electricity

Some state business leaders warned lawmakers at a meeting Friday that Georgia could lose jobs if Congress passes proposed energy legislation. The event, hosted by Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, was billed as the "Governor's Business Summit." There, state lawmakers listened to presentations by energy business leaders, who are fearful of more government regulation. Perdue says the cap-and-trade energy bill would not be good for Georgia, where Southern Company is planning to expand nuclear Plant Vogtle near Augusta. "You don't get credit for nuclear, and nuclear is one of the sources of virtually carbon-free emission..." Chris Hobson with Southern Company says Georgia will lose out under the proposed bill because it hasn't built-up alternative energy sources... "We only want to count those things that we really don't have the ability to implement, like solar and wind and those kinds of things. And so the Southeast and Georgia will see, really, a cost penalty associated with any kind of renewable legislation." Environmentalists, however, say the biggest roadblock for solar and wind in Georgia is political willpower.

The Senate Finance Committee has passed a health care bill relying heavily on membership cooperatives. A half million Georgians have electricity from member-coops. But some Georgia health providers say, extending health care isn't as easy as extending electricity. On a dusty stretch of road in rural Liberty County, Mike Foreman and his crew are installing a new electric line. It starts with lifting a 17-ton concrete pole with a crane and tipping it into a hole the width of a car. "Okay, we're going up with it," Foreman shouts, as the 100 foot pole dangles precariously above workers' heads. A lot can go wrong in the process. "A big crane like that sure makes it look easy," Foreman says. For Democrats, fixing health care is starting to seem like a precarious balance frought with heavy lifting. But if you want to take this power line image farthest, ask Mark Bolton how he thinks health care reform should go. Bolton is Vice President for Marketing for the company installing the electric line, Coastal Electric Membership Cooperative. "When I first heard the health care debate, I turned to my wife as we watched television and discussed politics," Bolton says. "And I said, 'The ideal solution to this is the cooperative business model.'" Electric Membership Cooperatives have electrified Georgia since the 1930's. They're basically small and non-profit electric companies. They serve rural areas. The Senate Finance Committee used them as a model for reform. Bolton says, the relevance of E.M.C.'s to health care is how they lower costs and extend coverage by forgoing profit. "We don't have to balance what is best for the customer with what is wanted by the stockholder," Bolton says. Bolton says, small E.M.C.'s also lower costs by joining forces on the state and national levels, to make power, for example. But whether health coops can lower health costs isn't a simple question. Many Georgia health providers say they're confused by health coops. Two Savannah hospitals and two Savannah doctors groups all passed on commenting for this story, saying, they had no clue what health coops are. Providers appear to be waiting to take their clues from industry spokesmen, like Kevin Bloye of Georgia Hospital Association. "There's just been so few details released," Bloye says. "It's really hard to comment." A Georgia doctors group, however, is openly skeptical. The Medical Association of Georgia's Todd Williamson says, he doubts coops get to any real means of cost containment. He supports Republican ideas for health care reform. "The main way to control costs is to make sure that patients are involved in the first dollar that's spent, and the last dollar that's spent, and all dollars in between," Williams says. Armstrong Atlantic State University professor Joey Crosby also doubts cooperatives can control costs. He's been following health care policy and prefers a more comprehensive change. He says, not even the public option goes far enough at bending the cost curve. "The 800 pound gorilla in the room is changing the culture of the way care is provided," Crosby says. It's still unclear if coops will be in a final bill. Democrats may push for the public option. If that happens, Georgia doctor and hospital lobbies say, they'll fight it with every kilowatt they have. Links to more information about Cooperatives: National Cooperative Business Association http://www.ncba.coop/ Letter to Senator John D. Rockefeller from NCBA http://commerce.senate.gov/public/_files/NCBACoopResponseLetter080509.pdf Senator John D. Rockefeller links to correspondence with his office http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=317885 Senator Conrad Comments and Resources regarding Health Care and Health Care Coops http://conrad.senate.gov/issues/healthcare.cfm America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 (Baucus) (Go to page 35) http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/leg/LEG%202009/091609%20Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.pdf University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/info/i_pages/health.html Health Related Coops http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/links/healthcarelinks.html Georgia Cooperative Development Center http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/gacoop/cooperatives.htm

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has issued draft permits for a coal plant to be built and operated in Sandersville. The permit means that plans for the $2 billion plant comply with state regulations on air and water quality, and other regulations. It's a major step toward approval of the plant, although EPD officials won't make a final decision until they've gathered public comment on it. Plant Washington would generate power to about 500,000-700,000 homes, according to Dean Alford, the head of Power4Georgians. It would also create about 1600 construction jobs and 130 permanent jobs once it's completed. But environmental groups disagree, saying the plant would pollute the air with mercury, and use up too much water from a nearby river basin. The EPD will hold a public meeting, where the public can ask questions about the process, on October 6. A public hearing will be held on October 20. Both events begin at 6 p.m. at Ridge Road Elementary School in Sandersville.

There are no jobs at Plant Washington because there is no Plant Washington. But the group seeking approval to build the coal plant hosted a career fair in Dublin today. Power4Georgians says it would eventually need about 1500 workers if and when construction on the plant begins. The head of the group, Dean Alford, says the fair at the Heart of Georgia Technical College was designed to encourage jobseekers to get training in various skills needed for construction, such as pipefitting. "The career fair lets people know what training they will need, and what skills they will need to qualify for upcoming construction jobs and the ongoing operation jobs," says Alford. Opponents of the plant, however, accuse the group of preying on sincere job seekers in an effort to generate local support for Plant Washington and free advertising. The career fair comes as the state environmental protection division completes a review of a draft permit to build the plant.

A decision on whether work can begin on two new nuclear reactors in Waynesboro is expected within weeks. The U.S. Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has issued a decision that clears the way for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve an early site permit for the new reactors. A review by the board found that safety and environmental issues are sufficient to issue the permit. It's a crucial development in the process, one of the most significant decisions on the reactors so far. The NRC may decide on the permit in about two weeks, according to a spokesman with that agency. The permit, which basically deems the site suitable for construction, would be among the first issued for new nuclear reactors in the U.S. in decades. A limited work authorization may also be granted soon, allowing employees to do some preliminary work at the site. The board is still reviewing Plant Vogtle's application for a combined construction and operating license, which would allow for full construction to begin. Plant Vogtle is also at the center of a controversial rate increase approved by the Georgia legislature for Georgia Power ratepayers, which will help pay for construction of the reactors. Georgia Power is a majority owner of the plant. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, an environmental group that has opposed the reactors, plans to appeal the decision.

Several thousand people in the Savannah area are without electricity a day after powerful thunderstorms toppled trees and power lines on the Georgia coast. Georgia Power spokeswoman Konswello Monroe said crews were still working to restore power Tuesday afternoon to about 4,400 customers in Chatham County. The utility had hoped to have all lights back on by evening, but Monroe said limbs continuing to fall from trees damaged overnight were slowing efforts. About 21,000 homes and businesses were blacked out Monday night when storms pounded Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties with heavy wind and rain. More than 100 Georgia Power crews were repairing damage Tuesday. The National Weather Services said the storms dumped 1 to 3 inches of rain on the Savannah area, causing some flash flooding.

The power company that's seeking to build two new nuclear reactors in Georgia is now looking to possibly build more. Southern Nuclear Operating Company, which is based in Alabama, has told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission they're evaluating the possibility of seeking the reactors, but they're not sure what state they would be built in or when they would be constructed. The company operates Plant Vogtle, a power plant near Waynesboro, where there are already two reactors and where two more are currently under consideration by the NRC. They say they're reviewing various data, such as potential demand for electricity. Georgia Power, a majority owner of the plant, earlier this year scored with lawmakers when the Georgia legislature approved a controversial rate increase for the reactors at Plant Vogtle. Ratepayers would start paying for the reactors before construction is completed. Georgia Power had argued the increased rates would save money. Opponents argued that the law could potentially mean that ratepayers may be stuck with higher rates whether construction of the reactors is ever completed or not. But that legislation isn't limited to Vogtle. It allows for similar rate increases for future reactors.

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The NRC is currently reviewing plans to build two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. Southern Nuclear Operating Company is also considering the possibility of building more reactors, but hasn't decided where. (Photo courtesy of Plant Vogtle)