Yet another reason Atlanta doesn’t understand south Georgia:
military enlistment is 1 in 100 people in south Georgia from
Columbus to Valdosta, and less than a third of that in the Atlanta Metro area.
Enlistment is probably related to two other major features
of south Georgia that Atlanta doesn’t understand:
it’s agricultural (traditionally a bastion of military supporters),
and it’s poor (and enlisting is one way to a career).
A certain pipeline company may not have taken this factor
into account, either. Continue reading
Zero percent down solar installations for Georgia? Change a 1973 law first
Who would pass up cutting their monthly electric and transportation costs by 60%? Well, people in Georgia will get passed by unless we change an antique 1973 law.
Chris Mooney wrote for Washington Post 24 December 2014, How solar power and electric cars could make suburban living awesome again,
…the solar-EV combo may just be too good for suburbanites to pass up — no matter their political ideology. Strikingly, the new paper estimates that for a household that buys an electric vehicle and also owns a solar panel system generating enough power for both the home and the electric car, the monthly cost might be just $89 per month — compared with $255 per month for a household driving a regular car without any solar panels.
Wind and Solar 77% of New U.S. electricity generation in November 2014
And more new capacity year to date than natural gas in 2014,
according to FERC’s own numbers, despite FERC betting on the wrong horse.
Joshua S. Hill, CleanTechnica, 23 November 2014, Wind & Solar = 77% Of New US Electricity Generating Capacity In November (Exclusive),
The United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Office of Energy Projects released its monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” on Tuesday, and the big winners from the month of November seem to be wind and solar, which combined added up to over 70% of all new electrical generating capacity placed into service during the month. If you add in our estimate for non-utility-scale solar, the market share of solar and wind rises to 77%.
Continue reading
Videos: Swearing Commissioners this morning @ LCC 2014-12-19
Here are videos of
swearing in the new Commissioners,
Commissioners, Mark Wisenbaker (District 3) and Scott Orenstein (District 2),
and also the re-elected Commissioner, Demarcus Marshall (District 4),
by
Senior Superior Court Judge, H. Arthur McLane, at 10 AM this morning,
19 December 2014. Continue reading
Swearing Commissioners this morning
On the county’s website under News Flash aka Spotlight (but not in the county’s calendar), New County Commissioners scheduled for ceremony,
On December 19, at 10:00 a.m., Senior Superior Court Judge, H. Arthur McLane, will swear in newly elected Commissioners, Mark Wisenbaker (District 3) and Scott Orenstein (District 2). The new Commissioners will officially take office effective January 1, 2015. You are invited to attend this event to be held in the Commission Chambers, Lowndes County Administrative Building, 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.
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Georgia Power can’t get a schedule from its own contractors for Vogtle nuclear project
After two years of no integrated project schedule (IPS), Georgia Power tried to get the the elected Public Service Commissioners to tell it how to enforce a contract for Plant Vogtle that Georgia Power brought to them. This video clip ends with formerly staunch pro-nuclear Commissioner H. Doug Everett saying any company that did that probably would be imprudent. And Everett also said:
We haven’t seen any results.
Georgia Power’s representative, I think Rob Trokey, said:
We have agreed haven’t we that the company does not manage this project. They oversee it, they may report to this commission the status of it, but it does not manage this project.
Answer from the Commission:
It doesn’t.
So who does? According to Georgia Power: Continue reading
Lowndes County’s own videos @ LCC 2014-12-09
Paige Dukes told us about this Monday, but why steal her thunder about the county’s new website and the videos on it?
Joe Adgie, VDT, 17 December 2014, Lowndes County website goes live,
County residents can pay bills, read county ordinances, search for real estate and read meeting agendas on the new site.
In addition, a first for the county government, videos of the Lowndes County Commission meetings are also available through the site and on YouTube.
“Due to schedules, Continue reading
No Development Authority meeting today @ VLCIA 2014-12-16
According to their Meeting Schedule.
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority’s Regular monthly meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2014, 5:30 pm at the Development Authority Conference Room, 103 Roosevelt Drive has been cancelled. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2015.
Happy Holidays!
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Town Hall meeting tonight with Demarcus Marshall, Lowndes County Commissioner District 4
A commissioner who represents half the county wants to listen
to all of the county tonight at the Civic Center, 6PM.
facebook event.
6PM Monday 15 December 2014
Lowndes County Civic Center
2102 E Hill Avenue
Valdosta, GA 31601An evening to address community concerns, solicit ideas and feedback, and have an opportunity for your voice to be heard by your elected county commissioner!
Dr. Demarcus Marshall
Lowndes County Commissioner
Super District 4
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Solar bills in the Georgia legislature
Every year since about 2000 one or more solar bills have been
before the Georgia legislature to modify the
1973 Territorial Electric Service Act
to enable solar financing.
2015 could be the year one of them finally passes,
what with
influential people finally waking up
to the cost-saving and energy-independence power of solar panels.
If you want
real energy reliability, lower power bills, and local jobs,
you can help pass whichever bill gets before the legislature this year,
and right now is a good time to help draft that bill.
Here are a few recent bills.
-
2013:
SB 51, The Georgia Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act
That year even the Georgia Municipal Association fell for opposing SB 51, and ALEC and Georgia Power once again smothered it in committee. This year two people in the Valdosta City government have told LAKE of their interest in passing a solar financing bill, so that’s a big change. Continue reading