Tag Archives: Safety

Sabal Trail contractor yard at end of Valdosta Airport runway

300x388 Lowndes County, GA, next to Valdosta Airport, in Sabal Trail Contractor Yards aerial maps, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 20 February 2015 The same company that sued Lowndes County in 2007 to try to put a tall building above the 30-foot height limit in Valdosta’s Runway Protection Zone now appears to want to put a contractor yard for Sabal Trail’s fracked methane pipeline in the same location. Will this involve any tall cranes? What about Moody’s flights off of that runway at Valdosta Airport? And what about those aquifer recharge zones?

Among the contractor yard maps Sabal Trail filed with FERC 20 February 2015, there’s this one: Continue reading

REZ-2015-02 Devine packet materials @ LCC 2015-02-24

Gretchen filed an open records request for all the natively-electronic materials from the board packet, especially including the list of the Commission’s own goals, but all we got was the one rezoning item, REZ-2015-02 Devine for the 23 February 2015 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. At least they sent that much by email, but even so it’s missing important information that I wonder if the Commissioners noted wasn’t there before they voted.

New material in here, different from Continue reading

Another oil train crashes and burns: CSC CSX near Charleston WV

Yet another fireball, water supply turned off, state of emergency, from an oil train. When did you last hear of a solar farm explosion? Do we expect hastily-built and unnecessary fracked methane pipelines to be any safer than these shoddy exploding shale oil train tank cars? How long must fossil fuel fireballs rain down before we all get on with clean sun, wind, and water to power the world?

Fireball above Boomer, WV; Photo credit: Deslyne Copening

Marcus Constantino, Multimedia reporter and Matt Murphy, Charleston Daily Mail, 16 February 2015, Crude oil train derails in Fayette County, WV, Continue reading

Solar financing bill HB 57

You won’t have to mortgage the farm to install solar power if this bill passes, because you’ll be able to get reasonable financing.

Update 2015-02-07: HB 57 was favorably reported out of the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee 28 January 2015, first time such a bill has ever cleared that hurdle.

The actual solar leasing bill in the Georgia House as of 14 January 2015 is HB 57 “…to provide for financing of solar technology by retail electric customers for the generation of electric energy to be used on and by property owned or occupied by such customers or to be fed back to the electric service provider”, aka the “Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act of 2015.” It includes the same old generation limits from the 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act (10 Megawatts per individual and 100 MW per company), but it blows a huge hole in the prohibition on power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Georgia Power and the Electric Membership Corporations have reportedly already agreed on this bill. If so, it should sail through the legislature. Still, it won’t hurt to call your Georgia House member and ask them to vote for it, and maybe become a co-sponsor.

Here’s PDF of the bill, and here’s the key provision: Continue reading

Valdosta City Council Retreats to Moultrie this weekend

Citizens can attend this open meeting to hear about that flooding study, traffic cameras, compensation, and other issues, even though it’s inconveniently located in another county, almost as if the Valdosta City Council didn’t want you to see what they’re doing. If City Hall wouldn’t do, why not the Convention Center? It has its own chef. Like the VDT editorialized, there was no need to go to a out-of-town fancy resort.

Joe Adgie wrote for the VDT 8 January 2014, Valdosta City Council retreating in Moultrie,

The two-day event will feature discussion of issues that Mayor John Gayle and the City Council want to focus on in the coming year, as well as priorities for the legislative delegation and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

In addition, the results of a city employee compensation study will be released and discussed at the retreat.

The number one issue listed by the council for the current year involves funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a levee and pump proposal.

According to the city, Continue reading

Meet Greenlaw and EarthJustice in Waycross 2015-01-06

People are still sick and dying in Waycross, and answers are still few, but now there’s increasing help, and organization at a meeting next Tuesday. Remember wastewater from the Waycross SevenOut SuperFund site was sent to the Pecan Row Landfill in Valdosta, and we could have similar sites here, too. Helping Waycross is helping everyone deal with toxic chemicals. -jsq

Facebook event, Meeting Announcement – Tuesday Evening, January 6, 2014, Continue reading

Housing, paving, appointments, solar, packets, wells, pipeline, and trash! @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15

Very respectable turnout and impressive interaction at the first-ever Town Hall by an individual Lowndes County Commissioner: Demarcus Marshall, Super District 4, 15 December 2014. See and read his State of District 4 address. You can read his summary of issues and concerns, and you can watch citizens express those concerns in the LAKE video playlist: Continue reading

Topics and Highlights @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15

There were overwhelming complaints about Advance Disposal Sanitation customer service.” Many other issues and concerns are listed in this text published by Demarcus Marshall (PDF) of feedback received and and LAKE videos of the Town Hall Meeting 5 December 2014. -jsq

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall
Super District 4
Post Office Box 1349 ● Valdosta, Georgia 31603-1349 ● Phone (229) 671-2400 ● Fax (229) 245-522

Super District 4 and Concerned Citizens,

300x388 Thanks to those who came, in Topic and Highlights @ Town Hall Meeting, by Demarcus Marshall, 15 December 2014 I want to thank those who came to my Town Hall Meeting on December 15, 2014. It was a pleasure to hear from you. Your presence made the event a success and I look forward to another one in the near future. I have listed the “Topics and Highlights” addressed at the Town Hall Meeting below for your review. As well, I have released my State of the District Address for the public. It is my sincere hope that you will remain actively involved in our local community. In the meantime, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a blessed New Year!

Sincerely,

[signed] Demarcus A. Marshall Continue reading

State of District 4 Address –Demarcus Marshall @ Town Hall Meeting 2014-12-15

Text published by Demarcus Marshall (PDF) and LAKE video of his address at the Town Hall Meeting 15 December 2014. -jsq

For those unaware, Super District 4 was a newly created district in Lowndes County two years ago. I assumed this office without a predecessor to this district seat. It was my understanding of this district to compliment the other districts by adding more responsiveness and accountability for the citizens of Lowndes County.

Upon being elected and occupying the seat, I inherited a wonderful staff; however, the county faced several challenges. The economy was Continue reading

Valdosta Passes Resolution Against Sabal Trail Pipeline: not in this city, this county, or this state @ VCC 2014-12-11

Go away, Sabal Trail:

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the City of Valdosta supports the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners in their opposition to the construction of the Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County. The City’s support includes concerns with fundamental property rights, the manner in which eminent domain might be utilized, and the lack of demonstrated benefit to the City and County. Furthermore, the City of Valdosta supports the Lowndes County Commission in their formal request to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC), and to State and Federal Legislators in the effort to have Lowndes County and the State of Georgia bypassed in the construction of the proposed pipeline.

Here is Continue reading