Tag Archives: VDT

“Olive branch or smokescreen?” –Patrick Davis

Patrick Davis wonders from Macon:
Is this Brad Lofton-led ‘solar’ groundbreaking event by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority an olive branch or a smokescreen.for the community Or an example of ‘compassionate consevratism’?
The solar plant has been part of the plan from the beginning, which of course doesn’t quite answer Patrick Davis’ question. VLCIA knows it can increase the size of the solar plant, and they seem to think that could be a good idea. They could also choose to forget the biomass plant, but they refuse to do that. Much more about Wiregrass Solar Power LLC.

Also please note that this blog is On the LAKE Front, where LAKE is an acronym for the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange, which is about citizen dialog for transparent process for all of Lowndes County and the general area, not just Valdosta.

-jsq

Hannah Solar at Wiregrass Solar groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011

Actually installing the Wiregrass Solar LLC plant is Hannah Solar. Speaking here is Patrick T. O’Donnell, Managing Partner, who talks about two other Hannah Solar people standing there, Project Manager Dave Fisher, and CEO Pete Marte. Here’s the video.


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
According to the VDT CEO Marte later said:
“Solar energy is definitely part of the solution for water issues in Georgia, and it’s not being talked about. When the president of Georgia Power is the chairman of the water commission and 52 percent of water is being used for power generation, you’ve got the fox in the henhouse,” said Pete Marte, chief executive officer of Hannah Solar.
According to VDT commenter Solar All The Way: Continue reading →

Sonny Murphy talks at Solar Groundbreaking

The biggest dignitary among the bunch at the Wiregrass Solar groundbreaking was Therrell “Sonny” Murphy, Chairman of the Board, Sterling Planet, the parent company of Wiregrass Solar LLC. Nice fellow; I talked to him at length before most people showed up. To his credit, he didn’t shy away from directly talking about the proposed neighboring biomass plant (Sterling Planet owns Wiregrass Power LLC, too). He also mentioned geothermal and “efficiency itself”, which shows he has a broader grasp of the potential energy sources than some participants.


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

I congratulate Chairman Murpny and Sterling Planet on the solar groundbreaking. I offered to introduce him to the biomass protesters. He said he didn’t want to get into a debate. Hm, that reminds me of something.

-jsq

Mayor Fretti at Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking

Valdosta Mayor John Fretti remarked at the Wiregrass Solar groundbreaking 21 Feb 2011:
“…solar is an important component of our electricity needs and our power energy needs, and that it will continue to be. We need to take into consideration all renewable energy resources such as solar, and wind, and bio, and bring those together to eventually make them more efficient and effective to supply our grid with energy sources.”
He also talked about eventual lower rates to the customers. And he bragged about how big it is:
“I think currently the largest array… in Georgia”
Um, no, Dalton, Georgia already has a 365kW solar array installed and in use, although that information never seems to get through the VLCIA filter.


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Still, it’s a start, and I congratulate VLCIA on doing it.

-jsq

VLCIA Speeches at Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking

I’m in favor of solar plants, and it was good to see the participants helping out at the groundbreaking for the Wiregrass Solar LLC plant at the Valdosta Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant yesterday. But wait! What’s that behind them? Seems like even solar supporters aren’t all in favor of the proposed neighboring biomass plant.

In this post are videos of the speeches by VLCIA personnel; speeches by other dignitaries will follow. Brad Lofton, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), said they’ll have a commissioning reception in a few months (currently scheduled for Wednesday 16th April 2011) to which they’ll invite “the entire City Council and the County Commission.” Interestingly, there was nobody from the County Commission at this groundbreaking ceremony. They’ve said they’re in favor of biomass; are they not in favor of solar? Lofton says they’ll also invite

“…the governor of Georgia who has about half a million dollars invested in this project.”


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Lofton also said:

“We’ll go around and if anybody has any comments, I’d like you to make them.”
Hm, they never seemed to get around to me.

Brad Lofton explained that the property for the solar plant is owned by the City of Valdosta and leased to VLCIA and then subleased Continue reading →

“Hooray for solar! No biomass!”

The VDT nailed it:
Executives and city officials broke ground together at the site to the mixed cheers from the crowd of protesters: “Hooray for solar! No biomass!”
More perceptive text by David Rodock and pictues by Paul Levy online and in the paper paper.

Videos of the protesters here. Videos of the groundbreaking ceremony (with protesters) to come.

-jsq

Protesters, police, and press at Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking

All these protesters were in favor of the groundbreaking today for the Wiregrass Solar LLC plant, but they wanted to object to the related biomass plant proposed for next door. Here you can see Valdosta police saying they’re going have to issue a summons to some protesters because they didn’t have a permit, Valdosta Mayor Fretti saying the permit process is simple, and Dr. Michael Noll president of Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) explaining that they only heard of the event recently, and besides he’d be happy to pick up a shovel and help with the groundbreaking for the solar plant:


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Enter the police chief. Continue reading →

Biomass plant a done deal? –Floyd Rose

This LTE appeared in the VDT Sunday 13 February 2011. -jsq
Abraham Lincoln said, “The probability that we shall fail in this struggle should not deter us from the support of a cause that we believe is just.” Such a cause for us is opposition to the biomass plant.

Given its support from city and county officials more concerned about doing the bidding of the rich and powerful than they are about the health of children, it is likely a “done deal.” Done by those who will profit from the deal.

None of the national health organizations endorse biomass plants as safe for children. The American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, and the World Health Organization have concluded that biomass plants pose serious threats to children.

None of the deal makers, investors, or politicians who signed off on their deal live in the community which will most be affected by the poisonous toxins that will fill the air. Their children don’t attend the schools, nor do they attend any of the seven area churches.

Meetings have been held on the biomass project. Some by the Industrial Authority, WACE, the NAACP, and SCLC. And not a single citizen has spoken in favor of it. When I asked a council member about this, he said, “They are afraid of you.”

It is not the proponents who have anything to fear.

Continue reading →

Prior restraint –Prof. Jane Elza

This LTE appeared in the VDT today. Here is context in case you haven’t been following this subject. -jsq
Dear Sir,

The County Commission has recently passed a resolution that will prohibit discussion of issues the commissioners consider closed by citizens in the “citizens will be heard” section of the Commission meetings. While apparently reasonable on its face, the restriction is designed specifically to prevent any more discussion of the Biomass plant. Commissioners have been quoted in the paper as saying they just don’t want to hear anymore about it. A law designed to prevent a citizen from discussing a particular subject is prior restraint. I taught Constitutional law at VSU for 28 years and I think this resolution is unconstitutional for that reason. One cannot separate the intent from the prohibition.

I can also argue that the restriction itself is unreasonable because

Continue reading →

Homerville Genealogical Library as Local Industry

Homegrown local industry not far east of here! Dean Poling wrote in the VDT yesterday, Merged libraries create largest genealogical center in East:
Two regional libraries officially merge this weekend, creating what should be the most comprehensive genealogy facility in the Eastern United States.

On Sunday, the Elmer’s Genealogical Library of Madison, Fla., merges with the Huxford Genealogy Library in Homerville to become the Huxford-Spear Genealogical Library.

The new library will be located in Homerville. Elmer Spear has closed his Madison, Fla., facility and moved his library’s 26,326 books, which covered 85 percent of a mile in shelving, to the newly named Huxford-Spear Genealogical Library.

Spear’s volumes join the Huxford collection.

I’m a Huxford Library member, and my 990 page family history book is in there, so I’m all for this.

Looks to me like an example of a local attraction started by local people that can turn into a local industry. Hey, look, the VDT thinks so, too, in their editorial of the same day: Continue reading →