WCTV does include timestamps, and Dontaye Carter did some reporting for her story posted 6:48 PM: Continue reading
Tag Archives: Valdosta Daily Times
“it wouldn’t matter” –John Fretti, Mayor of Valdosta
News Talk 105.9 FM posted this:
Exclusive Audio: Mayor Fretti on Biomass
“Kay Harris is absolutely wrong, writing emotionally again.”He’s apparently referring to the VDT editorial I interpreted here.
He goes on to say it wouldn’t matter if the city refused to supply water to the biomass plant. Yet another variant on the popular local favorite: “there’s nothing you can do.”
Technically, no doubt he’s right: they could just sink a well instead. Politically, it would make a world of difference if the plant’s host city said it wouldn’t supply water. Not to mention I suspect the county would have to approve such a well.
At the least, the City of Valdosta could do what Gadsden County, Florida did: Continue reading
VDT Civics Lesson on How to Stop a Biomass Plant
The VDT explains how to effect change, if anyone is listening.
Editorial, 13 Jan 2010,
Powerless to stop the power plant:
This week as the rhetoric around the proposed biomass facility has continued heating up, leading up to last night’s forum, one of the main themes has been that “government should do something.”
While the Times does not condone or condemn Chairman Paulk’s actions in the commission meeting Tuesday night, understanding the situation may help shed light on the issue. The county is powerless to do anything to stop this power plant. The only governmental entity with any power over the project is the city, and that’s only in the form of the services being extended and the water being sold to the company, as well as the sewage sludge that’s being burned. They too are powerless at this point to stop it.
The editorial continues with the tired old excuse “they can be sued”.
Don’t they have insurance for that?
If the whole thing goes as bad as some opponents predict,
they could be sued for the kind of financial disaster
that faces Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
There is one governmental entity that does have the power. Ah, here it is: Continue reading
VDT and WCTV on WACE anti-biomass meeting
The first word is the key word in David Rodock’s VDT article today,
Opponents to proposed biomass plant speak out at meeting:
Experts from a variety of fields presented the health risks, pollution and water issues, and other concerns involved with the construction of a biomass plant in Valdosta Thursday at the Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) forum held Thursday evening.
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) has
repeatedly claimed to have a long list of experts on its side;
Brad Lofton wants everyone to see him
read his laundry list of authorities and experts.
“I will proudly share it with everyone,”
he says.
The VDT points out that there are experts who are against the plant.
Experts whom the VLCIA can’t even bring itself to name,
only allude to as
“folks come into the community”.
Even the caption on the VDT picture is telling: Continue reading
Tiny LAKE is flattered by mighty VLCIA!
Posting a reply from LAKE to an inquiry from Brad Lofton. -jsq
Continue readingTo: Brad Lofton
From: John S. Quarterman
Cc: [see below]
Subject: Re: VDT EditorialHowdy,
Tiny LAKE is flattered to be asked to repost VDT materials for mighty VLCIA! But to answer your question, this is a blog, not a newspaper, nor a wire service for a newspaper. LAKE also hasn’t posted all of the letters to the editor of the VDT pro and con on this subject or others of interest to us.
More basically, you seem to continue to confuse “VLCIA answered” with “the answers satisfied the questioners” or “the answers actually addressed the content of the questions” or “nobody is questioning anymore”.
Questions continued to be asked at the VLCIA “Forum” of 6 Dec 2010. I ask again:
VDT publishes biomass email exchange from December
David Rodock writes in The Valdosta Daily Times today, in
“Debate over biomass heats up”, about the
exchange of email from December that you’ve seen in full on this blog. Rodock also got some new quotes from Dr. Noll and Brad Lofton, but no answers to any substantive questions from Lofton. Is a public employee funded by 1 mil of tax money supposed to refuse to address substantive questions from the public that pays that 1 mil?
-jsq
Georgia Open Records Act
Sometimes the easiest way to find out something from your local
government is by filing an open records request.
Some local governments provide forms for that online:
The basic request is one sheet of paper on which you spell out
what you want (be specific), your name and address, and where they can send it.
Valdosta’s web page sums up the situation: Continue reading
South Georgia GBI; Roundup of Blacks In Quitman
In the appended post about yesterday’s events in Quitman,
George Rhynes cites the
WCTV
and
WALB
stories.
Curiously, the nearest local daily newspaper,
the Valdosta Daily Times, seems to have nothing online about this.
-jsq
Continue readingAt 8:30 AM, I began receiving phone calls from Quitman, Georgia in the County of Brooks where the County Sheriffs Office was arresting citizens at random concerning the recent Absentee Ballot Problems.
These arrests reminded me of the alleged problems Black Voters/Citizens have had with the GBI harassing them during their investigation before and during the last run off election. This included alleged actions by the GBI Investigators that local citizens complained about intimidation before, during and after the election. However little or no Public Media Attention was given to alleged Black Voter intimidation by local media. Moreover, little to nothing was published in the FREE PRESS surrounding citizen’s fear from GBI Investigators. This was a major point of discussion when I along with a local Pastor from Valdosta, Georgia walked the streets to get a better understanding of what Brooks County Voters had to go through during the last election.
Today’s arrest will surely end up in the courts.
What’s the Industrial Authority’s Plan?
Appended is my LTE in the VDT today.
I’ve added links. -jsq
What is the Industrial Authority’s plan to bring in real clean jobs?
MAGE SOLAR is hiring for the first of 350 jobs in its photovoltaic (PV) solar manufacturing plant in Dublin, Georgia, with half the population of Valdosta, in Laurens County, with half the population of Lowndes County. They’ve parlayed their position between the Atlanta airport and the Savannah seaport for many new clean jobs.
Suniva of Norcross’s second PV plant with its 500 jobs went to Michigan. Saginaw Valley calls itself Solar Valley and collaborates with governments, academia, and industry, winning thousands of clean jobs in wind and solar manufacturing and generating plants.
VLCIA biomass event Q&A
Here are videos that illustrate the VDT’s point today in
What We Think:
While officials continue to downplay local citizen anger about current projects, citizens are organizing in a variety of ways to affect change the next election cycle. When Sterling Chemical came to Lowndes County in the 1990s, citizens were told the project was a “done deal,” and so it was. Sterling is still here, but those in office at the time aren’t, and the director of the Industrial Authority at the time is no longer here either.Maybe the VDT is referring to this kind of response from the VLCIA panel on 6 Dec 2010:As has been shown worldwide, citizens are tired of being told what’s best for them, having no say so in how their tax dollars are spent, and having their concerns ignored.
Until officials understand that it is coming from all directions and not just led by a few malcontents, the swell will continue to grow. And those who continue to ignore the anger and frustration do so at their own peril.
“these things do prop up the local economy, period, end of discussion.”A previous questioner who had a job in Vietnam notes he was lied to about Agent Orange and asks “can you assure me that I won’t be affected by this?” Continue reading