efficiency and conservation,

The Clean Energy Future: Protecting the Climate, Creating Jobs, Saving Money, by Frank Ackerman of Synapse for LNS and 350.org:

[M]eeting the IPCC targets will… create more jobs and save money.

This report, Continue reading