"I'm obviously here on one issue." —Karen Noll @ VLCIA 14 June 2011

Karen Noll asked the VLCIA board to put a no-biomass clause in any purchase agreement regarding the proposed biomass site.

She began with these words:

I'm Karen Noll. I hope some of you already have seen my writing and have read my letters to you in the past. I'm obviously here on one issue. I hope that in the future I can be talking to you about other issues. But right now I'm talking to you about biomass. And we celebrated that it was dead and it was gone and now it's not. Because we really don't know ... what the plan is.

By "we" I'm guessing she meant WACE. Some of us who are not members of WACE warned that it ain't over until it's over, and it only took a week to discover that VLCIA already knew Sterling Planet wanted to buy the proposed biomass site.

Karen Noll made a pitch based partly on saving taxpayer money. In addressing health concerns, she handed the board a letter from local doctor Craig Bishop. She handed the board a petition with "at least 700 signatures" and she said for each signature there was probably at least one more that didn't sign. Some of what she said appeared to be drawn from a letter that is appended in this post after the video.

Here's Part 1 of 2:

"I'm obviously here on one issue." —Karen Noll @ VLCIA 14 June 2011 Part 1 of 2:
Irregular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

The video card filled up, so there's a brief gap.

Karen Noll concluded with a specific request on behalf of WACE:

We ask for a no-biomass clause in the purchase agreement for the health of the community, economic and physical health.

That seems like a simple enough request. In the interests of transparency, I'd like to hear VLCIA answer it.

Here's Part 2 of 2:

"I'm obviously here on one issue." —Karen Noll @ VLCIA 14 June 2011 Part 2 of 2:
Irregular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

The appended text from Karen Noll came in as a comment yesterday on Irregular VLCIA meeting. The same text appeared as an LTE in the VDT that same day, signed by Susan Wehling.

-jsq

No Biomass Clause

Although we recently celebrated the death of the biomass project as a major health concern was eliminated from our community, we now are faced with the prospect of Wiregrass Power/Sterling Planet buying the land for the proposed biomass site for a mere $200,000 dollars. We at Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) are obviously opposed to a biomass plant in our community for the stated health risks that it would pose. For this reason, we ask that the purchase agreement contain a NO BIOMASS clause to prevent this ill from entering our community.

Since the VLCIA owns the land for the biomass plant, we the taxpayers essentially own the land and as the owners, our concerns should be upheld in the sale of this property. It is remarkable that the sale price is over $200,000 below the purchase price. At this reduced price, specific demands on the part of the seller would be expected. Wiregrass Power has made no improvements on the land to date. Yet VLCIA has spent over $115,000 in due diligence to promote this project. All in all, we the tax payer will loose money and demand that the purchase agreement include a NO BIOMASS clause, which will more than compensate the community by valuing our continued health and the benefits of clean air.

Because we all value the economic health of this community and want to see that Valdosta-Lowndes County is seen in the best light by those outside our community in various capacities. We see a NO BIOMASS clause in the purchase agreement of the property by Wiregrass Power/ Sterling Planet as the very best option for ALL involved.

As you are all aware the American Lung Association opposes biomass incineration because of the health consequences it causes for young children, for elderly and for individuals suffering from asthma & COPD. Our Georgia Chapter of the ALA clearly stated that this proposed plant would be detrimental to the health of the children in the nearby schools & the residents of the area. The American Cancer Society indicates that the proposed biomass plant would increase cancer rates in our community by 3-7%. The American Heart Association has found that Particulate Matter emitted from the plant would cause new cases of asthma in our community, affecting children & those that participate in recreation or work outdoors, especially.

Biomass is bad for the health of our community for many reasons and we can avoid all the adverse consequences by including a simple NO BIOMASS clause in the purchase agreement with Wiregrass Power/ Sterling Planet.

Karen Noll