Tag Archives: Michigan

Small town in Michigan votes to oppose nuclear waste dump across the lake in Canada


It’s unlikely a U.S. town has any direct power over a siting decision in Canada,
but a small Michigan town made its views known anyway, because it would be affected.
Local governments affected by the Sabal Trail methane pipeline could do the same.

Lori Maranville wrote for the Milan News-Leader 22 February 2014,

MILAN: Council approves resolution opposing nuclear waste site in Canada,

In October, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin sent a
letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry showing their concern
for the proposed nuclear waste site.

“The placement of this nuclear waste storage facility is of
great concern given its location near Lake Huron and the importance
of the Great Lakes to tens of millions of U.S. and Canadian citizens
for drinking water, fisheries, tourism, recreation, and other
industrial and economic uses,” they wrote in the letter.

In passing a resolution opposing the site, Milan elected officials
brought the issue to light for the city’s residents.

Continue reading →

Palisades nuke down 11 times since 2011

Decrepit nuke leaked radioactive water into Lake Michigan
in May 2013, and “The same tank sprang a leak in 2012.”
That reactor has been down so many times the reporter couldn’t count
them all.


When will we realize what Korea and now Japan has:
the nuclear industry colludes to hide its mistakes from the public,
and the public needs to do something about it.

David N. Goodman wrote for AP 6 May 2013,

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: ‘Very slightly radioactive water’ enters Lake Michigan,

Early Sunday morning, the tank was ruled inoperable and the nuclear power plant began powering down. This is

reportedly the ninth time that the facility has been shut down since 2011.


Nope, ten times; count ’em:

>

Palisades nuke down 11 times since 2011

And it stayed down from May 6th to June 17th 2013.
Plus who knows what it’s leaking now that they didn’t bother to take it down for? Continue reading →

Georgia Power still too slow on solar in 20 year plan: PSC decides soon

Georgia Power tries to continue whistling in the fossil and nuclear fuel
dark while distributed solar power changes the world around it.
The Georgia Public Service Commission can decide differently,
and will decide next week, 11 July 2013.



Joshua Stewart
wrote 2 July 2013,

Decision Looms On Georgia Power Plan,

The state Public Service Commission votes next week on Georgia
Power’s 20-year plan, the road map for providing electricity to 2.4
million customers. That includes the mix of fuels the company will
use and the efforts the company undertakes to get customers to use
less energy. This happens every few years. But this time, Georgia
Power also wants to retire 16 coal- and oil-fired power-generating
units at six power plants.

This happens every few years. But this time, Georgia Power also
wants to retire 16 coal- and oil-fired power-generating units at six
power plants.

PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald said at a
hearing in April that this version of Georgia Power’s plan “is
filled with the most-significant issues” of any Integrated Resources
Plan in the last decade.

And Georgia Power avoids actually facing many of those issues:

Continue reading →

Georgia missing out on solar jobs behind New Jersey and Michigan



Other states, even New Jersey and far-north Michigan,
are beating Georgia to solar jobs.
Why isn’t sunny Georgia leading in one of the fastest-growing industries in the country that is deploying rural jobs everywhere else?
Hint: who’s

holding a shareholder meeting this month?

Carin Hall wrote for energydigital 13 May 2013,

Solar Jobs Outnumber Texas Ranchers and US Coal Miners:
New statistics show that solar is one of the fastest growing industries in the US, creating thousands of jobs across the country

There are now more solar energy workers in the state of Texas than
there are ranchers, according to solar research group The Solar
Foundation.

The group’s data mapping out solar jobs across the nation also
showed that there are more solar jobs in California than actors, and
more solar workers than coal miners nationwide. Sunny states like
California and Arizona topped the list. Wyoming came in last, with
just 50 workers, while Utah showed a mere 290 solar workers despite
being one of the country’s sunniest states.

Even the states with less sunshine like New Jersey and Michigan
showed a high number of solar jobs—thanks to favorable tax and
regulatory policies that help attract developers to cope with high
electricity prices.



New Jersey is #9 and Michigan is #15 according to

The Solar Foundation’s map of State Solar Jobs.
Where’s Georgia?
Number 41 in solar jobs per capita.
Yet Michigan is #47 by maximum solar resource and New Jersey is #36,
while Georgia is #18: much sunnier than those northern states.
Why is Georgia so far behind?

LEGAL STATUS OF THIRD-PARTY OWNERSHIP: NOT ALLOWED

Because of Continue reading →

13 oil spills in 30 days

As if

three spills in one week wasn’t bad enough,
the spills, leaks, and derailments just keep on coming,
13 of them on 3 continents in just the past 30 days,
as

listed by tcktcktck and illustrated in this graphic.
Meanwhile, a solar spill is still called a nice day.


-jsq

Solar and broadband are good for the economy and for PR

When

the Industrial Authority came out for solar and broadband
WCTV noticed.
It seems solar and broadband are good not only in themselves,
but also for good PR for the community.
PR that might attract the kinds of businesses the Industrial Authority
is looking for.



WCTV wrote 9 September 2012,

Solar Power and Broadband Internet Could Boost Local Job Growth,

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority has put a spot
light on solar power and broadband internet. That’s according to a
new analysis of regional businesses and employment. They say it will
be a way to generate job growth going forward. Many in the community
agree.

Valdosta Resident Mark Yates said “if they could bring those all in,
it would be great for the economy and bring a lot of jobs for a lot
of people in town here.”

That’s how Saginaw, Michigan, attracted that second Suniva plant
away from Georgia:



it has a plan for solar industry and it gets it in the news.
Way better than

worrying what Albany thinks, don’t you think?

By the way, Saginaw also goes for wind manufacturing jobs,
and we already have one wind manufacturing business right here; more on that
later.

It sure would be good if the Industrial Authority,
with its 1 mil tax rate or almost $3 million a year,
could succeed in attracting some jobs here:

Continue reading →

What other states have had charter school referendums?

Thanks to Jim Galloway, we learned that charter school proponents say

“No other state has had a positive outcome for a charter-positive ballot initiative.”
OK, what other states have had any sort of charter school referendums?
Such ballot initiatives have at least been tried in

Massachusetts,

Michigan,
and

Washington.

BallotPedia

records some state charter school referendums.

Massachusetts



In Massachusetts,

charter school proponents couldn’t even get enough signatures to put a
pro-charter school referendum on the ballot this year.

The measure would have removed limits on number of charter schools,
their funding, and enrollment. Other changes would have been made in
laws that governed charter schools, including requiring approval of
qualified applications for charter schools to be in districts where
there was low student performance.

Michigan

In Michigan,

a referendum to ban for-profit charter schools
may be on the ballot in November:

Continue reading →

School superintendent to Governor: Please make my school a prison

A school superintendent observed that his state pays more per prisoner
than per student, and suggested improving his school by declaring it
a prison.

Here’s his

letter to the editor of the Gratiot County Herald of 12 May 2011:



Dear Governor Snyder,

In these tough economic times, schools are hurting. And yes, everyone
in Michigan is hurting right now financially, but why aren’t we
protecting schools? Schools are the one place on Earth that people look
to to “fix” what is wrong with society by educating our youth and
preparing them to take on the issues that society has created.

One solution I believe we must do is take a look at our corrections
system in Michigan. We rank nationally at the top in the number of people
we incarcerate. We also spend the most money per prisoner annually than
any other state in the union. Now, I like to be at the top of lists, but
this is one ranking that I don’t believe Michigan wants to be on top of.

Consider the life of a Michigan prisoner. They get three square meals a
day. Access to free health care. Internet. Cable television. Access to
a library. A weight room. Computer lab. They can earn a degree. A roof
over their heads. Clothing. Everything we just listed we DO NOT provide
to our school children.

This is why I’m proposing to make my school a prison.

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 →

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 →