On the LAKE Front

Biggest polluters in Lowndes County

The New York Times provides an interactive map of water polluters. According to that map, derived from Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) data mostly from 2004 through 2007, the biggest offenders in Lowndes County by number of violations are:

62 Moody Air Force Base
42 Arizona Chemical Company
37 Georgia Sheriffs' Boys Ranch

These are all way ahead of Hahira's notorious sewer system (supposed to be fixed now) and Valdosta's Mud Creek WPCP (supposed to be being fixed now), both with 11 violations. Moody is not surprising, due to sheer size, although disappointing. The one that surprises me is the Boys Ranch.

Of course, number of violations is just one measure, but it is an interesting one.

Against Lowndes County Commission Expansion: Dennis Marks

Image by flickr user wiccked Here is one person's opinion on the current expansion plan for the Lowndes County Commission. LAKE is also making available a web page and an OpenOffice version of this statement. LAKE will be happy to post other opinions on either side as part of citizen dialog for transparent process.

Vote NO on Expansion Referendum Voters in Lowndes County are being asked in a referendum to vote YES or NO on expansion of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners by the addition of two super-districts: Shall the governing authority of Lowndes County be changed to a six-member board of commissioners to be composed of a nonvoting chairperson and five voting district commissioners, three of whom shall represent the existing three districts created by dividing Lowndes County into three districts and two of whom shall represent additional districts to be created by dividing Lowndes County into two districts which shall overlay the three existing districts? Here is my explanation of why I am voting NO and why I think you should vote NO too.

Jack Kingston Health Care Town Hall, Valdosta, GA, 28 Sep 2009

Jack Kingston (R GA-01) came back to Valdosta, GA to hold another Health Care Town Hall after his previous one in August had ten times as many people as he expected. This time the 1200 seat Mathis Auditorium was maybe half full, so probably somewhere between 500 and 600 people attended.

The picture on the right is the core of Kingston's argument. See for yourself. Here's a YouTube playlist for all the LAKE videos by Gretchen Quarterman from that September Town Hall. This is Kingston's complete presentation except for a few words lost between videos and a few cases of camera failure. We're still adding more videos from the question session. All the videos from the questions session are now available (17 Oct 2009); starting with Microphones are open.

Here's Kingston's own blog about the event.

Here's a Democratic view of part of what Kingston said.

No New Coal Needed in Southeast: GaTech Study

The southeast doesn't need new coal plants for additional energy, because we can increase energy efficiency instead:

An aggressive strategy to replace aging equipment with more energy efficient products throughout the South would reduce the need to build more coal-fired power plants in the region through 2020, according to a Georgia Tech study released Monday. Advocates are taking the study, funded by the Energy Foundation and the Turner Foundation, to state legislators and regulatory agencies hoping it will bolster their calls for more incentives for energy efficient products as an alternative to new power plants.

“We’re not saying that new plants aren’t needed, because new plants can replace old clunkers that need to be replaced,” said Marilyn Brown, a Georgia Tech professor who co-authored the report. “But we don’t need to build for an expanded demand if the Southern states would begin to launch energy efficient programs.”

This isn't enough to decommission the existing coal plants; for that we'll need other sources of energy. But it's a step in the right direction.

Jails in Erie County, NY: DoJ Sues

Jail conditions are a widespread problem. Matthew Spina reports in the Buffalo News about Erie County, New York jails:

"Jails must provide for the basic medical and mental health needs of inmates and must keep them safe from attacks by other inmates and excessive force by staff," Loretta King, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.

"We have repeatedly sought the county's cooperation in working toward an amicable resolution in this matter, and we regret that the county's failure to cooperate compels us to litigate," she continued.

"In light of the severity of the conditions, including multiple suicides and beatings, we must take action to ensure that the constitutional rights of those persons detained at the facilities, many of whom have not been convicted of any crime, are protected."

This is a continuation of series on incarceration started on Canopy Roads of South Georgia; that series is now moving over here to On the LAKE Front.