Footnotes Issue #64: August 28, 2012
Offshore Wind Works! News at 11...
In the coming months, Southern Company will announce that they are retiring and fuel switching about a third of their coal fleet, according to what they've been telling investors on their quarterly earnings calls.
The Beyond Coal Campaign's challenge is to make sure that the opportunity to make investments in truly clean, sustainable power generation, like solar and wind, is not frittered away. For years, Southern Company was winning their fight against renewable energy by claiming that it doesn't work in the Southeast. Now, President and CEO Tom Fanning says he's "bullish" on solar, but Georgia Power’s lobbyists killed the Solar Freedom bill (SB 401) in the legislature earlier this year that would have been the single most important tool to bringing solar power to scale in Georgia. Fanning is also fine to keep studying offshore wind, even though Southern Company's own 2007 Study "Southern Winds" showed potential off the coast of Georgia.
As the Washington Post reported a few weeks ago, the federal government is about to auction off the leasing rights for offshore wind development from Maine to Virginia, the culmination of the first Phase of the Department of Interior's "Smart from the Start" program. Phase II will include the Southern Atlantic region, but Georgia hasn't signed up.
Georgia has the 4th largest accessible offshore wind energy capacity among all Atlantic Coast states, behind North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. A recent study by the Georgia Wind Working Group indicates the potential of producing 14.5 GW of electricity from offshore wind turbines placed in accessible and permissible areas off the coast of Georgia. According to National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates, 290,000 jobs would be created.
Want to help on this issue?
- Come to our Wind Works rally on Tybee Island on Friday
- Tell Congress to extend the Production Tax Credit for wind power
- Follow along on our Beyond Coal Campaign Facebook page.
Quick Links
J. Henry Fair "Industrial Scars" Tour & Talk
Thursday, September 6, 2012
6:00 p.m. -Tour / 7:00 p.m. - Talk RSVP
Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater
The Georgia Chapter has partnered with GreenLaw to present photographer J. Henry Fair discussion of the photographs displayed in his exhibition "Industrial Scars". Fair uses his photographs to raise public awareness of the damage being done to the earth due to the detritus of our consumer society. Mr. Fair explains, "At first I photographed "ugly" things; which is, in essence, throwing the issue in people's faces," Fair said. "Over time, I began to photograph all these things with an eye to making them both beautiful and frightening simultaneously."
Sierra Club Meetings
Smart Energy Team Meeting, Monday, September 10, 7:00 p.m. Atlanta Inner City Outings (ICO), Tuesday, TBD, 7:30 p.m. Wildlands Committee Meeting, Tuesday, September 18, 7:00 p.m. RAIL, Monday, September 23, 7:00 p.m. Fundraising Committee, Wednesday, September 26, 7:00 p.m. |
Upcoming Events
August 31 – Wind Works for Jobs Rally on Tybee Beach
September 8 – Partnership for Southern Equity Transportation Forum
September 11 - Atlanta Inner City Outings (ICO) Fundraiser @ Horizon Theater
Atlanta ICO takes kids who would not otherwise have the opportunity outside! Their annual fundraising event at the Horizon Theater is for the show "Time Stands Still", hailed as one of the best new plays on Broadway. Tickets start at $20.00 a person and all the proceeds go towards taking ICO students on more outdoor adventures! Click here to get your tickets and spread the word about this great event!
September 21 - Healthy Communities Summit
Congress of New Urbanism Atlanta & CDC Healthy Community Design Initiative invite you to a one-day Healthy Communities Summit, will take place in Atlanta to bring design and health professionals and public officials together to discuss and learn about ways to build livable neighborhoods together that support physical and mental health. Earn (8) AICP, AIA LU/HSW and CNU-A credits. Click here for more information and to register.
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Wildlands and Wildlife Committee Meeting, Tuesday, July 19, 7:00 p.m.
Mike Murdock - Chair, murdock1@mindspring.com