Peach Bites

Wow, we had a busy week with headlines.  Most of them centered around water and transit.  We obviously, the recent flooding was a big story and there was some movement in the water wars.  In the transit arena, Ray LaHood, secretary of transportation for the Obama administration was in town and shared his views on what the state and region need to do to progress the transit gridlock that exists.  

We also saw a couple really positive articles come out which we will kick the post off with below:

Emory Honored for Green Work - The Urban Land Institute awarded it's Sustainable Development Award to Emory's Sustainability Program.  This is great because Emory has been a leader in the area developing LEED certified buildings and creating innovative sustainability programs such as their campus Farmer's Market which was started in 2008. - EmoryWheel.com
 

Smog Days Down in Georgia - Great News!!  The metro area has halved the number of unhealthy air quality days.  The suspected culprits are the weather and the economy.  This happened even while the federal government increased the standards for healthy air this year. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

Georgia Supreme Court Rejects Power Plant Challenge - Justices voted unanimously on Wednesday against hearing the appeal by environmentalists against the $2B Longleaf Energy Station.  Notable Quote: “It’s amazing that, with 30 organizations representing tens of thousands of people weighing in with the Supreme Court discussing how important this case is … the Georgia Supreme Court declined to even consider the case,” said Justine Thompson, executive director of Atlanta-based Green Law. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Congress Set to Finalize Anti-Mercury Bill - Wow.. There are only four facilities in the US that are still using mercury to produce chlorine and one of those is the Olin plant in Augusta.  Apparently, more than 600 lbs. of mercury are released into the air and water along the Savannah river annually.  It would definitely be nice to see that phased out. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Perdue Favors Incentives for Water Conservation - You may or may not recall our post, Perdue says no to conservation and yes to water war.  Well, in typical politician fashion, reality has set in and the big man has flip-flopped.  He is now saying "I think it's time to think about potentially, some state-types of strong suggestions for conservation efforts in our local communities, and I'd love to think about it in an incentive fashion... rather than a stick."  Expect to see outlines of those 'incentives' before the next state legislature session. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Perdue Names Water Task Force - Sonny is bringing in some heavy hitters from the private sector.  John Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., and Tim Lowe, Lowe Engineers Inc., will co-chair the panel which will look for alternative plans following the recent federal court ruling. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Trash and Bacteria Fill Rivers - In the aftermath of the recent flooding, reports are now coming out about e.coli and other problematic bacteria polluting our rivers and streams.  The bacteria will quickly go away but the bigger issue is the tons of trash that have been introduced into the rivers.  Where will it all flow to?  At least we're upstream.  It's someone else's problem, right??? - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Atlanta Reservoir Plan on Hold - We touched on this in last week's Peach Bites.  This week, the Atlanta City Council decided to put off consideration of the proposed $650 million reservoir in the Dawson Forest. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tri-State Water Dispute: Georgia's Hand Further Weakend - Alabama landed another blow against Georgia this week.  The prospects for a ruling in Georgia's favor keep getting slimmer and slimmer. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Georgia Applies for High-Speed Rail Grant - The GDOT applied for a grant in the amount of $472 million this week to begin working on a high-speed rail line between Atlanta and Macon.  This application, if approved, is expected to cover all the capital costs of the project.  I've been doing a lot of research on this topic and haven't really heard much about the Atlanta-Macon route.  You've probably seen the Brain Train, Lovejoy and Chattanooga routes discussed but the Macon route came out of the blue.  Any way we look at it though, connectivity is a good thing.  Let's see what happens. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

ATL Mayoral Candidates and the Beltline - The AJC had a quick recap of the recent Beltline mayoral forum.  The reality of the economic collapse and depressed real estate market is definitely recognized by the candidates.  But, it is apparent that all three of them support the Beltline.  They each have some interesting ideas on what is the vision of the beltiline. - AJC

Beltline Mayoral Forum: Which Candidate Scored - There was some interesting perspective on the recent Beltline mayoral forum from Atlanta Unsheltered.  Here's what I took from the post.  Lisa Borders and Mary Norwood really support the beltline.  Kasim Reed wants to prevent crime and a deterioration of urban youth.  Mary Norwood got stuck in traffic and the audience wondered why she didn't take MARTA since there was a stop across the street.  Probably because there wasn't a stop where she was coming from.  hmm...  - Atlanta Unsheltered

Beltline Officials: Citizen Group Wants to Take Control of the Project - This was interesting.  The Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee (TADAC), has put out statements questioning the funding of affordable housing along the Beltline and has stated that Beltline officials are keeping important information private and thus not allowing TADAC to do it's job.  There is too much in the article to accurately summarize in a few sentences but to me it seems to be a battle over public or private control.  I lean toward the private side. - Creative Loafing

Atlanta Forward, Our View: Transit is a Track to Metro's Prosperity - This article has some interesting local perspective and I enjoyed the comparison to St. Louis and Chicago when riverboat transportation was giving way to train transportation.  St. Louis became an also-ran because it pandered to pressure from riverboat operators.  If Atlanta panders to the pressure of the auto/road lobby, we will lose out on the opportunity to significantly upgrade our transit and will fall behind other southern cities. - AJC

Atlanta Forward, Another View: Georgia Needs to get its Act Together - This quote sums it up: LaHood expressed the administration’s strong support for more transit alternatives. He encouraged state support for MARTA and noted streetcars are on their way back — citing the success of Portland, Ore.’s system. This kind of thinking is potentially good news for the proposed Peachtree Streetcar and bodes well for federal support for our region’s comprehensive, coordinated Concept 3 Transit Plan. - AJC

State of Georgia is Stuck in the Mud While Atlanta Region Moves Forward on Transit - Notable Quote: "Although LaHood didn't tell us anything we didn't already know, it's always reaffirming to have the most powerful transportation official in the country tell state leaders that they've been asleep at the switch."  The good news is that there is overwhelming support for Concept 3 and Metro Atlanta is on the verge of approving the Regional Transit Committee which will be a much needed regional steering group that has the teeth to make things happen. - Saporta Report

Peach Bites

HOV lanes switching to toll lanes on I-85

NorthFulton.com - I guess Money talks. I wonder how much this will actually help congestion. If you don't want to pay the 'tax,' you can still use the lanes if you have 3 or more people in your vehicle.

EPA Gives BeltLine $1M for Cleanup (2009-06-02)

WABE - Wow!! There are over 100 brownfield areas along the Beltline corridor that are still in need of cleanup. Hopefully, this $1 million can stretch a long way.

Proposed Coal Plant Loses Support

GPB News - Good to hear that four energy suppliers have lost interest in the proposed coal power plant in Douglasville. This leaves only six remaining companies backing the proposed plant.

Greenpeace places Publix last for seafood sustainability

Atlanta Business Chronicle - Not a very good score for one of the largest grocers in the metro area. The highest rated company was Whole Foods but they only scored a 4 out of 10.

The Buckhead Blog: Streets of Buckhead Delays Opening to Fall 2010

The Buckhead Blog - Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait a little longer to see how the old Buckhead Village evolves into its next incarnation. The project is seeking LEED certification and should be another great addition to the Atlanta scene.

Political Roundup - 2009 Legisltative Session

image courtesy of Robert S. Donovan @ Flickr

This letter was sent out to supporters yesterday from the Georgia Environmental Action Network to thank everyone for supporting the issues during the last legislative session. It nicely outlines all of the major environmental issues that were voted on. Unfortunately, we did not win them all but we did win some. Read on for a recap..

Last Friday marked the last day of the Georgia General Assembly’s regular legislative session. Over the last three months, we asked you to take action on several issues being considered by the legislature.

Thank you to the thousands of Georgia Environmental Action Network subscribers who took a few minutes to send a message to their state representatives and state senators. Below is a summary of what happened on those issues and whether they remain alive for next year:

• Cut More Trees For Less - SB 164: On Wednesday, April 1st, legislation sponsored by Senator Don Balfour, that would have expanded billboard companies’ ability to cut down and remove trees along roadsides was defeated in a close vote when the conservation community prevented the bill from obtaining the 91 votes it needed for passage. The vote was 74-89. A motion to reconsider the bill passed quickly afterwards, but the bill was never brought up for another vote on the last day of the session. SB 164 was sent back to the House Rules committee, where it can be brought up for debate again next year.

• Don’t Get Stuck Paying Your Neighbor’s Water Bill - HB 158: Legislation to require new multi-family buildings to put a water meter on each unit rather than one water meter per building passed the House easily and passed out of the Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities Committee, but failed to make it out of the Senate Rules Committee. Friendly attempts to amend the bill onto other legislation failed. HB 158 remains alive for consideration next year.

• Keep Treated Sewage From Being Injected in Our Drinking Water - HB 552: Rep. Terry Barnard led the charge to extend the current moratorium on injecting treated sewage and surface water into the Floridan aquifer, a critical source of drinking water for Georgians living in the coastal plain, for another five years. The bill has been sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

• Get Me Out of This Traffic- SB 39, SR 44, HB 277, HR 206, SB 120, SB 200: The Senate passed legislation to allow regions to let voters approve a penny sales tax for listed transportation projects while the House passed legislation that would let voters approve a statewide sales tax increase for transportation. Unfortunately, negotiations to hammer out a compromise broke down at 11:00pm during the last day of the session. Further, legislation to allow MARTA more flexibility in how it uses its current and reserve funds on operations & maintenance failed. However, both chambers approved legislation to rearrange state agencies to give the Governor, Lt. Governor and Legislature more control over transportation revenue and road-building.

• Exemptions from Clean Water Protections - SB 155: The House and Senate passed legislation, sponsored by Senator Chip Pearson, that provides a definition for the smallest, most temporary streams created only from rain and snowfall and then exempts them from 25 foot buffers from development. Conservation groups argued to clarify the definition, but attempts to amend the bill failed. SB 155 now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

• Pay Now for Nuclear - SB 31: Legislation to create a new funding scheme for the construction of nuclear power plants, sponsored by Senator Don Balfour, passed both the House and Senate. The legislation has been sent to the Governor for his signature.

Thank you again for your efforts to urge conservation through the click of a button. We greatly appreciate all of the Georgia Environmental Action Network subscribers.

Sincerely,

Altamaha Riverkeeper
Center for a Sustainable Coast
Coosa River Basin Initiative
Flint Riverkeeper
Georgia Canoeing Association
Georgia Conservancy
Georgia Conservation Voters
Georgia River Network
Mothers & Others for Clean Air
Ogeechee-Canoochee Riverkeeper
Satilla Riverkeeper
Savannah Riverkeeper
Sierra Club, GA Chapter
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

Last Reminder

Last reminder. Earth Hour is almost here. Don't forget to turn off all non essential lighting for one hour beginning at 830 tonight. The city of Atlanta is a flagship city this year and we can all help make a statement tonight. Last year we cut power usage by about four percent during earth hour. I bet we will do better this year.

Earth Hour 2009 Reminder

Don't forget about Earth Hour tomorrow from 8:30 to 9:30. Thousands of people and businesses across Atlanta will be participating. Here's a quick clip of some images from last year's Earth Hour in Atlanta. I think it's hilarious that they show the Big Chicken being turned off..

Peach Bites

State Public Service Commission Approves Two New Nuclear Reactors
GPB - Atlanta,GA,USA
Hooray for Nuclear!! Having lived three miles as the crow flies from a reactor, I can vouch that I was perfectly safe (and scared out of my mind that something would go wrong). Good thing these things won't be ready until 2017 and they will be in the Far East of the state. BTW, what are we going to do with the waste?

The Nature Exchange opens at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in June
Examiner.com - USA
This should be a great addition to the Chattahoochee Nature Center's 10000 sq. ft. LEED certified Discovery Center that is set to open to the public in June. The Nature Exchange is a unique organization that fosters learning about nature by creating a place where kids of all ages can exchange things that they have found or collected.

EPA lauds 25 US cities with most Energy Star Buildings - Atlanta Ranks 9th
Green Right Now - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Maybe we make the list because we're one of the top 10 largest cities in the US. I prefer to think that we make the list because businesses, builders and architects in the metro area are recognizing that designing and building for efficiency is actually a good idea.

Lanier Water Level
GPB - Atlanta,GA,USA
"Three months ago, Lanier was 20 feet below full pool. Now it's more than 11 feet below." I guess all that rain last weekend was good for something.

"Not-So-Clean" Coal in Georgia

You might have already known this but I figured it was worth pointing out. With the three fly ash spills in the past three months, the issue is starting to get some attention. Much of our energy here in Georgia comes from 'not-so-clean' coal of which fly ash is one of the nasty byproducts. The NRDC has done a little research to determine how the state ranks in coal pollution from existing and proposed plants. Not surprisingly, our state is closer to the top of the list than the bottom (and that's not a good thing).

From the NRDC website:

Georgia ranks 11th in the country for contaminated coal waste, with 3,508,910 tons of waste reported to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2005. The state also ranks 7th in toxic metals contaminating its coal waste, with 4,192 tons of toxic metals, based on NRDC estimates.

Check out their website for more details on GA coal power plants.

Also, if you haven't seen the effects of a fly ash spill check out this video on the GreenPeaches channel at YouTube!.  There are plenty of other videos out there that will show these effects but I liked the aerial shots.

So, we all know that 'not-so-clean' coal is bad for our health.  We recommend keeping the pressure on your elected officials to oppose the development of new projects and ensuring that you are doing everything you can to reduce your energy demand.

image courtesy of Bian Gratwicke

Peach Bites

Here are some of the more interesting articles that we have come across recently.

Atlanta Watches in Envy as Phoenix Light Rail Debuts (AJC)

Sprawl to Meet Its Limit in Atlanta (AJC)

Coal Plant Project Threatened by Partnership Breakup (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

Transit Group Has Its Hands Out for $50 Billion (AJC)

Save $ With A Chimney Balloon

As we get into the new year, we are going to start seeing some colder weather and thus some higher heating bills.  Luckily, we've had a pretty mild winter so far and here in Georgia, we've really only had one strong cold snap.  Something tells me more is on the way so I have once again started to look for ways to keep the heat in and the cold out.

One of the major culprits for heat loss in the home is the chimney.  A quick and easy fix to a leaky chimney is a Chimney Balloon.  They run anywhere from $35-$50 and can sometimes pay for themselves on the first month's heating bill.  There aren't too many energy efficiency fixes that will return the intial investment as quickly as a chimney balloon.   It is estimated that a slight leak in a chimney can result in around $200 in lost heat over the course of a winter.  A large or severe leak can result in much more. 

 The balloon is extremely simple.  Basically, it is inflated inside the chimney and acts as a plug to keep the cold air from sneaking in.  Most of the chimney plugs have a failsafe built in to automatically melt when and if an owner forgets to take it out before lighting up a fire. 

This efficiency fix is highly recommended and can be purchased here.