Tag Archives: Economy

CALL TO ARMS –James Wright @ VCC 2013-07-11

Received a few minutes ago. -jsq

A call to arms, I wanted to share with you a e-mail I received from Nolan Cox. I find his message offensive and seem as if he has a real issue with low income residents. It would mean a lot if you can make it to the Council meeting (5:30 p.m.) as I plan to address this during Council Comments and hope that we can get input from the community regarding this statement below. Your presence will help us get the point across that our community mean something.

I have also included my response to Mr. Cox

Nolan Cox- Tea Party/Republican Party President

“As I listened to your discussion at the City Council work session about the “need” to give away $800,000 of taxpayer’s money through the Federal Home Loan Bank Program grant, I was thinking that only about half of Americans pay federal income taxes, and 43% of every federal dollar spent is borrowed, with the interest on the nation’s $17 trillion debt soon to be larger than the nation’s defense budget. Defense spending is a legitimate constitutional function of the federal government, but repairing houses, like most welfare giveaway programs, is not a legitimate Continue reading →

Solar may win today at the Georgia PSC

There’s still time to call in and make your voice heard, (800) 282-5813. The swing vote is the Commissioner for south Georgia, H. Doug Everett. Solar power may win over Georgia Power today.

Greg Bluestein and Kristi E. Swartz wrote for the AJC yesterday, Solar supporters see rare loss on horizon for Georgia Power,

If Georgia Power says it needs something, it usually gets it. Over the years, state regulators have cleared the way for the utility to land new power plants, more transmission lines and rate increases, often without much heated debate.

Walter C. Jones wrote for jacksonville.com yesterday, PSC likely to require Georgia Power to double its reliance on solar power Thursday Continue reading →

Softbank buying Sprint buying Clearwire for better Internet

About nine months ago Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son said he wanted to buy Sprint because he was tired of poor U.S. Internet service. The FCC has approved that merger. And Clearwire shareholders have approved Sprint buying Clearwire, which will provide more spectrum for Sprint to work with. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T competing in 4G LTE or faster wireless Internet services would almost be like a real market! Today’s the day.

Jordan Crook wrote vfor TechCrunch Monday, After 9 Months, The Softbank-Sprint Merger Will Be A Done Deal On July 10,

“SoftBank Corp. will invest approximately USD 21.6 billion (approximately JPY 1.8 trillion*) in Sprint Nextel Corporation and currently anticipates consummating the transaction on July 10, 2013 (EDT).”

Continue reading →

F is for solar in Georgia, #45 in 2013 state solar power rankings

F for all three main Southern Company states: Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Florida manages a B for rank #23, presumably because SO only covers part of the panhandle. Coincidence? While SO’s tiger team studies someday maybe doing something about distributed solar, the Georgia Public Service Commission could double solar requirements on Georgia Power this week.

You can clearly see those three SO states on this map by GigaOm:

Solar Power Rocks.com asked 19 June 2013 in 2013 State Solar Power Rankings,

“How do we recognize and reward legislatures for admirable solar energy policy while holding them accountable to do better?” Continue reading →

SO’s plan to make the Southeast a net exporter of the energy from solar and wind? –John S. Quarterman @ SO 2013-05-22

SO CEO Tom Fanning didn’t budge from nuclear and coal, but he did announce a tiger team to get on top of distributed solar and wind through a smart grid, headed by SO’s COO, at the 22 May 2013 Southern Company Stockholder Meeting.

Next question --Tom Fanning Mr. John S. Quarterman from Lowndes County, Georgia, and he holds 220 shares of Southern Company.

TF: Hello, John. Good to see you again this year.

jsq with SO fade jsq: Hi. I’ve come to compliment Tom Fanning and Paul Bowers. Last year, Tom Fanning was so persuasive I ran out and bought $10,000 worth of stock.

TF: Bless you. [Applause]

However, apparently because of SO’s admission a few minutes before in that same meeting that it was going to have to eat Kemper Coal cost overruns, SO stock tanked that same day, causing my stock to stop out, and Standard & Poor’s downgraded SO the following day because of Kemper Coal, noting that if the same thing happened with SO’s nuclear project at Plant Vogtle, S&P’s would probably Continue reading →

Re-evaluate Plant Vogtle and move to wind and solar power –Courtney Hanson @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Re-evaluate Plant Vogtle, especially its water use, and move to efficiency, wind, and solar power instead, said Courtney Hanson of Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions (GA WAND) at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

She reminded GA PSC Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 are late and over budget, and then:

I want to add my voice to the chorus of folks here who are concerned about water issues. We know that Vogtle 3 and 4 will require an additional withdrawal of as much as 74 million gallons a day from the Savannah River and most of that water will not be returned. We know that the central Savannah River area where Vogtle is located is already very prone to droughts and the plant has been close to shutting down several times due to drought conditions. Georgia is also already struggling to supply enough water for our homes, businesses, industries, and farms.

In addition, the Savannah River is Continue reading →

It is not enough to add a little solar and wind on top of fossil and fission fuels –a German @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

A German national residing in Georgia asked for a serious effort on energy efficiency and conservation while switching to real renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels and nuclear, at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

She said increasing fires and floods were part of climate change, and we need to do something about it.

I always hear this phrase “growing energy demand” as if it’s something, some matter of fact. A growing economy means growing energy demand, and that means consequently growing waste, growing pollution, growing inequity, and so on. Any thinking person should notice that we need to find a way out. For anyone concerned about our future, business as usual is no longer acceptable. We need drastic changes in our energy supply. We need to use less.

Only a month earlier, Tom Fanning, CEO of Georgia Power’s parent company Southern Company reemphasized yet again that

To us, growing the economy is how we’re going to make profit.

Yet GA PSC could do something about that antique attitude, as this speaker pointed out: Continue reading →

More solar, less nuke cost overruns –Glenn Carroll @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Glenn Carroll of Nuclear Watch South asked GA PSC to raise the 2 MW solar cap and to get Georgia Power to build solar in Georgia rather than in distant states, plus efficiency and conservation, at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

She said they’d gotten a lot of national attention on Plant Vogtle, which was having a legendary bad year, in procurement, costs, etc. She praised Sierra Club, Georgia Watch, and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) for intervening in Georgia Power’s IRP.

The world has changed really really fast and Georgia Power is being isolated. It is protected financially of course because of the small business and residential customers that are covering all of the risks that they are taking. We want solar power here, not Arizona and New Mexico.

She recommended conservation and efficiency programs at Port Angeles, presumably the one in Washington State.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →

Increased investment in demand-side reduction –a homebuilder @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Paul[?] Matthews said he’s been green since before it was cool, first in an earlier Georgia Power program (EarthCraft), and now in EarthCents. He thinks the program is good, with both environmental and economic benefits, but he asked for it to be extended to become a model for the south, at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

He spoke about his company’s investment in sustainable efficiency and conservation, and asked GA PSC and Georgia Power to also do more.

A much more efficient way and cost-effective of reducing power is by reducing energy used. We’re not only looking at tripling the savings over the next ten years, but we’re also looking at job growth….

…a sustainable and long-term growth approach.

Let’s make the rebates and also the tax credits so they’re a model for Georgia and also for the south.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →

EarthCents has taken a lot of power bill mystery away –a contractor @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

A contractor who does homeowner education as part of Georgia Power’s Earth Cents program praised that program at the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

He said homeowners tend to complain about power bills:

And this Earth Cents program has, in my experience, taken a lot of that mystery away. The homeowners that I touch and I deal with come away with an understanding that leaves them less concerned about the rate hikes that I’m sure keep you guys up at night when it comes to a vote and more concerned about where the money is actually going.

I’m guessing he means homeowners are more concerned about what Georgia Power is using to generate the power.

Earth Cents, according to Southern Company:

Introduced in 2008, EarthCents energy efficiency programs help our customers save energy and money while reducing greenhouse gases. EarthCents comprises a set of standing and new programs—and educational efforts—to reduce residential and commercial electricity consumption.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →