Tag Archives: Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority

“Dr. Christopher Teaf’s numerous paid endorsements” –Leigh Touchton

Responding to Brad Lofton’s email.
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2011 11:20:06 -0500
Subject: Background information on Dr. Christopher Teaf
From: Leigh Touchton
To: Brad Lofton <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, aricketts@industrialauthority.com, [Roy Copeland, Mary Gooding] Cc: [Sammons, Noll, Kay Harris, jsq, lhenderson, hopeforcleanwater]

To Industrial Authority Board:

In regards to the email correspondence from VLCIA Executive Director Brad Lofton concerning Dr. Christopher Teaf, I spent about ten minutes on the internet researching Dr. Christopher Teaf’s numerous paid endorsements around the country for various chemicals. This article

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0VCW/is_8_27/ai_73959431/

was compelling. Dr. Teaf is on public record endorsing the safety of arsenic in wood as posing no health threats to children (or adults). Numerous lawsuits around the country were adjudicated against his “expert findings” and subsequently the EPA banned CCA (arsenic) treated wood in playground equipment because of the health hazards to children.

I only spent about ten minutes, but I uncovered much information re:

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“I’m not an environmental engineer” –Brad Lofton

He’s responding to Dr. Sammons’ email. Hm, maybe VLCIA should get an environmental engineer on staff. -jsq
Date: Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 5:11 PM
From: Brad Lofton <blofton@industrialauthority.com>

Dr. Sammons:

I’m not an environmental engineer, so I would refer you to the hundreds of environmental groups supporting our project, the federal EPA, the state EPD (not sure how it works in Mass, but these are the groups in GA that are given legal authority to permit and regulate power plants, and after a lengthy review, they have approved this project enthusiastically and certified its safety for GA), all the federal agencies, the FL Dept of Health, Dr. Chris Teaf, an expert toxicologist, and others. It’s not my opinion that counts regarding the absence of =93TONS=94 of dioxin and mercury emissions you claim in your attempt to scare our community as you duck in and out. I’m actually quoting experts. Dr. Teaf’s testimony is on our site, plus the EPD permit, Golder analysis, etc. There’s plenty of additional info there as well for your enjoyment. You are welcome to continue e-mailing my staff, but rest assured, we are moving forward at this time.

Have a nice day,

BL

*Brad Lofton*
Executive Director
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority
2110 N. Patterson Street, Valdosta, GA
229-259-9972 local
877-259-9972 toll free
229-300-3179 cell

Visit us online @ www.IndustrialAuthority.com

“I also would like specific documentation” –Dr. Sammons

Dr. Sammons is referring to the radio interview the Mayor of Valdosta called in to. LAKE already posted links to the VLCIA’s own videos and FAQ; see if you think they answer Dr. Sammons’ question.

-jsq

From: Bill
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2011 4:35 PM
To: blofton@industrialauthority.com; aricketts@industrialauthority.com
Cc: mgnoll@valdosta.edu; leigh.touchton@gmail.com
Subject: Radio interview

Hi

I just listened to Mr. Lofton’s radio interview. It seemed that he was indicating there was substantiating documentation on the IA webpage to support biomass combustion. I could not find it. The videos of the meeting do not constitute valid information.

Could you send me the url[s] where the information is presented on the web page please.

I also would like specific documentation that the plant will not produce dioxin as he asserts in the interview.

Thank you

Bill Sammons

Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Act

The Act of the Georgia Legislature that created VLCIA in 1960.

Note III.4.F:

F. To encourage and promote the expansion of industry, agriculture, trade, commerce and recreation in the City of Valdosta, County of Lowndes, and to make long-range plans therefor.
Hm, so its board appears to have understated the range of VLCIA’s state-chartered scope when it stated:
“We’re industrial development.”
See also Section 9. – Liberal construction.

This Act was found via search.municode.com, which notes:

Editor’s note—Printed in this article is 1960 Ga. Laws, page 2786, as adopted by the Georgia General Assembly. Amendments to this act are indicated by parenthetical history notes following amended provisions. The absence of a history note indicates that the provision remains unchanged from the original act. An act (1960 Ga. Laws, page 1359), substantially identical to the act set forth in this article, was also passed as a constitutional amendment. Such constitutional amendment was continued in force and effect by 1985 Ga. Laws, page 3653, as a part of the state constitution.
The text of the Act is appended below.

-jsq Continue reading →

VLCIA biomass website

VLCIA catches up with LAKE in posting videos of 6 Dec 2010 biomass event. But where’s the VLCIA FAQ website?

Update 24 Jan 2011 7:13 PM: Bruce J. Bendl found the FAQ.

In this video, Brad Lofton tells the VLCIA board that staff have put a lot of time and effort into building a website to answer frequently asked questions about biomass, including videos from the 6 Dec 2010 event. When I congratulated Lofton on this and asked the board for an answer to one of those qeustions, I didn’t think to ask for a URL for this new website, figuring it would be announced on the main VLCIA website. If it’s there, I don’t see it. However, VLCIA has sprouted a YouTube channel in which the long-awaited professional videos from the 6 Dec 2010 event have appeared, six weeks after the event.


Video of VLCIA 18 Jan 2010 board meeting
by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

More on that below. Meanwhile, LAKE’s videos of the entire event have been on YouTube since a few days after the event. Continue reading →

VLCIA on expansion of existing industry

Local industry for local jobs: feedback loops? At the 21 Dec 2010 board meeting, Brad Lofton and the VLCIA board talk about exanding local industry, namely PCA and AlphaProTech. Lofton says AlphaProTech will add 50 new jobs. Hm, 50 is more than 25 slated for the biomass plant. And nobody even has to trade AlphaProTech land for them to produce these jobs!

According to their website, AlphaProTech sells:

“protective apparel, infection control and extended care products in addition to a line of construction weatherization building products for the housing market.”
Hm, so if VLCIA promoted refitting local houses it would also be promoting AlphaProTech.

It’s interesting to hear Gary Minchew say regarding one company:

“we just don’t need to be the front man”


Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Interesting that VLCIA is not willing to be the front man for local industry (as we’ve also seen in this response from Col. Ricketts), when VLCIA clearly is the front man for Sterling Energy and Wiregrass Power LLC, neither of which are from around here.

-jsq

Roy Copeland in Top 100 Trial Lawyers

At the 18 Jan 2011 VLCIA board meeting, Brad Lofton congratulated Roy Copeland. Lofton seems to be referring to Copeland’s membership in the THE TOP 100 TRIAL LAWYERS – Georgia, A Professional, Educational, and Business Organization of Trial Attorneys. There appear to actually be 90 members. I congratulate Roy Copeland on his membership. I can’t quite make out whether he also received an award from the same organization. Anyway, here’s the video:


Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

“I don’t feel my interests were adequately represented” –Matt Flumerfelt

First-time speaker Matt Flumerfelt notes the Valdosta City Council and the Lowndes County Commission both disclaim responsibility for the Industrial Authority even though both appoint its members, and he thinks that may make VLCIA’s contract for the biomass plant challengeable on constitutional grounds. He also sent LAKE the appended article on 20 Jan 2011.

Video by John S. Quarterman of the regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 20 January 2011, for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Faith In Technology Is What Got Us Into This Mess

by Matt Flumerfelt

Many people in the Valdosta-Lowndes County community have faith that the proposed Biomass incinerator won’t harm anyone or anything, but faith in technology is what got us into our current environmental mess in the first place. Those old enough to remember the nuclear power debate will remember how many people gave assurances that nuclear power was safe, yet we see today how difficult nuclear waste is to dispose of and how much damage it has caused when things go wrong, which, human nature being what it is, they inevitably do. The recent gulf oil spill would not have happened if

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Text of letter from Russell Anderson to officials

Can you find a “veiled threat” in the appended letter? LAKE couldn’t.

Some people seem to be forming opinions of that letter without ever having read it. LAKE has published links to a PDF of it from four previous posts: “Far from Over”, “What is Fiery Roots”, Russell Anderson Responds, and “We got off on the wrong foot”. Formerly LAKE only had a PDF of a scan of a paper copy of the email of 3 Jan 2011. Per request, Russell Anderson has sent plain text, which appears below. -jsq

All,

My name is Russell Anderson. I am the Co-Director of Collectiveprogression.org and graduate of Valdosta State. I am writing to inform you of my intent to publish the below piece on our website and to our readership as well as produce a full length documentary about the community struggle against the proposed Wiregrass LLC biomass incinerator. I have you all on this email {Sterling Assets, Langdale’s, Council, Commissioners, Authority, Attorneys} and ALL of you have continued to pass the blame and buck on the building of this plant. Rather than doing the more responsible thing (pending EIS),

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“I have to trust you people” –Ken Garren, former exec. dir., VLCIA, 18 Jan 2011

Former VLCIA Executive Director decides based on rants in the VDT to come say “I trust in you” and “If it turns out to be wrong, then we live with that.”

Ken Garren (Brad Lofton’s predecessor as executive director) speaks in support of the current VLCIA and the biomass plant, 18 Jan 2011.

“I made a decision that although I’m concerned about a lot of things, and I’m concerned about anything….

I have to trust those people who are in those positions will do their homework and make the right decision. Then I will live with that. If it turns out to be wrong, then we live with that.

What bothered me was when I started reading in the paper about the veiled threats. The personal issues. …

When I started reading about veiled threats. When I started reading about people being chastised because they didn’t accept a brochure or some literature. You know, that bothered me.

Then when I read one of the rants about it; they wondered how you folks were chosen. If you don’t know how these people are chosen…. They ought to do their basic homework.

But I’m here tonight to say that: I’ve looked at it; I’ve researched it; I don’t always agree with all the things the authority does… but I trust in you….”

Update 2014-03-31: VDT wrote 3 March 2014 that Garren joined VLCIA after Sterling Chemical came in.

Then he praises Sterling Chemical which came in on his watch, and while Norman Bennett (currently on the VLCIA) was Chairman of the County Commission. See for yourself:

In the current fashion he begins by saying when he first moved here (1965). Is that what’s required these days to be worth listening to? Continue reading →