Tag Archives: Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

“We’re moving forward now …ground breaking … Spring of 2011.” –Brad Lofton

I’m having deja vu from Lofton’s response to my request for substantion of some of his claims back in September: “We’re moving forward with permits in hand.” -jsq
To: “Michael G. Noll”, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris
From: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>,
Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:08:10 -0500

Dr. Noll,

Please refer to my previous e-mail re our position and the ample community awareness, substantial documentation, state, federal, local and environmental support we are proud to enjoy. We’re moving forward now, and we are looking forward to the ground breaking which will be Spring of 2011.

Regards,

BL

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

“It is your responsibility to prove us wrong” –Dr. Noll to Mr. Lofton

Dr. Noll responds to Mr. Lofton’s email of 24 Dec 2010. -jsq
From: “Michael G. Noll”
To: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris
Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:19:15 +0000

Hello Mr. Lofton.

You might remember that WACE handed out a “Myth vs. Fact” info sheet at the meeting. On it were clearly outlined major issues we have with your biomass project. I will only entertain the first three to refresh your memory, since they are the most important facts for our community:

Continue reading →

A “center of innovation excellence for renewable and sustainable energy in Georgia”?

In a recent message, Brad Lofton wrote “we plan to move on now and focus our attention on new job and tax revenue creating projects.” OK, what are those projects?

Back in September Brad Lofton told me that VLCIA had (beyond whatever Wiregrass LLC is doing) “other renewable green energy projects”, which he then refused to describe.

When I asked about these projects at the 21 Dec 2010 VLCIA board meeting, board member Gary Minchew responded that VLCIA couldn’t talk about sensitive negotiations, but they didn’t want to be secretive. Earlier I had been talking to the fellow sitting to my left about his green energy project and whether VLCIA was going to move forward on it. He pointed out to the board that he and I were facebook friends and linked on LinkedIn. He’s sending me some information; more on that when I get it. Meanwhile, I wonder why the board wouldn’t talk about his project, and I remain dubious that VLCIA has any other “renewable green energy projects”.

In that same meeting, Col. Ricketts and Brad Lofton went on for some time about solar energy, saying they were answering citizen concerns.

As one of the people who has asked them most frequently about solar energy, I have to say Continue reading →

VLCIA Board Meeting videos, 21 Dec 2010

Here are videos of the regular public board meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), 21 Dec 2010. I videoed almost everything, except when I was speaking or they were answering. More posts later on some of the astonishing points arising from this meeting.
Update 1 Jan 2010: more videos posted, with some comment. Still a few more to come.
Update 2 Jan 2010: All the videos are there now, and there’s a blog post with Dr. Teaf’s slides, along with video of Brad Lofton saying “no way shape or form”.

I’m sure that every VLCIA board member has the best interests of the community at heart. Several of them invited me to contact them with any concerns. I will take them up on that invitation, and you can, too. Continue reading →

jsq to Col. Ricketts about VLCIA

Here’s my response to Col. Ricketts’ recent message. -jsq
From: John S. Quarterman
To: “Allan Ricketts” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>
cc: “‘John S. Quarterman'”, “‘Michael Noll'”, “‘Susan Wehling'”, “‘Brad Lofton'” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, “Mary B. Gooding”, Roy Copeland, Kay Harris
Subject: Re: Wiregrass Power, LLC

Col. Ricketts,

It’s good to hear from you.

I wondered during your re-presentation of slides you’d already said the entire VLCIA board had seen at the recent VLCIA biomass event, whether you would provide copies to interested parties, such as those sitting in the room, but you did not at the time.

Considering the increasing amount of public interest in this topic, as evidenced by the attendance and questions at the VLCIA Rainwater Conference Center event, and by recent newspaper activity, probably the public would like to see those press releases directly from the VLCIA’s web site. However, LAKE is always happy to link to relevant material, so if you will please send me the URLs of those press releases as you found them on the web, LAKE will be happy to link to them.

Similarly, if Dr. Teaf’s information is as good as you indicated,

Continue reading →

Col. Ricketts on Wiregrass Power, LLC

I received the appended message from Col. Ricketts, Project Manager for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA). My response will follow. -jsq
From: “Allan Ricketts” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>
To: “‘John S. Quarterman'”
Cc: “‘Michael Noll'”, “‘Susan Wehling'”, “‘Brad Lofton'” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>
Subject: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:48:28 -0500

Norman Bennett, Gary Minchew,
Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett (Chair),
J. Stephen Gupton (Attorney),
Brad Lofton (Executive Director)
Hello John,

It was good to see you at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Board Meeting on Tuesday evening. I encourage you to attend more often.

I’ve attached copies of several recent press releases that we discussed during the meeting. I look forward to seeing these posted on your information exchange for folks to read.

Please let me know if you would like a copy of Dr. Christopher Teaf’s .ppt

Continue reading →

What’s the Industrial Authority’s Plan?

Appended is my LTE in the VDT today. I’ve added links. -jsq

What is the Industrial Authority’s plan to bring in real clean jobs?

MAGE SOLAR is hiring for the first of 350 jobs in its photovoltaic (PV) solar manufacturing plant in Dublin, Georgia, with half the population of Valdosta, in Laurens County, with half the population of Lowndes County. They’ve parlayed their position between the Atlanta airport and the Savannah seaport for many new clean jobs.

Suniva of Norcross’s second PV plant with its 500 jobs went to Michigan. Saginaw Valley calls itself Solar Valley and collaborates with governments, academia, and industry, winning thousands of clean jobs in wind and solar manufacturing and generating plants.

The Saginaw News remarked (7 Nov 2010): Continue reading →

VLCIA biomass event Q&A

Here are videos that illustrate the VDT’s point today in What We Think:
While officials continue to downplay local citizen anger about current projects, citizens are organizing in a variety of ways to affect change the next election cycle. When Sterling Chemical came to Lowndes County in the 1990s, citizens were told the project was a “done deal,” and so it was. Sterling is still here, but those in office at the time aren’t, and the director of the Industrial Authority at the time is no longer here either.

As has been shown worldwide, citizens are tired of being told what’s best for them, having no say so in how their tax dollars are spent, and having their concerns ignored.

Until officials understand that it is coming from all directions and not just led by a few malcontents, the swell will continue to grow. And those who continue to ignore the anger and frustration do so at their own peril.

Maybe the VDT is referring to this kind of response from the VLCIA panel on 6 Dec 2010:
“these things do prop up the local economy, period, end of discussion.”
A previous questioner who had a job in Vietnam notes he was lied to about Agent Orange and asks “can you assure me that I won’t be affected by this?” Continue reading →

Where’s the wood to come from and who will buy the electricity?

Here’s video of what I asked at the recent VLCIA biomass event (6 Dec 2010) and the answers from the panel.

So there’s actually not any new study of wood sourcing (Brad Lofton told me after the meeting that the study had been “completed” after we met in June), and the study that exists is not publicly available. Someone from Sterling promised me after the meeting to redact the private parts of the wood sourcing study and provide the rest for public distribution. We’ll see.

Regarding my question about who will buy the electricity and whether we’ll end up like Plant Scherer, selling electricity to Florida while keeping the pollution here, the answer was: Continue reading →

Contact Information for Elected and Appointed Officials

National, state (Georgia), and local (Lowndes County, Valdosta, Hahira, Lake Park, Remerton, and Dasher) elected officials, plus a selection of local appointed officials, including the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Board of Directors:
Roy Copeland Gary Minches Mary B. Gooding Norman Bennett Jerry Jennett

All of the above on the same page.

This is not every local elected or appointed official yet; if there are others you want to contact, let LAKE know and we’ll go ahead and add them.

-jsq