Re-evaluate Plant Vogtle and move to wind and solar power –Courtney Hanson @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Re-evaluate Plant Vogtle, especially its water use,
and move to efficiency, wind, and solar power instead,
said


Courtney Hanson of
Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions (GA WAND)
at

the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

She reminded GA PSC Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 are late and over budget, and then:

I want to add my voice to the chorus of folks here who are concerned
about water issues.


We know that Vogtle 3 and 4 will require an additional withdrawal
of as much as 74 million gallons a day from the Savannah River and
most of that water will not be returned.
We know that the central Savannah River
area where Vogtle is located is already
very prone to droughts
and the plant has been close to shutting down several times
due to drought conditions.


Georgia is also already struggling to supply enough water
for our homes, businesses, industries, and farms.

In addition, the Savannah River is the fourth most polluted
river in the country.
Just in the central Savannah River region alone
there are several chemical plants
that are polluting the river near Vogtle.
That is a big deal because as low flow rates become more of an issue
it’s increasing the concentrations of those contaminants
that are running the risk of damaging the intake equipment on Plant Vogtle.
And of course this is a safety issue and also a money issue,
costing more to maintain
the project which is already over budget.



So with the water permits not even having been granted for Vogtle 3 and 4,
now is really the time to look forward, to do the right thing
to protect our communities,
to protect our water sources,
to protect our pocket books,
and to pursue energy efficiency, wind, and solar,
rather than the completion of Plant Vogtle 3 and 4.

Here’s

the video:



Re-evaluate Plant Vogtle and move to wind and solar power –Courtney Hanson

Georgia Power proposed closing of coal plants,

Administrative Session, GA Public Service Commission (GA PSC),

Doug Everrett (1: south Georgia), Tim Echols (2: east Georgia), Chairman Chuck Eaton (3: metro Atlanta), Stan Wise (5 north Georgia), Bubba McDonald (4: west Georgia),

Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), 244 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA, 30334-9052, 18 June 2013.

See also:

-jsq