Tag Archives: 20 January 2011

Farmers grow renewable energy? –James Wright

Grow crops to burn for fuel, or for food? Valdosta City Council member James Wright brings up an article about farmers growing plants for biomass fuel. These things get passed around by council members, and I’m pretty sure this one that came to me indirectly is it: November 12, 2010 – Incentivizing Renewable Biomass Production, by New Energy Farms, Leamington, Ontario. What they’re mainly recommending is Miscanthus, which is a genus of clump grass.


The above video was already posted as part of
After all the citizens left –Valdosta City Council, 20 Jan 2011.

Now call me old-fashioned, but I prefer local farmers growing food Continue reading →

After all the citizens left –Valdosta City Council, 20 Jan 2011

Want to know what your city council really thinks? Stay through the entire meeting and you’ll get some clues; or watch these videos by some who did stay. City Manager, Attorney, and each council member say what’s on their minds. Much of it addresses some of the questions asked by citizens earlier: cracks in the MLK monument, biomass, council members answering questions from the audience, etc. What they didn’t talk about may indicate what various citizens didn’t succeed in conveying to the council.

It’s not like what they were saying was a secret. The VDT reporter was there. They were finishing up the agenda with the sections “7. City Manager’s Report” and “8. Council Comments”. You can see them adjourn at the end. Some of them groused about the time citizens take up in “Citizens Wishing to be Heard”.

But remember, almost none of those citizens bothered to stay around to listen to them. Among the stay-latest: two cameras for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange, providing you these two views: Continue reading →

“I don’t feel my interests were adequately represented” –Matt Flumerfelt

First-time speaker Matt Flumerfelt notes the Valdosta City Council and the Lowndes County Commission both disclaim responsibility for the Industrial Authority even though both appoint its members, and he thinks that may make VLCIA’s contract for the biomass plant challengeable on constitutional grounds. He also sent LAKE the appended article on 20 Jan 2011.

Video by John S. Quarterman of the regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 20 January 2011, for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Faith In Technology Is What Got Us Into This Mess

by Matt Flumerfelt

Many people in the Valdosta-Lowndes County community have faith that the proposed Biomass incinerator won’t harm anyone or anything, but faith in technology is what got us into our current environmental mess in the first place. Those old enough to remember the nuclear power debate will remember how many people gave assurances that nuclear power was safe, yet we see today how difficult nuclear waste is to dispose of and how much damage it has caused when things go wrong, which, human nature being what it is, they inevitably do. The recent gulf oil spill would not have happened if

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District numbers and MLK repairs –George Rhynes

George Boston Rhynes asks for Valdosta City Council members to be easier to visually distinguish, and thanks council and staff for promising to pay attention to physical problems with the MLK monument.

Video by John S. Quarterman of the regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 20 January 2011 for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Pollution and a Private Prison? –Dr. Mark George

As the VDT transcribed:
“I think we can do better than a generator that burns human waste. I think we can do better than a private prison and those are two things that we seem to be excited about as a community.”
Dr. Mark George spoke to the Valdosta City Council, 20 Jan 2011:

We’ve previously written about CCA private prisons and AZ immigration law on 21 December 2010:

Considering how many local farmers and others around here use hispanic help without inquiring closely as to where they come from, a CCA prison in Lowndes County would be more than ironic.

Spending state tax dollars to lock people up while cutting funding for education that would cost less per person doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.

Is this what we want to be known for?

And in If it’s sunny enough in Buffalo on 16 September 2010: Continue reading →