Author Archives: John S. Quarterman

Videos: More northern subdivision rezonings + 6 Valdosta @ GLPC 2016-08-29

A third Lowndes County Case in west Valdosta near James Road, REZ-2016-15, was pulled from the agenda until next month to be sure it will be ready for review (but not withdrawn). One Valdosta case, CU-2016-02, was announced as withdrawn at the beginning of the meeting. The stormwater LDR changes apparently were mostly to remove description of very old previous material and various housekeeping including reflecting a rate increase the Valdosta City Council already approved back in June after a series of public hearings. Expect the Comprehensive Plan back next month: they didn’t examine it this time because the agenda was already very long. Continue reading →

More northern subdivision rezonings + 6 Valdosta @ GLPC 2016-08-29

Still more subdivisions planned in what the county calls Central Lowndes County and near Hahira, and a bunch of stuff in Valdosta. including stormwater revisions to the LDR. Here’s the agenda, and see the LAKE videos of the meeting.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, August 29, 2016 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

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Many same investors in Sabal Trail and Dakota Access Pipeline

DAPL and Sabal Trail are more intertwined than we thought. But first, who are the institutional investors in the three Sabal Trail partners? Three Banks NASDAQ makes this easy to discover, and the answer is in the first table below: among banks State Street and Bank of America stand out.

Let’s not forget Williams Company, of the Transco Hillabee Expansion Project from which Sabal Trail wants to get its fracked methane; see the second table, which State Street clearly wins, and there’s Goldman Sachs.

We learned this week that Enbridge of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) opposed by the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota: that Enbridge is buying Spectra Energy of Sabal Trail.

But there’s more! Last year Williams was bought by Energy Transfer Equity, which is the main backer of DAPL.

Update 2016-09-26: Actually, Energy Transfer backed out of buying Williams Co..

See the third table, which shows banks bought into at least five of the partner entities: Bank of America and Morgan Stanley.

Opponents of Sabal Trail are not just fighting the same industry as DAPL: they’re fighting many of the same companies and the same investors.

Investors in Sabal Trail partners (Spectra Energy, NextEra Energy, Duke Energy)

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FPL admits no need for new electricity until 2024: so why Sabal Trail?

17%, 13%, now 0% new electricity needed in Florida, according to FPL? And the Sabal Trail excuse of coal plant “modernization” has already been accomplished without Sabal Trail? While even FPL is now deploying solar power and admits solar “is now significantly influencing FPL’s resource planning”? So what is the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline boondoggle for, then?

Two years ago I pointed out that FPL’s own projections in its ten-year plans Continue reading →

Senator Perdue at Valdosta Rotary and Chamber 2016-08-24

Mostly what the assembled rotaries and homebuilders seemed to be interested in was getting the Senator to defend Moody Air Force Base against closure, which makes sense, since Moody is still by far the largest economic engine of the entire central south Georgia and north Florida region.

Maybe you can hear where he says anything about defending us from the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline; I must have missed that part. He ended by saying it wasn’t about rich vs. poor, and quoting from the Declaration of Independence about “we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” There’s no mutuality in the federal government giving eminent domain to a pipeline company from Houston, Texas to take our lands so they can profit by exporting fracked methane.

Below are links to each LAKE video, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Welcomes, Millage, 5 minutes 30 seconds @ LCC 2016-08-23

3.5 minutes of actual meeting after a minute of invocation and pledge and a minute of welcomes.

First they welcomed Cub Scout Pack 400 and Troup 410, a member of the Lowndes County Explorer Program, for their interest in the gubmint. Also a Valdosta City Council member (Sandra Tooley, although Chairman Bill Slaughter didn’t name her), and Carl Smith. Plus Tax Commissioner Felicia Williams. He didn’t name any of the regulars in the room, yet the welcomes took more than a minute which, plus the minute for the invocation and prayer, that was two minutes of non-business in the entire 5 and a half minute meeting, so that was only 3 and a half minutes of actual meeting. Which was more than 2.5 minutes of the previous morning’s Work Session. It does make you wonder: where and when do they actually discuss the county’s business, and why isn’t it in the public meetings?

Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the August 23nd 2016 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. See also Continue reading →