U.S. president Jimmy Carter had a dream,
thirty six years before Pope Francis spelled out why we all need to escape a dark hot nightmare,
and Jimmy Carter’s sunny dream is now coming true.
Continue readingToday, in directly harnessing the power of the Sun, we’re taking the energy that God gave us, the most renewable energy that we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels.
Caught on-camera:
ALEC’s off-duty sheriff’s deputies getting TV reporters thrown out of their own hotel
for “taking pictures in the hotel”, after ALEC’s marketing droid denied any
lobbying going on, nevermind the lobbyist and
legislator in a bar spelling out how it works:
ALEC gives “scholarships” to legislators who then meet in closed rooms
with corporate reps (including all the companies involved in the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline) who have equal votes
on draft bills for legislators to get passed as law in many states.
Bills promoting fracking, pipelines, LNG export, and against solar power,
renewable portfolio standards, not to mention for private prisons
and privatized education and against municipal broadband and country-of-origin labelling, plus many other
corporate give-aways subsidized by the taxpayers and the environment.
It’s time for the IRS to revoke ALEC’s 501(c)(3) status.
And for the Georgia legislature to apply the state’s sunshine laws to itself.
Brendan Keefe and Michael King, WXIA-TV, 22 May 2015, Legislators and corporate lobbyists meet in secret at Georgia resort, Continue reading
Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News
A fire and shut down of Indian Point 3 didn’t even make the front page of the New York Times, and no mention that Spectra Energy wants to build its 42-inch fracked methane Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) only 1,500 feet from Indian Point. Plus an oil leak, all next to the Hudson River. Meanwhile, Oyster Creek (NJ), Three Mile Island 1 (PA), and Farley (AL) are all down, and numerous fire prevention deficiencies were reported for Hatch 1 and 2 (GA). When did you last hear of a solar leak or explosion?
Matt Spillane, lohud, 10 May 2015, VIDEO: Transformer fire, oil leak at Indian Point Energy Center, Continue reading
Changing the world is hard and takes courage, but that’s why we will win. Bill Sargent had given up on global projects and turned to smaller local problems where it seemed there was a greater change of making a real difference. He wrote for Harvard Heat Week 27 April 2015, Heat Week: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks,
But then I met Divest Harvard. Here was a group of bright, eager, sleep-deprived young undergraduates and grad students — free of such skepticism and willing to take on both Big Oil and the richest University in the world in one fell swoop.
He listed a number of ways Divest Harvard is winning because they chose the biggest targets under adverse conditions. For example: Continue reading
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
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.
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
Update 2015-04-13: videos.
The three rezonings from the Planning Commission are on the agenda for this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session. One has been withdrawn by applicant, Vallotton Farms still wants to rezone to Estate Agriculture, and another wants to rezone to commercial. Also to be considered this morning and voted on tomorrow evening 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), two paving items (Boring Pond Road Phase III and Resurfacing of 3 County Roads (Howell Road, Whitewater Road and Ousley)) a Fuel Island Upgrade, and what’s this about Execution of the Resolution for the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund? Ah, that’s 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?
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Continue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Now that Atlanta has finally taken notice there’s even more reason
to repel these pipeline invaders.
There’s still time to submit an amicus brief for the
court case in Leesburg, Georgia.
And time to file an ecomment or an out-of-time motion to intervene against Sabal Trail.
Or against
Elba Island LNG
or against
Transco and Atlanta Gas Light’s Dalton Expansion Project.
Or to oppose
Kinder Morgan’s southeast Georgia Palmetto oil pipeline
at the Georgia Department of Transportation or GA-EDP.
Both those state agencies have to provide permits for Sabal Trail
to get the Georgia emininent domain it demands in Leesburg,
so they are relevant to Sabal Trail, as well, as is your opinion
and those of all local elected governments in Georgia.
Dan Chapman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3 April 2015, Pipeline project fuels fight on state’s future,
Regardless of route, Sabal Trail opponents fear pipeline construction could create sinkholes Continue reading
Friday’s vote started at least a year and a half ago. Organized years-long activism is paying off for everyone.
Summer before last, after statewide requests by Georgia Sierra Club, Greenlaw, and many others: Georgia PSC required Georgia Power to buy twice
as much solar power.
About a year later, Mary Landers, Savannahnow, 18 November 2014, Georgia is fastest growing solar market,
Last year the Georgia Public Service Commission approved a motion for Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility, to add 525 MW of solar power generation to its portfolio by 2016.
“That pushed out the growth of solar, especially projecting forward,” Continue reading
Sabal Trail can’t just assert public use for its pipeline: it has to prove it, according to the Georgia Constitution.
The
Constitutional Amendment
referred to by the landowners Attorney Jonathan P. Waters
at yesterday’s eminent domain hearing in Leesburg, GA
passed
7 November 2006 by 1,622,403 to 338,876, or 82.7% to 17.3%.
Here’s then-Governor Sonny Perdue’s press release when he signed the law to put it on the ballot, which includes this sentence:
Public benefit from economic development shall not constitute a public use.
So it would appear vague claims of tax revenue or illusory jobs are not enough, Sabal Trail.
Here’s the “neutral summary and explanation” required by Georgia state law: Continue reading