Fresh Loaf

(Sad horn)

From the Savannah Morning News:

The sun won’t be generating significant electricity any time soon in Chatham County – plans for the biggest solar projects were delayed when Georgia Power announced last month that it was out of funds to produce solar and other “green” power.

“We had to cap the amount we would buy back, because there’s only so much the program would bear as we rolled it out and it started to be developed,” said Ervan Hancock, Georgia Power’s renewable and green strategy manager.

…

“Just at the time alternative energy is beginning to take root, they are stifling these initiatives by artificially putting a cap on it,” [Savannah-based solar advocate Jack Star] said. “This is unbelievable at a time when the rest of the country is moving forward with alternatives.”

Georgia Power’s Green Energy Program, launched nearly three years ago, has enrolled about 4,400 customers among a total customer base of 2.3 million. Those enrolled voluntarily purchase nearly 19,000 blocks of 100-kilowatt-hours each per month for an extra $3.50 to $4.50 per block. That money funds the premium that Georgia Power pays to producers of solar and other green power.

The Morning News has the full story.

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If you’ve been looking for a concise description of utility juggernaut Southern Co.’s lax attitude about getting serious about clean energy — and the state’s role in allowing them to do so — read the second letter to the editor in today’s Savannah Morning News (”Knowing the wind-Vogtle connection”).

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The elections are over, so Georgia’s politicians have returned to jockeying for position before the start of the next session.

Sen. Eric Johnson

Dick Pettys with InsiderAdvantage reports that House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons, has decided not to run for gubna. Praise be — Keen is the slickest, wiliest, most dangerous guy down at the Gold Dome. If his proudly unconstitutional sex-offender law is any indication of how Rep. Keen — a former state Christian Coalition head — would govern, then heaven help us all.

And the Savannah Morning News reports that Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for guv-lite. In recent months, he stepped down as Senate president pro tem to get ready for his run. Apparently, his preparations have also involved shaving off his trademark Van Dyke beard (commonly confused with a goatee). I scarcely recognized him and I’m not sure that losing the facial hair doesn’t paradoxically make him look older somehow.

Here’s what he looks like with the fuzz.

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No one loves “free” money more than state and local governments. And Georgia’s are no exception.

Anticipation surrounding  President-elect Barack Obama’s $500-billion proposal to re-invest in the nation’s infrastructure continues to build, and cities, counties and states are already starting to drool.

In Georgia, the state DOT has already outlined $3.4 billion worth of road, bridge and rail projects — including more than $1 billion for cash-strapped MARTA.

After the jump, read about some of the projects Peach State lawmakers hope the incoming president will deem worthy of the taxpayer coin. We’ll have more on Atlanta’s potential projects later, as well as some interesting thoughts from one Democratic insider who says we — or more like some of our elected officials — may have already shot ourselves in the foot when it comes to trying to kiss Obama’s ring. (If you’d like to know what’s on the wish lists of 427 U.S. mayors, including six in Georgia, visit this PDF.)

(more…)

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From the Savannah Morning News:

On Tuesday, port workers, longshoremen, truckers and others at the port of Wilmington, Del., became the first workers in the nation to enroll in the Department of Homeland Security’s national Transportation Worker Identification Credential program.

Those with business at Georgia’s ports won’t be far behind. The program is expected to begin locally by the end of next month.

The TWIC program ensures that any individual who has unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels has received a thorough background check and is not a security threat.

(Read more)

More than six years after 9/11, and after countless reports explaining how commercial seaports would be among the easiest way for terrorists to smuggle radioactive material into the United States, the Bush administration is just now getting around to checking the backgrounds of port workers.

If you support Bush, you support leaving the United States needlessly vulnerable to terrorists. How many more examples do you need?

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