Category Archives: Coal

‘Mr. Lofton has no proof whatsoever that biomass is “safe”.’ –Dr. Noll

Since Brad Lofton has once again
wrapped himself in a self-imposed cloak of silence,
Dr. Noll gets the last word, including two attachments, which
you can find here.
-jsq

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:10:58 +0000

Good evening everyone.

It is obvious by now that Mr. Lofton has no proof whatsoever that
biomass is “safe”. He does not have one statement by a medical
organization, not one scholarly publication he can share with us that
backs up his claim. (Coincidentally, the same is true for other claims,
as the event on January 13 will show.)

Members of WACE (and others in the community) have tried to receive
proof

Continue reading →

“folks come into the community.” –Col. Ricketts responding to WACE in VLCIA board meeting

Previously
I promised to post the rest of what Col. Ricketts and Brad Lofton said
about biomass in the 21 Dec 2010 VLCIA board meeting.



In these two videos, Col. Ricketts responds to materials sent to VLCIA
by WACE.
He dismisses certain material as being

from Massachusetts
or being from

“folks come into the community.”
That’s rather rich, since as near as I can tell,
all of VLCIA’s “expert” panelists at their

6 Dec 2010 event
were from not from around here.
Some were from states a thousand miles from here.
Maybe somebody can transcribe

Brad Lofton’s enumeration of those “experts” from the board meeting,
since as near as I can tell VLCIA has provided no written list of them.
And of course Sterling Planet is located in Atlanta, not Lowndes County.

In the first video, Col. Ricketts says he’s responding to WACE materials:

Continue reading →

“no way shape or form” –Brad Lofton on Dr. Teaf



A week after Brad Lofton failed to produce evidence and offered

to file Dr. Noll’s correspondence “in the appropriate file”,
VLCIA has still not published the videos or slides from their
6 Dec 2010 event at the Rainwater Conference Center.

However, Brad Lofton and Col. Ricketts summarized that event for
the VLCIA board at their recent board meeting,
and they never presented any actual evidence there, either.


Brad Lofton said his toxicologist says the biomass plant in
“no way shape or form” will cause health problems.
Then he rattled off a long list of supporters of a Gainesville biomass plant.
The rest of this post has videos of what he and Col. Ricketts said, plus screenshots
of each of Dr. Teaf’s slides: see if you can find the details.

Continue reading →

“we will make sure they get in the appropriate file.” –Brad Lofton

Mr. Lofton refusing to respond to Dr. Noll’s latest. -jsq

From: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>,

To: “Michael G. Noll”,
“Mary B. Gooding”,
“Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>,
“Copeland, Roy”,
“‘John S. Quarterman'”,
“Susan R. Wehling”,
Kay Harris

Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC

Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 14:01:51 -0500

Dr. Noll-

Please feel free to continue sending e-mails, and we will make sure
they get in the appropriate file. We appreciate your passion for one of
our projects. As I mentioned yesterday, we’re enthusiastically moving
forward at this time, and we will be breaking ground in the Spring.

Thanks,

BL

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

“nothing short of irresponsible” –Dr. Noll to Mr. Lofton

Dr. Noll responding to
Mr. Lofton’s latest.
-jsq

From: “Michael G. Noll”

To: “blofton@industrialauthority.com”,
“Mary B. Gooding”,
“Ricketts, Allan”, <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>,
“Copeland, Roy”,
“‘John S. Quarterman'”,
“Susan R. Wehling”,
Kay Harris

Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC

Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:55:18 +0000

Mr. Lofton.

Moving forward with a project like yours

  1. after it has been established that biomass is dirtier than coal (see the
    data we shared from the Georgia EPD)
  2. after it has been established by medical associations throughout the
    country that the hundreds of tons of pollutants your proposed plant
    would spewout (as identified in your own application) would result in
    significant health issues (increase and/or worsening of COPD, asthma,
    cancer, heart disease)

is nothing short of irresponsible and speaks of the lack of respect
you have for the health of our community.

The fact remains that you have not been able to provide quantitative
data or scientific studies that prove that biomass is “clean” or

Continue reading →

“It is your responsibility to prove us wrong” –Dr. Noll to Mr. Lofton

Dr. Noll responds to Mr. Lofton’s email of 24 Dec 2010.
-jsq

From: “Michael G. Noll”

To: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>,
“Mary B. Gooding”,
“Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>,
“Copeland, Roy”,
“‘John S. Quarterman'”,
“Susan R. Wehling”,
Kay Harris

Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC

Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:19:15 +0000

Hello Mr. Lofton.

You might remember that WACE handed out a “Myth vs. Fact” info sheet at
the meeting. On it were clearly outlined major issues we have with your
biomass project. I will only entertain the first three to refresh your
memory, since they are the most important facts for our community:

Continue reading →

“Your memory doesn’t serve you correctly” –Lofton to Noll

When can we see these actual studies? And if we could see those VLCIA videos, nobody would have to depend on memory. -jsq

From: Brad Lofton <blofton@industrialauthority.com>

To: Michael Noll,
“Mary B. Gooding”,
Allan Ricketts <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>,
Roy Copeland,
“John S. Quarterman,
“Susan R. Wehling”,
Kay Harris

Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:51:53 -0500

Subject: Re: Wiregrass Power, LLC

Good morning Dr. Noll-

Thanks for your e-mail. With all due respect, however, your memory
doesn’t serve you correctly, and I would ask you to please review your
notes again. The environmental consultant from Golder referred
extensively to a seven month environmental analysis performed by the
EPD in our state. I’m confused why a seven month study performed by the
impartial environmental and regulatory group empowered to provide
governance and decisions related to this project isn’t a sufficient
enough environmental study for you. During the forum, Golder and
Associates, a world renown environmental engineering firm, also went on
to provide results of their extensive air modeling study. The fuel
supply expert presented the results of a detailed study his firm had
just completed that showed 13 times the required regional wood waste
fuel needed for this plant. This was his firm’s 20th study across the
country, and they are considered experts. The Ph.D economist cited an
extensive study his firm had just completed successfully defending a
similar biomass facility before the Wisconsin Public Service
Commission. The Toxicologist has over 27 years of experience and is a
leading expert at a major U.S. University. If you would read his CV,

Continue reading →

Seth Gunning LTE in the VDT

This is the text of Seth Gunning’s letter to the editor that the Valdosta Daily Times printed on 20 Dec 2010. Here’s video of the referenced
air quality permit hearing.
-jsq



Recently on Thursday December 16th, State Judge Ronit Walker denied
air quality permits for a proposed coal plant in Sandersville, Georgia.
Judge Walker cited the Georgia Environmental Protection Divisions failure
to properly review permits, and their lack of enforcement of basic Clean
Air Act standards for several hazardous emissions.

Flashback to April 27th in Valdosta Georgia when Environmental Protection
Division Air Branch Manager Eric Cornwell openly admitted to having NOT
READ the air permit application for Wiregrass Biomass LLC’s proposal to
build a hotly contested 40mw power plant&emdash; during a Valdosta EPD hearing
meant to evaluate those permits.

Today, the Valdosta Industrial Authority is hazardously entrenched

Continue reading →

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.


The Saginaw News remarked (7 Nov 2010):

Continue reading →

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.

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.

Maybe the VDT is referring to this kind of response from the VLCIA panel
on 6 Dec 2010:

“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 →