Category Archives: Economy

State Energy Strategy of Georgia

Among the questions local citizens asked the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) was where is the south Georgia, state, or southeast U.S. renewable energy strategy? VLCIA Project Manager Allan Ricketts looked, and he couldn’t find it, either. He did find this list of “renewable energy strategy” hits from a GEFA search. At least one of those links points us to http://www.georgiaenergyplan.org/, which now gets us
Are you interested in buying this domain name?
The state has apparently abandoned that domain. Is that an indication of how seriously Georgia takes renewable energy?

Here’s something that looks promising: State Energy Strategy for Georgia (SESG), December 14, 2006, Governor’s Energy Policy Council, GEFA. It says it’s an energy strategy, but it’s mostly about transportation of existing fuels such as natural gas. Towards the end of the document in Figure 2 (shown above) the SESG illustrates the pit we’re in: about a third of Georgia’s energy comes from coal, another third from petroleum, a sixth from natural gas, and so little from renewable sources they apparently weren’t worth putting on the pie chart.

The SESG does contain this: Continue reading →

Glen Laurel Against

Here Coy Brightwell asks for a show of hands for those against rezoning for the Glen Laurel subdivision on Old Pine Road. Many hands went up throughout the packed room. Even more to the point, not one neighbor spoke for the rezoning.

He ends with an additional disclaimer that he’s not against development; he’s against the density of this development in this place. VDT quoted him as saying:

“We are not against progress. We are not against the development of Lowndes County … The part that we do have a problem with is the density of this proposal. We’re just not in agreement with the drastic changes that will take place in our community (and) we are here for a compromise.”

Another view of the show of hands: Continue reading →

Nix on biomass plant in Traverse City, Michigan

Looking farther afield in Cadillac, Michigan than schools and realtors, there are some people who aren’t completely pleased with the local biomass plant:
Complaints are more frequent along Mary Street, a short stretch a few hundred yards south of the plant. Residents there deal with more intense noise and odors.

Craig Walworth’s home is among the closest to the plant. He walked up to his Jeep — a vehicle he cleaned the day before — and dragged his finger through a layer of film on the hood.

“Every morning, you have that to look forward to,” he said. “I clean my screens three times a year during the summer because they clog up.”

Nonetheless he didn’t say it affected his property values. However, that’s not the only issue.

Meanwhile, about an hour north on the edge of Lake Michigan, in Traverse City local activism caused cancellation of a proposed biomass plant: Continue reading →

Cadillac, Michigan, biomass plant

Natasha Fast, Angela Manning, Allan Ricketts (Project Manager), Geraldine Fairell, Keisha Ferguson, Brad Lofton (Executive Director) In the VLCIA meeting with concerned citizens of 10 June 2010, one of the action items taken by the VLCIA was:
Obtain, if available, an analysis of the property value trends of residential/ commercial property adjacent to the Cadillac Michigan biomass electric generating plant.
Col. Ricketts has reported back on that action item.

Cadillac Renewable Energy LLC, Cadillac, Michigan

My transcription of what he said is rather long, so please follow the link.

Allan Ricketts’ summary: nobody could find a systematic analysis of property value trends. He did get various personal analyses (as above).

I agreed he’s made a good effort to find what he could find.

And that we would continue looking in other sources.

-jsq

Greyfield Villas

Entrance sign Previously discussing the Glen Laurel subdivision on Old Pine Road near Bemiss, several of the people speaking against at the County Commission meeting mentioned the Greyfield subdivision. That’s Greyfield Villas; see the entrance sign in the picture on the right. It’s in Lowndes County but not in Valdosta; somebody correct me if I’m wrong abo ut that. In that picture it’s hard to read the sign in the background on the north side of North Oak Street Extension. Here’s a closeup:

FOR RENT by Blake Taylor

For Rent. Just inside we see a dumpster with For Rent signs on the houses on either side: Continue reading →

Whole trees as biomass?

Previously I promised to come back to the subject of whole trees. Allan Ricketts asserted in the VLCIA meeting with concerned citizens on 10 June 2010 that the biomass plant Wiregrass LLC proposed for Valdosta will never burn whole trees because it would be economically unfeasible for it to do so. While I have no doubt that Col. Ricketts is acting on the best information given to him, there are reasons to be sceptical about what will happen in the future. Continue reading →

Highland Renewable Energy Strategy

Previously writing about biomass and carbon dioxide I said I’d supply an example of the sort of thing I’m looking for as a regional analysis for renewable energy, including biomass, solar, wind, wave, tides, and others. Here it is: the Highland Renewable Energy Strategy approved by the Highland Council at its 4 May 2006 meeting. It’s a 58 page document about renewable energy strategy and planning guidelines, considering numerous types of renewable energy, pros and cons of each, power distribution, effects on environment, protected areas, etc., illustrated copiously with detailed maps. And updated: Continue reading →

Jailing Too Many People Costs Too Much

John Schmitt, Kris Warner, and Sarika Gupta write about The High Budgetary Cost of Incarceration:
The United States currently incarcerates a higher share of its population than any other country in the world. We calculate that a reduction in incarceration rates just to the level we had in 1993 (which was already high by historical standards) would lower correctional expenditures by $16.9 billion per year, with the large majority of these savings accruing to financially squeezed state and local governments. As a group, state governments could save $7.6 billion, while local governments could save $7.2 billion.

These cost savings could be realized through a reduction by one-half in the incarceration rate of exclusively non-violent offenders, who now make up over 60 percent of the prison and jail population.

A review of the extensive research on incarceration and crime suggests that these savings could be achieved without any appreciable deterioration in public safety.

There’s a 19 page PDF report published by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, but that one graph pretty much spells it out: incarceration went up abruptly starting in the early 1980s and continued up, while crime did not. What we have here is a very expensive policy mistake.

And where does most of the cost come from? Continue reading →

Hildegard’s not closed


Picture by Judy Baxter.
Kay Harris reports in the Valdosta Daily Times:
And it looks like Hildegards in downtown Valdosta is closed, but I’m not sure if it’s temporary or permanent this time.

Really? A reader comments on that story:

Greg Frier 6 hours ago

I want to note that Hildegard’s is not closed.

Continue reading →

Hahira City Council

In the regular meeting, Hahira City Council, June 3, Mr. Benjamin speaks up in Citizens Wishing to be Heard:

As you can see by the pan around the room, the meeting was pretty well attended. The average local government session around here gets maybe a couple of people who aren’t elected or staff. This one had probably half a dozen.

Each Council member, Ralph Clendenin (District 3), Allen Cain (District 2), Terry Benjamin (District 1), and Rose Adams (District 4), made a statment, followed by Jonathan Sumner (City Manager) and Wayne Bullard (Mayor).

Here’s a playlist. Videos by John S. Quarterman and Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE.

Hahira Elected Officials and Staff. Minutes of previous meetings and future schedule.