Tag Archives: mismanagement

Already: Solar grid parity without subsidies in India and Italy

Solar power is going so well worldwide that Deutsche Bank has just
increased its projections for global demand,
noting that India and Italy have already in 2013 reached grid parity
without subsidies with other sources of energy,
and it expects the rest of the world to follow as early as 2014.
The big winner is rooftop solar.

Is Georgia paying attention?

Becky Beetz wrote for Global PV 26 February 2013,

Deutsche Bank: Sustainable solar market expected in 2014,



Buoyed by bullish demand forecasts, and increasing utilization rates
and pricing, Deutsche Bank forecasts a solar market transition from
subsidized to sustainable in 2014. Italy REC solar photovoltaic
plant

The German bank has raised its 2013 global solar demand forecast to
30 GW — representing a 20% year-on-year increase — on
the back of suggestions of strong demand in markets including India,
the U.S., China (around 7 to 10 GW), the U.K. (around 1 to 2 GW),
Germany and Italy (around 2 GW).

Rooftop installations are, in particular, expected to be a main
focus, says Deutsche Bank. A trend for projects being planned with
either “minimal/no incentives” has also been observed, despite the
belief that solar policy outlooks are improving, particularly in the
U.S., China and India, and “other emerging markets”.

More analysis by
Jeff Spross in ThinkProgress 3 March 2013,

Solar Report Stunner: Unsubsidized ‘Grid Parity Has Been Reached In India’, Italy–With More Countries Coming in 2014.

As Renew Economy also
points out, this is the third report in the past month

Continue reading →

Levy Co. FL nuke likely not to be built

Cost already sunk Kewaunee, Calvert Cliffs, Crystal River, and are gnawing
away at San Onofre: now it looks like new owner Duke is not
likely to build Progress Energy's Levy County, Florida reactor.
All that plus even in Georgia, even against all-powerful Georgia Power,
there's a reaction against the cost of the always-later always-more-expensive
new nukes at Plant Vogtle on the Savannah River.
A reaction that's getting written up in the Valdosta Daily Times.

In the VDT today from AP,

Some leaders souring on nuclear power costs.
I'm quoting from the abcNews version
because it includes the author's name, Ray Henry,
and the original date, 3 March 2013.
I added all the links and images.



As the cost of building a new nuclear plant soars, there are signs
of buyer's remorse.

The second-guessing from officials in Georgia and Florida is a sign
that maybe the nation is not quite ready for a nuclear renaissance.
On top of construction costs running much higher than expected, the
price of natural gas has plummeted, making it tough for nuclear
plants to compete in the energy market.

In Georgia last week, Southern Co. told regulators it needed to
raise its construction budget for Plant Vogtle in eastern Georgia by
$737 million to $6.85 billion. At about the same time, a Georgia
lawmaker sought to penalize the company for going over budget,
announcing a proposal to cut into Southern Co.'s profits by trimming
some of the money its subsidiary Georgia Power makes.

And Southern Company and Georgia Power slipped the Plant Vogtle schedule
still more,

from 15 to 19 months late.

The legislation has a coalition of tea party, conservative and
consumer advocacy groups behind it, but faces a tough sale in the
Republican-controlled General Assembly. GOP Rep. Jeff Chapman found
just a single co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Karla Drenner.



That's

HB 267: Financing costs; construction of nuclear generating plant.
And AP failed to mention

Georgia Sierra Club's support for HB 267.

As a regulated monopoly, Georgia Power currently earns about 11
percent in profits when it invests its own money into power
projects. Chapman's legislation would reduce those profits if the
nuclear project is over budget, as is the current projection.

In Florida, there's a move to completely
eliminate Construction Work in Progress (CWIP)
such as is being used in Georgia to pre-fund the new Plant Vogtle nukes.

In Florida, lawmakers want to end the practice of utilities
collecting fees from customers before any electricity is produced.

Florida only recently got CWIP, but Progress Energy has been quick to profit by it:

Continue reading →

HB 267 Would Limit Georgia Power’s Profits on Vogtle’s Cost Overruns —GA Sierra Club

There’s still time to contact your state legislators about stopping
Georgia Power profitting from cost overruns on the new nukes
at Plant Vogtle.
Georgia Sierra Club spells out why.



Georgia Power’s expansion at Plant Vogtle will bring us power that
is dangerous, expensive and unnecessary.

You may remember a controversial bill the Georgia Legislature
approved in 2009,

SB 31, the Nuclear Construction Work in Progress
(CWIP) bill, which forces Georgia Power ratepayers to pay the
financing costs during construction, rather than over the life of
the plant. Large users of electricity are exempt from the charge,
but residential and mom and pop businesses have been paying for two
years.

Even after that sweetheart deal, the Public Service Commissioners
scrapped their staff

proposal to stop the company from profiting on
cost overruns for the project after they top $300 million.

The most recent reports from the independent monitor established by
the PSC says

that the project is months behind and as of December,
$88 million over budget. Georgia Power gets to earn 11.15% return on
all expenses approved by the PSC, so the more they have to spend,
the more they get to make and the more ratepayers get to pay!

Putting the profit issue aside for the moment, if the Georgia PSC
ever decided to disapprove cost overruns, Georgia Power could take a
page from the Mississippi Power playbook and just get the
Legislature to let them issue bonds to pay for the work.


HB 267 by freshman Rep. Jeff Chapman excludes the collection of any
profits on cost overruns beyond the

$6.4 billion the Public Service Commission has approved.
The bill is co-sponsored by Avondale
Estates Democrat Karla Drenner, who is a member of the Utilities
Committee, to which the bill was assigned. Passage of this bill
would provide an incentive for Georgia Power to keep expenses down
at Vogtle, something that SB 31 failed to do.

It isn’t fair for Georgia Power to profit to the tune of over 11% on
delays, overruns and mismanagement, so

ask your State Representative to support HB 267.

-jsq

Animal cruelty does not require malicious intent to be illegal

A blog called Rattlin’ Georgia’s Cages

wrote at some unspecified date recently:



I beg to differ with Mr. Pritchard’s opinion regarding “malicious
intent”.

Lowndes County Manager Joe Pritchard says, “I don’t believe through
our investigation, nor through any info we received from the Department
of Ag, are able to indicate any malicious intent.”



Mr. Pritchard should understand that it matters not if this was done
with “malicious intent” or not. “Malicous intent” should be
determined by the investigating criminal agency, not a county manager.
“Malicious Intent” is only important in determining whether the
crime should be filed as a felony, or a misdemeanor.

The law is crystal clear regarding the denial of necessary medical care,
and/or humane euthanasia, for any animal deemed to be in need of such. Any
time a shelter impounds/houses a live animal, the shelter is required,
by law, to afford that animal with humane care – to include necessary
medical care or treatment.

The blogger then goes on to quote Georgia Code, which only brings
in the word “maliciously” for higher fines or imprisonment
for aggravated cruelty to animals.

The blogger summarizes:

Continue reading →

I am disappointed these matters are being swept under the rug —Susan Leavens

These comments came in yesterday and today on

Find out the truth about allegations of animal cruelty and abuse. -jsq



Yesterday:

Tomorrow will be a week and I have had no response! Very disappointing.

-Jane Osborn

Today:



Mrs. Osborn,

Thank you so much for your support. The County manager and several county
employees interviewed all the workers after a drug screen was conducted on
all employees back in late august of 2010. Several (4) employees advised
the people conducting the investigation (Joe Prichard, Mickey Tillman,
Page Dukes and Suzanne Pittman) of the charges brought to the Department
of Agriculture. From the

Continue reading →

Find out the truth about allegations of animal cruelty and abuse —Jane Osborn

This came in to the submission address Thursday.
More in
this topic
and

this VDT story.
-jsq

From: “Jane Osborn”

Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 23:21:09 -0400

Subject: criminal issues

Here is what I just sent to the Sheriff’s office by email:



I wanted to ask if someone who witnessed the alleged abuse of animals
at the Lowndes County Animal Shelter has to make a direct report to law
enforcement for an investigation to be started or if second-hand
information from the media would be good enough. I will include a link
to a video of the testimony of a shelter officer at the Lowndes County
Commission meeting this week. I am under the impression that animal
abuse is a criminal offense and that just having these reports go to
the Department of Agriculture will only result in a fine for the
shelter, not resolution of possible criminal wrongdoing.

Here is the link:

http://lake.typepad.com/on-the-lake-front/2011/05/neglect-abuse-suffering-falsifying-documents-susan-leavins-lcc-24-may-2011.html

Please let me know if it is possible for a criminal investigation can
be started to find out the truth about allegations of animal cruelty
and abuse.

Thank you. Jane Osborn

If the commissioners will not handle this, perhaps law enforcement
will. Jane

Jane F. Osborn, MSSW

Valdosta, GA

Restudy that those are the right people



The last animal shelter speaker
said she was looking at it from
a business perspective.
She called Commissioner Powell and they had a conversation.
She got a copy of the animal control ordinance.
She said she thought she had seen some things that others had not.
She complimented the Commissioners:

I know you to be people of your word.

After all that she indicated:

I guess I’m just asking that you restudy…
that those are the right people.

After she finished, Chairman Ashley Paulk said there would be a tour
of the shelter and everyone was invited.

Here’s

the video:




Restudy that those are the right people

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 May 2011.

Videos by Johh S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Why do you not fire that person? —Judy Havercamp



Judy Havercamp wonders:

If you have an employee who is abusing animals,
why do you not fire that person?

She indicates urgency:

Things need to be changed now.

Here’s

the video:




Why do you not fire that person? —Judy Havercamp

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 May 2011.

Videos by Johh S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

The VDT was kind in their reporting —Jessica Bryan Hughes



This speaker talked about when her mother took her to volunteer at
the old shelter, and how bad it was,
then about how the current shelter started.

When I moved back to Valdosta five years ago,
I couldn’t believe the change.
A real shelter and animal control officers
that had compassion.
I personally know some current and former animal control officers.
They are caring compassionate people with a deep love of their jobs.

When I read about the cruelty and neglect allegations in the paper,
I couldn’t believe we had reverted back 25 years.

So she looked into it, requesting the files from the Dept. of Agriculture.

What I received was a slap in the face.
The Valdosta Daily Times was kind in their reporting….

You can listen to her yourself.

Continue reading →

If we can’t take care of animals and children…. —Cheryl Hatcher



If taxpayer money isn’t being used to defend the defenseless,
what should it be used for?

Cheryl Hatcher said she has been
involved with Humane Society for a long time (which the Chairman vouched for)
and was among those who actually helped build the shelter.

There have been many discussions and conversations about things
not being done properly at the shelter.
And I really urge that you investigate what’s going on in the shelter.
I applaud you for putting cameras in the tack room,
although I think it’s been way too long to do that,
but I applaud you for doing that.

I really think that it is
not a waste of taxpayers’ money when you’re investigating to make sure
that animals will be taken care of properly.
If we can’t take care of animals and children,
then the world is going to suffer.

I think that if it’s necessary to put cameras in the tack room
there are bigger problems that need to be taken care of at
higher levels.

Here’s

the video:




If we can’t take care of animals and children…. — Cheryl Hatcher

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 May 2011.

Videos by Johh S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq