Tag Archives: Economy

Bloomberg illustrates 63% solar growth in 2012

A graph Bloomberg New Energy Finance posted illustrates
the recent 60%+ growth deployed solar capacity, but
BNEF fails to project solar’s compound interest growth forward.


Look at the solar numbers in that graph:

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
1.6 2.0 2.9 4.9 8.0
Change 25% 45% 69% 63%



Then look at that last row I added, which is each year’s
percentage increase over the previous year, as in
8.0 for 2012 divided by 4.9 for 2011 = 1.63 or 63%.
Slightly more for the previous year, and less in years before that.
In other words, the annual compound growth rate for solar is
around the 65% rate reported

by the solar industry.

And slightly higher than the 60.9% FERC rate I used Continue reading →

Entergy shutting down Vermont Yankee nuke: tenth down or never to be built in past year

As Entergy

has been preparing to do for some time,
it’s down forever for Vermont Yankee.
That’s at least ten (10) down forever
(Vermont Yankee,
Kewaunee,
Crystal River 3,
San Onofre 2 and 3)
or never to be built
(Calvert Cliffs 3,

South Texas Nuclear Project 3 and 4,
Bellefonte,
and

Levy County)
in the past year.
How many will it take before Southern Company (or more likely GA PSC
or even the Georgia legislature)
realizes

new nukes make no financial sense
and terminates the Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 boondoggle on the Savannah River?

Entergy blamed Vermont Yankee on shale gas, but you ain’t seen nothing yet, as

Moore’s Law for solar really kicks in.
Next one to go: I say
Entergy’s often-down Pilgrim 1 in Massachusetts;
everything Entergy said about Vermont Yankee applies in spades to Pilgrim 1.
Or maybe

ten-times-down-this-year Palisades.
Or bouncy man-killer

Arkansas Nuclear One.
So many to choose from!

Entergy PR on Market Watch today,

Entergy to Close, Decommission Vermont Yankee
–Decision driven by sustained low power prices, high cost structure and wholesale electricity market design flaws for Vermont Yankee plant –Focus to remain on safety during remaining operation and after shutdown,

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Entergy


Corporation ETR -0.21% today said it plans to close and decommission
its Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, Vt. The station
is expected to cease power production after its current fuel cycle
and move to safe shutdown in the fourth quarter of 2014. The station
will remain under the oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
throughout the decommissioning process.

“This was an agonizing decision and Continue reading →

New judge, river gauge, park deed, personnel costs, and pest control @ LCC 2013-08-26



The
request for a new State Court Judge
by Judge John Kent Edwards Jr. took 27 and a half minutes,
plus his

eight minute explanation of fines moving from Sheriff to State Court.
More people might have showed up to hear if anybody had known about
these items.
Commissioners asked a surprising number of questions about them
and about
the
Little River stream gauge
and the
opaque pest control bids.
Of course, then people might have seen

the proposed third no-bid contract to the same firm this month.
They vote tonight.

Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor


  1. Call to Order

  2. Invocation

  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag



  4. Special Presentation

    See

    separate post    .

  5. Minutes for Approval

    As is his custom, Chairman Bill Slaughter directed Commissioners
    to tell the Clerk of any changes, so we don’t know what they are.
    Then he introduced the special presentation
    out of agenda order.

    1. Work Session — August 12, 2013

    2. Regular Session — August 13, 2013
  6. For Consideration



    1. Environmental Engineering Services for GDOT Land Deed for Parks and Recreation

      Invisible Engineer proposed a third no-bid contract for same firm proposed this month;
      see

      separate post      .




    2. USGS Funding Agreement for Hwy 122 Stream Gauge

      This time Emergency Director Ashley Tye said it’s on the Little River,
      why it’s there, how it’s maintained, etc.
      See

      separate post      .




    3. Budget Adjustment — Personnel Costs

      Judge John Kent Edwards Jr. explained that many of the people
      going through his court or paying fines in Lowndes County
      don’t live here; they come off of I-75,
      and now the fine-collecting needs to move from the Sheriff’s office
      to the Clerk of Court;
      see

      separate post      .



  7. Bid-Pest Control Service

    Pest control for an unannounced amount with no bond from one of two
    unannounced bids.
    See

    separate post    .


  8. Reports-County Manager

    County Manager Joe Pritchard requested an Executive Session
    for pending litigation and they adjourned into that.

  9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

Here’s

a video playlist:



Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC)

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 August 2013.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

Confused bids for pest control @ LCC 2013-08-26



We get to pay some unknown amount chosen from bids we didn’t get to see
for pest control with no bond.
They vote tonight about what was proposed
at the

26 August 2013 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

7. Bid-Pest Control Service

Purchasing Director Kari L. Sands said this was a renewal
for rodent and insect control for all county buildings including
the fire department, beginning September 1st 2013 with
first and second year renewal options. Staff recommendation.
is
to approve the bid (for unannounced amount)
from

Baird’s Pest Control and Termite Services
(she didn’t mention any other bids).


Commissioner Crawford Powell wanted to know if there was a bonding requirement.

Answer: No.

Powell then wanted to know “do we need a bonding requirement for this?”

Answer from County Manager Joe Pritchard: Continue reading →

Fine collection moving from Sheriff to State Court @ LCC 2013-08-26



Could you have guessed what this was about from the agenda item?
Why do we the taxpayers of this $130,000 or $173,000 have to guess?
They vote tonight about what was proposed
at the

26 August 2013 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

6.c. Budget Adjustment — Personnel Costs

Judge John Kent Edwards Jr. explained that many of the people
going through his court or paying fines in Lowndes County
don’t live here; they come off of I-75.
The Sheriff’s office, in attempting to comply with state law,
decided it didn’t want to continuing handling fines.
There’s a piece of new legislation proposing to
have the Clerk of Court process and retain all the relevant information;
Judge Edwards thinks it will pass next year.
This requires shifting funding from the Sheriff’s office
to the Courts.
But it will simplify processing (and presumably costs)
by not having it go through both Sheriff and State Court.
Meanwhile, Judge Edwards is not aware of any other county
that still does this processing through the Sheriff’s department.

Here’s

Part 1 of 2: Continue reading →

Gauging the Little River west of Hahira @ LCC 2013-08-26



After the 2009 floods, Lowndes County agreed to help USGS fund a stream
gauge on the Little River west of Hahira.
It’s time to renew that.
They vote tonight about what was proposed
at the

26 August 2013 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

6.b. USGS Funding Agreement for Hwy 122 Stream Gauge

This time Emergency Director Ashley Tye said it’s on the Little River.



He said during ihe 2009 floods the county only had a gauges on the
Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge and US 84, and no way to
monitor the level of the Little River,
so he contacted USGS, who supplied and installed the equipment.
The county since then pays for the maintenance.
If something breaks, USGS comes and fixes it.
He’s also worked with the National Weather Service to establish flood stages
for better warning for residents.
It’s time to renew the funding.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know how many inspections
were carried out by USGS.



Answer: Continue reading →

Third no-bid contract for same firm proposed this month @ LCC 2013-08-26

This time
the County Engineer said Lovell was the only qualified


consultant for an ecological and environmental study
(because of what requirement we don’t know),
for a land swap (for what we don’t know),
not funded by the county (funded by whom we don’t know).
You the taxpayers and people potentially affected by any
ecological and environmental problems: do you think you might
want to know?
They vote tonight about what was proposed
at the

26 August 2013 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

6.a.

Environmental Engineering Services for GDOT Land Deed for Parks and Recreation

Invisible County Engineer Mike Fletcher said he had received a proposal
from Lovell Engineering Services for the
62.49 acre tract
just north of the existing skate park Parks and Rec owns
and just north of the old rest area.


The county Tax Assessors maps don’t show any tract of that size
near that location, but they Continue reading →

Special Presentation by State Court Judge John Edwards @ LCC 2013-08-26



State Court Judge John Edwards came before the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners

to ask them to begin the process of asking for an additional State
Court Judge for Lowndes County. An additional State Court Judge
would have to be authorized by the Georgia Legislature, then filled
initially by an appointee by the Georgia Governor.

At this morning’s Work Session,
the Judge noted that with the

recent reforms enacted by the Georgia Legislature,
many crimes previously classified as felonies are now
classified as misdemeanors. This has reduced the burden on the
Superior Courts and on the prison populations (a good thing)
however, it has raised the load on the State Court without an
increase in resources.

Here’s

Part 1 of 2:

Continue reading →

Videos: SPLOST VII open up, Prisoners, Water, Roads, and Costs @ LCC 2013-07-23

The closest we’re apparently going to get to a town hall or public hearing
about the county’s SPLOST VII list:
Chairman said “we’re going to open up” for comments.
The only taker was

Airport Authority Executive Director Jim Galloway.
Confusion about the minutes continued.
They appointed Ellen Golden to the

Department of Family & Children’s Services Board.
They hired prisoners again to compete with local labor.
They approved a letter
from Lovell Engineering to GA EPD on behalf of the county;
it wasn’t clear whether any of the Commissioners knew about
all the previous violations at the same water treatment plant.
They accepted Barrington subdivision infrastructure,
whereever that is, saying it wouldn’t cost the county anything,
except, of course, maintaining those roads as county development sprawls outwards.
They approved their
their Directors and Officers insurance.
This was all with a bare 3 of 5 quorum, because
Commissioners Raines and Powell didn’t show up for work.
A citizen thanked the Commission for increasing library funding.



Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes.
See also

the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Airport Authority Director pled for SPLOST VII funding @ LCC 2013-07-23

The Executive Director of the Airport Authority pled for runway funding
at

the 23 July 2013 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.




5. SPLOST VII request from Executive Director of Airport Authority


The one public speaker when County Chairman Bill Slaughter
“opened up” the SPLOST VII item
was Jim Galloway,
Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority,
who noted SPLOST VII included nothing for the airport from the county
or any of the cities.
The long runway is federally funded, but the shorter runway is not.
He asked for county funding.
which I see now lists its board members on

its website:

Steve Everett – Chairman

Jeff Sikes

Nathaniel Haugabrook

Dr. James Sinnott

Anthony Payton

Jane Shelton

Jim Galloway – executive director/airport manager (229) 333-1833

Here’s

Jim Galloway in a Valdosta CEO video
explaining what the Airport Authority is and does,
for example Continue reading →