Tag Archives: Georgia

GA Gov. Nathan Deal signs solar financing law

The sun is finally rising on Georgia, and if that is possible, Florida can follow, and the southeast, the U.S., and the world.

Today is a historic day, when even a governor who took campaign finance funds from a long list of fossil fuel pipeline companies, the governor of the most corrupt state (least stringent ethics laws), when that governor finally signed a law that even the most corruption-prone legislature, after squelching similar bills for a dozen years, finally passed as HB 57 unanimously in both houses.

Dave Williams, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 12 may 2015, Gov. Deal signs bill letting solar installers offer customers third-party financing,

Georgia property owners will get more affordable options for installing solar panels at their homes and businesses under a bill Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law Tuesday.

The legislation, which sailed through the General Assembly unanimously, will let solar installers offer customers third-party financing of installations. That’s a major change from the old law, which required customers to pay up front.

Already two years ago the Georgia Public Service Commissioners, even though overwhelmingly campaign-funded by the industries they regulate, required Georgia Power to buy twice as much solar energy as it wanted. This year Georgia Power’s parent Southern Company’s annual report says its main source of new revenue for both 2013 and 2014 was solar power. And Georgia has already leaped from far behind to become the fastest growing solar market in the nation, with numerous Georgia Power solar utility-scale installations and smaller ones like for Alton Burns in Thomas County and today for George Bennett in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia. This new law Gov. Deal just signed will accelerate that growth even more.

Luis Martinez, NRDC, 12 May 2015, The Sun Also Rises in the Southeast, Continue reading

Solar energy is a part of God’s plan –Valdosta minister with rooftop solar

Early adopter Rev. George Bennett of First Christian Church of Valdosta gets creation care plus 8% return on investment in his 20 solar panels, just like the Savannah Georgia National Guard got two years ago from the same solar installer. Bennett is very well known around Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, so his solar decision could be quite influential. If he didn’t even wait for the new solar financing law, solar must be something lots of people will want, especially when they see Rev. Bennett explain it in terms they understand.

Adam Floyd, front page, Valdosta Daily Times, today, 12 May 2015, Valdosta homeowner turns to solar power system, Continue reading

Videos: Bottled water, prisoner details, board appointees, and Easter Seals @ LCC 2015-05-11

One appointee bowed out, architect selection and public defender to the courthouse were clarified, and dog kennels were discussed, in these LAKE videos from yesterday morning’s 11 May 2015 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, with a few notes. See also the agenda, plus a new item 6 f. Server Replacement/Network Core Replacement. Continue reading

Bottled water, prisoner details, board appointees, and Easter Seals @ LCC 2015-05-11


Picture by Michael Rivera, CC

Why is the county accepting Bids for Bottled Water Service? If its own water, or Valdosta’s, is good enough for the taxpayers, shouldn’t it be good enough for Commission and staff? They’ve also got a Bid for Coffee Service, but we don’t grow coffee here, as far as I know, so that’s not the same issue.

With many local people needing jobs, why does the county continue to renew an Annual Contract Renewal for Prison Work Details?

Looks like Joseph G. Stevens will be reappointed to the Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority. Both G. Norman Bennett and incumbent Anthony Payton want to be appointed to the one slot opening on the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority. Their applications were not included with the agenda, so who can say which one is most qualified?

I guess they didn’t decide to relocate the Public Defender’s Office into the historic Lowndes County Courthouse, since on the agenda is a three-year Lease Agreement for the Public Defender’s Office at its present location.

Looks like J. Glenn Gregory will provide the Architectural Services for the Lowndes County Civic Center Renovations and the Architectural Services for the Naylor Community Center, both funded via SPLOST VII. Both apparently without competitive bids.

Here’s the agenda, which also has Declaration of Surplus Items and Authorization for Sale/Disposal and Easter Seals Southern Georgia Presentation (Work Session Only).

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015  8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

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Safety Problems at Southern Nuclear Plants Farley and Hatch

Not as obvious as Entergy’s Indian Point fire, Southern Nuclear’s Farley 1 on the Chattahoochee River is down and Hatch 1 and 2 on the Altamaha River have ongoing fire safety problems.

600x345 Southern Nuclear Farley and Hatch Problems, in Nukes Low and Down, by John S. Quarterman, 8 May 2015

NRC Current Event Notification Report for May 8, 2015 says about Farley 1, near Dothan Alabama, on the Chattahoochee River, about 125 miles from here: Continue reading

Fire at Indian Point nuke fire and shut down next to Spectra-planned fracked methane pipeline


Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News

A fire and shut down of Indian Point 3 didn’t even make the front page of the New York Times, and no mention that Spectra Energy wants to build its 42-inch fracked methane Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) only 1,500 feet from Indian Point. Plus an oil leak, all next to the Hudson River. Meanwhile, Oyster Creek (NJ), Three Mile Island 1 (PA), and Farley (AL) are all down, and numerous fire prevention deficiencies were reported for Hatch 1 and 2 (GA). When did you last hear of a solar leak or explosion?

Matt Spillane, lohud, 10 May 2015, VIDEO: Transformer fire, oil leak at Indian Point Energy Center, Continue reading

Five non-NPL superfund sites in Lowndes County

Five superfund sites and many more supposedly cleaned up, all in Lowndes County.

300x241 Perma-fix, in Superfund Sites in Lowndes County, GA, by John S. Quarterman, 9 May 2015 Homefacts has a web page on Lowndes County, GA Environmental Hazards Report, which includes some you probably knew about, such as Perma Fix Explosion, 1612 James P Rogers Circle, Valdosta, GA 31601,

Perma Fix Explosion is a superfund site located at 1612 James P Rogers Circle, Valdosta, GA 31601. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies sites such as Perma Fix Explosion because they pose or had once posed a potential risk to human health and/or the environment due to contamination by one or more hazardous wastes. Perma Fix Explosion is currently registered as an Active superfund site by the EPA. However, it is not on the NPL (National Priorities List), which means the EPA does not consider it one of the nation’s most hazardous waste sites.

Remember the black clouds of smoke Continue reading

Idaho citizen files $1.5 million wrongful arrest suit against local appointed body

Speaking up in a public meeting should result in violations of someone’s rights under the First (“peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”), Fifth (“nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”), or Eighth (“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”) Amendments. Anti-fracking activist Alma Hasse is seeking legal redress. This could be a nationwide trend, with one local bully apologizing to Nydia Tisdale to avoid jail in Forsyth County, Georgia, after settling for $200,000 for being ejected from the Cummings, Georgia City Council for videoing. Nydia hasn’t filed charges yet for the case of the six missing screams, in which she was forcibly ejected from a public campaign event headlined by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal for videoing. Maybe if you advertise a public meeting, you can’t throw someone out for videoing, and you can’t arrest somebody for speaking up in public government meeting.

Alma Hasse was arrested for Continue reading

Videos: Baseball and water; electric sign withdrawn @ ZBOA 2015-04-07

They’re meeting again today, and last month the baseball diamond west of Hahira was approved with conditions 4-1. The water connection variance on Jumping Gully Road, was approved 5-0, and the electric company parking variance on Norman Drive, tabled the previous month, was withdrawn by applicant (before the meeting), all according to ZBOA’s own Summary of Results.

See also the agenda for the 7 April 2015 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. Here’s the LAKE video of the meeting:

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Billboard and building locations @ ZBOA 2015-05-05

Today at 2:30 PM, Fairway wants to put its billboard back up at the new overpass: way up. Will ZBOA approve a 60-foot-high billboard? Plus in the county, a building location variance and a Family Ties variance.

Here’s the agenda, from the City of Valdosta website.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Matt Martin, Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563

Carmella Braswell, Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 671-2430

AGENDA
May 5, 2015
2:30 p.m.

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