Tag Archives: GA

Moving on and finances –Billy Webster, Putnam County Commission @ GA PSC 2013-06-18



“This year we’re not even going to be able to hold the line on the millage rate,”
said Billy Webster, Putnam County Commissioner,
at

the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.
He wants Georgia Power to do something to help reinvent the Plant Branch property.
He asked GA PSC to help Putnam County do that.

Here’s

the video:



Moving on and finances –Billy Webster, Putnam County Commission

Georgia Power proposed closing of coal plants,

Administrative Session, GA Public Service Commission (GA PSC),

Doug Everrett (1: south Georgia), Tim Echols (2: east Georgia), Chairman Chuck Eaton (3: metro Atlanta), Stan Wise (5 north Georgia), Bubba McDonald (4: west Georgia),

Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),

244 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA, 30334-9052, 18 June 2013.

-jsq

Water and Economy –Bill W. Sharp, Vice Chair, Putnam Development Authority @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Bill W. Sharp, Vice Chair of the



Putnam Development Authority noted Georgia Power had water permits
and asked three things at

the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013:

  1. Currently Georgia Power has a permit to use water from Lake Sinclair.
    We would ask to use this permit for the
    for the economic development of Putnam County.
  2. We would ask you to encourage Georgia Power to assist in bringing
    new industry to our area through their vast network of economic development.


  3. …commit to maintain the current full level of Lake Sinclair and Lake
    Oconee in order to continue the developments around the lake.

Chairman Eaton said the PSC was in a difficult position.
Sharp said he understood business and praised Georgia Power yet again, but:

From our standpoint
we’d like them to help us get on with life
and make life better in Putnam County
by helping us find this development.
Let’s go out and create some new ideas.
And they can do that.
And we’d like you to encourage them with your power and your prowess.

Here’s

the video:

Continue reading →

Putnam County Manager wants solar to replace coal @ GA PSC 2013-06-18



Putnam County sent a delegation to


the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.
You’ve already seen

Rep. Rusty Kidd; next up was the Putnam County manager.

County Manager

Paul Van Haute
said
$175,000 in SPLOST money from

Putnam County


Paul Van Haute, Putnam County Manager
Unfortunately we had budgeted
$275,000,
so we’re about
$100,000 a year short
based on our estimates.
That is directly attributable to the loss of coal sales from Plant Branch.
Also on top of that we’re losing about $950,000 to $980,000 of property tax.
That is about one seventh of our property tax receipts.
This is a very big impact to the community.

About then he was interrupted by Chairman Chuck Eaton, who asked: Continue reading →

Videos of GA PSC on Georgia Power coal plant closings @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Videos of the morning part of the 18 June 2013 Georgia Public Service Commission


Administrative Session,
which was mostly about two Georgia Power dockets

on closing coal plants
and future energy,
plus a

telecommunications rules docket.


GA PSC: Doug Everrett (1: south Georgia), Tim Echols (2: east Georgia), Chairman Chuck Eaton (3: metro Atlanta), Stan Wise (5 north Georgia), Bubba McDonald (4: west Georgia)




First they had a lengthy

devotional on Joseph sold into slavery to the Egyptians (Georgia Power
probably didn’t like being referred to in that manner).
There was a sign posted outside the door:
do not enter; devotional in progress.


Chairman Eaton finally
started the meeting with Continue reading →

Rep. Rusty Kidd urged GA PSC to ask GA Power for solar to replace coal Plant Branch @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

First public witness about the GA Power 2013 IRP at the



the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.

GA Rep. Rusty Kidd district 145, who argued for more solar power.


Rep. Rusty Kidd and GA PSC

Rep. Kidd noted

coal Blant Branch closing

Rep. Rusty Kidd and Press
would have substantial economic effect on Putnam County.
He said one of his friends was selling his house on Lake Sinclair
because he knew Putnam County taxes would be going up.
Rep. Kidd urged the Commission to have Georgia Power use
the land of Plant Branch for solar energy.
He also noted that the more coal plants that closed,
the more natural gas would have a monopoly,
and then he expected the price of natural gas to go up.
So he concluded by urging GA PSC to have Georgia Power
put solar power on the Plant Branch property in the near future.

Here’s

the video: Continue reading →

Telecommunications rules and rates @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Telecommunications rules and rates were deferred and scheduled at

the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013.



First item on the regular agenda was

Docket # 35537

Title: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Promulgate Rules Governing Eligible Telecommunications Carriers 515-12-1-.35



There was lengthy discussion about the database provision and the
$5 minimum charge in those rules.

Commissioner Wise didn’t like the database as proposed and asked
for an indefinite hold until they had a database that was verifiable.



Commissioner Echols asked whether the current proposal would be like
a hold anyway, since it would involve another hearing. Staff said yes.
Commissioner Everett asked Continue reading →

GA PSC to require twice as much solar from Georgia Power? @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Commissioner McDonald wants twice as much solar power from Georgia Power,

Georgia Power execs testify before GA PSC
while Commissioner Stan Wise asked questions leading to Georgia Power
maybe saying that would cost more, yesterday at the Georgia Public
Service Commission in Atlanta.
Doubling from 271 megawatts planned to more than 500 MW would be good;
at least that’s a start on
catching up to New Jersey’s already-installed 1,000 MW.

Jacksonville.com reported today,

Georgia Power tells regulators adding solar generation will cost consumers more:
PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald wants Georgia Power to double solar generation, Continue reading →

Videos: Solar Dublin High School groundbreaking @ DHS Solar 2013-03-11


Breaking ground
Groundbreaking for solar power to save Dublin High 40%,
thus reducing teacher furloughs,

financed by municipal bonds,
made possible by cooperation among a wide range of
government officials, private companies, and individuals:
that was the groundbreaking story in Dublin, Laurens County, yesterday,
videod by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE.



Dublin City Schools are willing to try something new, and that’s why
they were groundbreaking,

said Chuck Ledbetter, Superintendent, yesterday.
He

recognized members present of the Dublin City Council, the
Laurens County Commission, the Dublin-Laurens Development Authority,
and state representative Matt Hatchett, and
Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald.

Ledbetter’s theme,


News camera and speaker
Everybody worked together to make this happen.

was echoed over and over by many other speakers.
What they worked for was economic help for Dublin City Schools
through solar power, financed by municipal bonds.


The Mayor of Dublin, Phil Best added to the list

Continue reading →

Circular wastewater firing squad continues

The VDT's Sunday front page was covered with wastewater stories,
continuing the circular firing squad of the local powers that be.
Meanwhile

in Dublin, GA, they're breaking ground for solar panels
at the local high school, using a bond financing
model that we could use here, if local leaders would look up.



In addition to

some detail about the city's FEMA application
and

following up on flooded yards,
the VDT followed up on

its EPD and EPA scrutiny story
with one saying

City received help from EPD to keep EPA away.
It's good the VDT is covering these issues, but it's still leaving out
important parts of the local water story.

Apparently firing back at



Thursday's Valdosta City Council session,
perhaps especially

Robert Yost's very pointed criticisms of the VDT,
the VDT concluded its

rather rich Sunday editoral:

City leaders, please, no more of the blame game. The citizens of
this community are imploring you to just accept responsibility and
fix it.

Yet the VDT has

spent the last week blaming the city,
and has accepted no responsibility for its own role, or that of
its editor, Kay Harris, in the recent loss of the SPLOST referendum
that would have further funded wastewater work in Valdosta.

Now, I agree with the VDT that

Continue reading →

Solar Dublin High School groundbreaking tomorrow



Dublin gets the jump on the rest of Georgia again:
Dublin High School will get a megawatt of solar electricity
through a lease agreement with a private company
using local government bonds to get around Georgia’s special financing problem.

Kenny Burgamy reported for for 13wmaz.com Thursday,

Solar Plant To Be Located at Dublin High,

Dublin High School of Dublin City Schools will soon implement
1 megawatt of solar energy.



The 4,000 panel solar power plant will be the largest in Central
Georgia and is expected to save the school 40 percent in energy
costs.

Dublin City Schools Superintendent Chuck Ledbetter told 13WMAZ, “The
facility will be built and owned by private business and the school
system will lease the solar power plant, saving us money in energy
costs.”

The original plan was developed more than 15-months ago by German
based MAGE SOLAR, which has a plant located in Laurens County.

The story has been carried by
GPB
by
Athens Banner-Herald via AP.

This installation is similar to but slightly different from

Continue reading →