In the wake of the British Petroleum disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, a new call for cleaner energy sources and accountability has begun to resurface as the U.S. Congress attempts to take on clean energy and climate legislation within the next few weeks.
One of Georgia’s rural counties faces a situation in which corporate interests are trying to get their way. This is currently happening in Washington County in regard to a proposed coal-fire installation called the Plant Washington Coal Power Plant.
Washington County EMC (Electric Membership Corporation) is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative that supplies electricity to the people of Sandersville, Tennille, Deep Step and communities inside Washington County.
Washington EMC had joined Power4Georgians, a collection of 10 EMCs in Georgia to develop a coal plant in Washington County.
However, there has been resistance from members of the Washington County-Sandersville community, but Frank Askew, CEO of the Washington EMC is determined to follow through with this project.
In early April, Georgia's Environmental Protection Division--heavily influenced by Governor Sonny Perdue's conservative appointments-- has issued final environmental permits for the $2 billion project in Sandersville.
Critics have provided a harsh rebuke of attempting to open this coal plant in Washington County.
"Plant Washington is a dirty coal plant that is a financial risk for the community and for customers who will pay high rates due to the ever-increasing cost of coal and impending governmental regulations," said Erin Glynn, Sierra Club regional conservation organizer.
Risky is right, because there have been recent examples of where the cost of coal has had devastating impact on one southern city – Kingston, Tennessee.
One billion gallons of coal ash sludge barreled through this community, covering 300 acres.
The Tennessee Valley Authority has been hit with civil penalties totaling $11.5 million for the December 2008 coal ash spill at the utility's Kingston plant.
With oil companies forced to testify on Capitol Hill, Americans have started to learn that safety was not really a priority and in BP's 583-page Gulf plan, last updated in June 2009, included references to how to protect walruses and sea lions, which, as Energy and Environment subcommittee chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.) noted, "have not called the Gulf home for 3 million years." The plan also included the phone number of a sea turtle expert who has been dead for five years.
Environmental safety standards should come first in Sandersville and anywhere for that matter and BP’s arrogance gives an example of why criticism of this proposed Plant Washington plant is valid.
Public interest groups have filed legal challenges to three state water and air permits for the proposed 850 Mega-watt Plant Washington coal power plant in Sandersville, approximately 60 miles northeast of Macon and approximately 130 miles southeast of Atlanta.
Politically, Washington County trends Democrat. The city of Sandersville is 60% African-American and the county is approximately 53% African-American, according to recent figures from the Census.
In the governor’s race in 1998, former Governor Roy Barnes received 62% of the vote in Washington County over millionaire Republican, Guy Millner.
In 2002, something changed among the Washington County electorate. Barnes went from landslide winner to a virtual statistical tie with Sonny Perdue. Out of 5,182 votes, 49.38% went to Barnes and 49.36% went to Perdue.
Perdue became governor in 2003 and won re-election with help of Sandersville and Washington County by coming out as the winner by a relatively close margin.
Perdue won Washington County with 49.84% of the vote and former lieutenant Mark Taylor won 49.35% of the 5,411 votes cast for the governor’s race in 2006.
This was good for Perdue, but bad for Washington County.
As governor, Perdue gets to appoint people such as F. Allen Barnes, the new director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division back in November 2009.
Part of Barnes’ bio includes that he worked for the Bush administration as the Region Four chief of staff for the federal EPA from 2002 to 2005.
"It's the first time they've ever put the polluters' lawyers in charge of the EPD," observed Mark Woodall of the Sierra Club.
Barnes was quickly and quietly confirmed by the Perdue-appointed Georgia Board of Natural resources.
The Georgia Board of Natural Resources consists of 18 citizens appointed by the Governor and confirmed by a a majority conservative Georgia Senate.
The Board is responsible for setting rules and regulations ranging from air and water quality to hunting seasons and provides input into issues such as the agency’s budget recommendations and legislative initiatives.
For a look at the Perdue-appointed Georgia Board of Natural resources, click here.
Environmental groups are doing their best to fight this in Washington County, but ultimately the best way is for citizens of Washington County to vote Democrat in 2010.
The governor has the power to change environmental policies in this state and move the state on the path of cleaner energy.
For those in Washington County citizens who voted for Sonny Perdue in 2002 and 2006 were voting against their own interests and their community’s best interests, but whoever the Republican nominee is, it is very likely they will support the corporate interests over environmental safety every time.
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