Tag Archives: Transparency

The Korean nuclear mafia: power companies, vendors, and testers

Document-forging Doosan was just the tip of the Korean nuclear corruption iceberg.

It’s different stateside, right? San Onofre 2 and 3 Oh, wait: U.S. NRC is refusing to supply Congress with safety documents related to the closing of San Onofre. But Plant Vogtle is much safer, right? Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning told us so. Of course, he also told us Kemper Coal would come in on budget, and now SO is writing off $611 million after taxes. But that bad concrete pour, the misplaced reactor vessel, the leaking tritium; those are all flukes, right? Meanwhile, solar panels don’t leak tritium, and if you misplace one, you only lose money, not risk lives.

By Choe Sang-Hun in NY Times yesterday, Scandal in South Korea Over Nuclear Revelations,

Korean nuclear reactor Weeks of revelations about the close ties between South Korea’s nuclear power companies, their suppliers and testing companies have led the prime minister to liken the industry to a mafia.

The scandal started after an anonymous tip in April prompted an official investigation. Prosecutors have indicted some officials at a testing company on charges of faking safety tests on parts for the plants. Some officials at the state-financed company that designs nuclear power plants were also indicted on charges of taking bribes from testing company officials in return for accepting those substandard parts.

Worse yet, Continue reading →

VDT wins awards, two for people who don’t work there anymore

VDT fourth in class in newspaper AP Georgia awards, half for people who don’t work there anymore.

VDT today, Times wins AP awards; I’ve added some links and notes in [square brackets]:

The Valdosta Daily Times won several awards at the recent Georgia Associated Press Managing Editors Newspaper Awards luncheon in Atlanta.

Former Times’ reporter Jason Schaefer received a First Place in Deadline Reporting award for his story on homeless individuals in 2012. [“Life on Hard Ground”, which apparently is not online, but apparently was published on paper 3 December 2012.]

Former news photographer Paul Leavy won a Third Place Award in Photography for his photo of a meth lab arrest at a local motel. [For Tip leads to meth lab raid 27 January 2012, by another former reporter, David Rodock.]

This is the first admission I’ve seen that Jason Schaefer doesn’t work there anymore, even though his byline hasn’t appeared since his last story on homeless people, 3 July 2013.

Kay Harris also won two awards, for Continue reading →

Potential defects shipped to Farley reactors and four others

No worries about this reactor coolant system defect; Westinghouse says so, and didn’t even list Vogtle or Diablo Canyon, where Southern Company and PG&E said they were going to install these shields. Nevermind a reactor operator warned us back in January. Westinghouse did list “Beaver Valley Unit 2, Callaway, D.C. Cook Unit 1, Farley Units 1 and 2, and Wolf Creek”.

NRC Event Notification Report for July 29, 2013 Event Number 49217:

POTENTIAL EXISTENCE OF DEFECTS IN SHIELD PASSIVE THERMAL SHUTDOWN SEAL SYSTEM

“The defect being reported concerns an identified inconsistency between the intended design functionality of the SHIELD passive thermal shutdown seal (SDS) and that observed during post-service testing.

“The purpose of the SDS is to reduce current reactor coolant system inventory losses to very small leakage rates for a plant that results in the loss of all reactor coolant pump (RCP) seal cooling. The SDS is a Continue reading →

Callaway nuke down since Friday near Kansas City, MO

Where there was black smoke in the turbine building there was fire that shut down a nuclear plant Friday. It’s still down today, with no estimate on uptime. This is after Callaway was shut down most of April and May due to an electrical fault that “injured or affected” four people. It’s only been up most of 4 months out of the past 6. Not so reliable, this baseload nuclear, is it?

Callaway down 2 out of 6 months

Margaret Gillerman wrote for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 27 July 2013, Callaway nuclear plant shut down after a small fire,

FULTON, MO. • Callaway County’s nuclear plant has been shut down since shortly before midnight Friday when a small fire broke out in the turbine building, authorities said.

No one was injured.

“No personnel were hurt, and no radioactivity was released” above normal operating limits, Barry Cox, senior director of nuclear operations at Callaway, said Saturday. Cox said the fire was in Continue reading →

Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline letters to Lowndes County

No letters from Lowndes County back to Sabal Trail were included in the open records response of last week, so should we conclude the county has not authorized surveys on any of its properties? The request to Lowndes County was for correspondence with Sabal Trail Transmission LLC about the proposed natural gas pipeline from Anniston, Alabama to Orlando, Florida, and the response included survey authorization forms for a list of parcels owned by Lowndes County, plus assorted descriptions and maps with very little detail. Sabal Trail still didn’t have a contract with Florida Power and Light, yet expected:

“Field survey work is scheduled to begin in September 2013.”

It looks like Sabal Trail sent letters about a bunch of parcels and then more about another one later. First they sent an introduction 19 June 2013 listing parcels 0146A-074-A, 0171 178, 0172 119, 0204 001, including a map. This appears to be the same map we’ve seen before posted by various news media:

[Map: 36" Greenfield Pipeline Approx. 465 Miles]
Map: 36" Greenfield Pipeline Approx. 465 Miles

Then they sent a letter 22 June 2013 with a survey authorization form for the same parcels. Then they sent separate letters 25 June 2013 for parcels 0146A-074-A, 0171 178, and 0172 119, 0204 001.

Also on 25 June 2013 Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter informed us:

Lowndes County does not benefit from this proposal and has no responsibility for the approval other than that of a property owner potentially impacted by the proposed route as any other property owner in Lowndes County would be.

Apparently Sabal Trail thought of another one, because a few weeks later they sent a cover letter 15 July 2013 for Parcels 0098 003, 0098 004 with a slightly more detailed map, followed a few days later by a survey authorization form 19 July 2013.

[Map of Options A and B]
Map of Options A and B

Scans of all these letters are on the LAKE website.

-jsq

Directors and Officers Insurance: ACCG IRMA for Lowndes County

With almost $22 million in liability coverage, why do Lowndes County Commissioners and staff express such apprehension about lawsuits? This is what Lowndes County returned in response to an open records request for its contract for Directors and Officers insurance: paperwork about its ACCG IRMA subscription. IRMA is Interlocal Risk Management Agency, and ACCG is Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.

ACCG IRMA as D&O Insurance for Lowndes County
[Open Records Request]
Open Records Request 		[Summary of Insurance]
Summary of Insurance 		[Contribution Breakdown]
Contribution Breakdown 		[Contributions by Coverage]
Contributions by Coverage 		[Renewal Contribution Worksheet]
Renewal Contribution Worksheet

Copies of these documents are on the LAKE website.

-jsq

SPLOST VII slides on county website @ LCC 2013-07-22

The slides for the SPLOST VII presentation have appeared on the county’s website; here’s a link, with the text from that website. Videos are to come from last night’s Regular Session SPLOST VII Presentation. Meanwhile you can see video from Monday morning’s Work Session, in which they actually said more. Nothing seems to be in the VDT about this today, which is odd, since I’m pretty sure that’s the VDT reporter in the left foreground of this picture from last night. -jsq

What is Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)?

As of July 1, 1985, Georgia law enabled local governments to collect SPLOST proceeds for capital improvement projects that would otherwise be paid for with General Fund or property tax dollars. SPLOST stands for Continue reading →

Idelle Dear thanks Commission for library funding improvements @ LCC 2013-07-2223

Idelle Dear handed the Commission a thank-you card on behalf of library users for providing additional funding that reduced furlough days. She tried to speak at the meeting two weeks ago, but the Chairman stopped her then on a technicality.

Ms. Dear reminded the Commission that she did speak to them at the beginning of the year, and she appreciated the card she got from the Chairman after that. She appreciated even more that the number of furlough days had been reduced, since, as she explained again this time, people use the library for everything from job hunting to course assignments.

Idelle Dear begins Idelle Dear Card

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →

Community Assessment Group and Internet access @ LCC 2013-07-22

Valdosta Mayor Gayle was standing next to the video ghetto after the county’s rather rudimentary SPLOST VII presentation Monday morning, so I asked him why I hadn’t seen anything about Internet access either Valdosta’s or Lowndes County’s SPLOST lists? He said that was because it was being handled by the Community Assessment Group (CAG). What’s that?

Mayor Gayle said CAG is a group of representatives from the county and all the local cities, the two school districts (Valdosta and Lowndes County), VSU, Wiregrass Tech, the Industrial Authority, the Chamber, and he may have said others. It’s an attempt at better local cooperation, specifically about issues that cross all the various local governmental and non-governmental groups. So far they’ve had two meetings, Continue reading →

Videos: SPLOST, Children’s Appointment, Prisoners, and Water @ LCC 2013-07-22 @ LCC 2013-07-22

Valdosta Mayor Gayle attended, apparently because of the SPLOST VII presentation. Emily Golden for DFCS. Prisoners for wastewater, another wastewater problem, insurance for liabilty, and I’m not the only one who makes jokes at Joe Pritchard’s expense. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, and apparently they’re going to give the SPLOST presentation again, too.

Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
  1. Call to Order

    Chairman Bill Slaughter recognized Valdosta Mayor John Gayle, who was sitting in the back.

    County Chairman Bill Slaughter noticing Mayor Gayle County Chairman Bill Slaughter recognizing Mayor Gayle Valdosta Mayor John Gayle
  2. Invocation

    Only in the Regular Session.

  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

    Only in the Regular Session.

  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — July 8, 2013
    2. Regular Session — July 9, 2013

      Pritchard asks for clarification of minutes County Manager Joe Pritchard was also confused as to what did the Commissioners approve regarding the “conjoined” items in the 9 July Regular Session:

      1. For Consideration
        1. Video Arraignment for Magistrate and Juvenile Court Contract
        2. Enterprise and Backup Storage Solution Scope of Work

      Commissioner Crawford Powell cracks a joke Pritchard noted County Attorney Walter Elliott referred to the purchase orders for item 6.a., saying purchase orders item 6.b. were “not present”. Pritchard wanted to know if Commissioners approved both of them.

      County Attorney Walter Elliott gets the joke Commissioner Crawford Powell said he thought the way “Walter” stated it they didn’t approve either one of them. Little joke. “Walter” got it, and eventually Pritchard did, too, after everyone else laughed. Then Powell clarified that they had approved both items. County Manager gradually catches on Which anyone can see in the LAKE video of those items. Hm, if the Commission kept their own videos, Pritchard could have just looked at those and seen.

  5. Special Presentation & Consideration — Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VII

    There was something new in what Joe Pritchard said:

    Commissioners each had an opportunity for independent review and evaluation.

    For that and more, including the slides, see separate post.

  6. Ellen S. Golden raising her hand Appointment – Department of Family & Children’s Services Board

    Emily Golden is the candidate; see separate post for much more.

  7. For Consideration
    1. Prison Detail Contracts

      Three details at $39,500 each, no increase from last year, said Public Works Director Robin Cumbus; see other post for what Commissioners Marshall, Slaughter, and Powell had to say.

    2. Lake Alapaha subdivision Letter to Environmental Protection Division concerning Alapaha Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

      It’s because of a notice of violation from GA EPD, said Utilities Director Mike Allen, and he’d been working with Lovell Engineering on a letter to say the problem of disinfection byproducts would be fixed by the end of March 2015.

      Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if Lovell Engineering would be submitting “on our behalf, or would we be submitting it?” See separate post for more.

    3. Contract with GA Department of Transportation for Off System Safety Action Program

      The county has received a grant from GDOT for striking, signs, and raised pavement markers for 30.79 miles of road, for $142,491.75.

      I will also give you a copy of the roads that will be restruck under this contract. Commissioners had no questions.

      Why wasn’t that copy in the board packet and online with the agenda? How can you find out if your road is on that list? File an open records request.

    4. County Engineer Mike Fletcher Adopt Resolution accepting infrastructure for Barrington Subdivision Phase I

      Engineer said it was mostly complete but they were waiting on a punch list from the developer before signing off on it. Commissioners had no questions.

      Barrington Subdivision off Bemiss Road

    5. ACCG IRMA Liability Program Renewal

      So the county does have liability insurance that covers Commissioners, and all other employees, too. See separate post.

    6. Resolution for ACCG-GEBCorp Retirement Eligibility Amendment

      Couple of new employees missed being in county’s retirement plan, and this deals with that. See separate post.

  8. Reports-County Manager

    No report, but he asked for an executive session “for purposes of attorney-client communications”.

    In this video of them returning from that executive session, you can see local attorney Tom Gooding coming out of the side room with them.

    Tom Gooding coming out of the Executive Session room

    Then they adjourned the Work Session.

    Tom Gooding at Adjournment

  9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

    Only in the Regular Session, which is tonight at 5:30 PM.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: SPLOST, Children’s Appointment, Prisoners, and Water @ LCC 2013-07-22
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 July 2013.

-jsq