So many they need their own power substation. And there’s corn growing in the same fields.
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Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 August 2012.
20120811_161358:
Here are the rest of the videos from the Hahira City Council meeting of 2 August 2012, including the very interesting scheduled agenda items in which each Council member, the City Manager, and the Mayor give their thoughts on issues relevant to the City of Hahira.
12.A. Council Ralph Clendenin 
12.A. Council Allen Cain 
12.A. Council Terry Benjamin 
12.A. Council Rose Adams 
12.B. City Manager Jonathan Sumner 
12.C. Mayor Wayne Bullard Here’s a video playlist of the entire meeting:
Regular Session, Hahira City Council (Hahira),
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2 August 2012.
Other city employees present included Continue reading
Georgia's air: not quite as bad as Florida's.
WTXL wrote Thursday, Florida and Georgia ranked high for toxicity exposure,
According to an analysis released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Florida is the 6th worst state in the nation when it comes to exposing residents to toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants.
Florida's air would rate even worse if Florida Power and Light had to burn coal in Florida instead of at Plant Scherer near Macon to generate power for Florida. Instead, FPL dirties Georgia's air for Florida's benefit.
Georgia is ninth worst on the NRDC's Toxic 20 list, in “Toxic Power: How Power Plants Contaminate Our Air and States”. Here's NRDC's press release.
-jsq
Here’s a video playlist of most of the Hahira City Council Regular Session of Thursday 2 August 2012. Hahira City Council (population about 2,800) spent more time in open public discussion about each of
several individual agenda items than the Lowndes County Commission (population 111,000+) typically spends on an entire “open meeting”.
They held a millage hearing and lowered the milage. They discussed developer tap fees (nay), discussed the now-ritual topic of bidding for waste disposal ( nay), and approved a GEFA loan for a new water well (yea). A surprise vote on fixing a tractor (yea) was not on the agenda.
Near the beginning they still have Citizens to Be Heard. Maybe they’re not afraid of their citizens? Citizens mostly wanted to talk about the police chief’s proposal to fine people who didn’t mow their lawns.
A few more videos will be added, probably today, (now available as
Council Comments)
of the votes on cost of living increases (yea), SPLOST VII (yea), the consent agenda (yea), and council comments at the end of the session.
The agenda is below after the videos; thanks to City Manager Jonathan Sumner for sending it. Here’s the video playlist:
-jsq
Video Playlist Hahira City Council
Regular Session, Hahira City Council (Hahira),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2 August 2012.
Received yesterday on Hahira approved for water well loan by state. -jsq
It’s nice to know Hahira will get a break in interest, but tax
payers will still have to pay back the loan. I missed the council meeting which is unusual for me. Does the video show anything about the fact some council members voted not to raise the tap fees for new construction which would certainly help pay back the loan instead of depending so much on tax monies? Developers should not be allowed to come in and make huge profits from new construction, then take their profits and let the citizens pay the price for increased water demands. Raising the one time tap fees would have distributed some of the costs to the developers who enjoy the profits from increased demands on the infrastructure and water usage.
-Barbara Stratton
Yes, we have video of the entire Hahira City Council meeting, which will be posted soon. LAKE is always happy to accept help in taking or labeling videos.
-jsq
Received today on Plant Vogtle water use. -jsq
Energy projects such as biomass plants, coal firing plants, and
nuclear power plants waste enormous amounts of water. The once proposed 40MW biomass plant in Valdosta would have consumed 800,000 gallons of water DAILY. Considering that for years now we are experiencing record drought conditions and heat waves in the US, this should make everyone’s hair stand up on the back of their necks. (For more information see “Electricity’s Thirst on a Precious Resource”.)
Add to this scenario a recent decision by the US Nuclear Regulatory Continue reading
George Boston Rhynes reports Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State, will be in Quitman today about election matters, apparently at the Brooks County Commission building. Here’s a video playlist: by George of elections issues ranging from the recent attempt by the Board of Elections Chair to stop George videoing a public meeting, to the suspension of the Elections Supervisor, to the Quitman 10+2.
Here’s my previous post about the Chair challenging George for doing what any citizen can do. Here’s who are the Board of Elections, and a playlist for the rest of that meeting.
-jsq
Apparently the nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle will use more water than the City of Savannah, and more than agricultural uses for the middle Savannah River watershed. Much of the water (3/4?) is evaporated, leaving less for drinking, farming, and everything else. What goes back in the river is rest warmer than it came out, affecting everything that lives in the river. Remind me: why are we building those nukes instead of solar and wind generators, which use no water while producing power?
Plant Vogtle currently uses 43.2 million gallons of water a day, and with all 4 units, is planned to use 86.4 million gallons of water a day, or 2% of the *average* flow of the Savannah River, according to UNC’s Powering A Nation journalism team, 9 June 2010.
That’s more than the City of Savannah, according to the City of Savannah.
Continue readingGeorgia is already benefiting by jobs from wind manufacturing. What if we increased that, and generated wind energy, too?
Kristi E. Swartz wrote for the AJC 2 June 2012, Ga. blown away by wind’s potential,
The state already is home to more than a dozen companies that make
components that either go into wind turbines or that assist in building them. Such development has been a way for Georgia and the Southeast to capitalize on the wind energy industry even though the state lacks a steady wind needed for the giant turbines to spin constantly and create electricity.
“It’s … to have some visibility in the industry and to let those industry players know that this is an industry that’s important to Georgia, that it is on our radar screen, and it’s one of our targeted industries,” said Tom Croteau, director of the Economic Development Department’s food, energy, logistics and agribusiness projects division.
That’s good, let’s do more of it. Except that part about “lacks a steady wind”: we know Georgia does have wind offshore.
Here’s why we’re not generating wind electricity in Georgia. Hint: the answer is Continue reading
A house burned down this morning on US 122 east of the Boys Ranch. Multiple Lowndes County Fire and Rescue trucks were there, one from as far away as Shiloh, plus Moody Fire Emergency Services, an SGMC Paramedic Unit, and a Sheriff’s deputy directing traffic. The location was 5522 E Highway 122.
Here’s Part 1 of 3:
Fire on U.S. 122, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 August 2012 Part 1 of 3:
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 August 2012.
The SGMC unit appeared to have nothing to do, Continue reading