Jackson County Commission, More Dog and Pony Show Antics.

After receiving approval from the Jackson County Commission for a 25 minute presentation by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League about the dangers of nuclear power the commission denied, at the commission meeting, the time previously granted in writing to make the presentation. District 4 Commissioner Horrace Clemmons made a motion to remove the item from the agenda and stated, "you may make the presentation at the work session." Mr. Gaylon Stone seconded the motion, however the motion was not approved by a vote of the commission. Ms. Bias, Commission Chairperson, stated I could have 5 minutes. The following is a memorandum concerning this incident.

>

(1) Email to Jackson County Commission per instruction from County Commission Clerk after being given Ms. Bias's personal cell phone number to request approval, called there was no answer, left message, there was no return phone call. However, I called the Commission and spoke to the clerk, she informed me to submit an email request:

"Hi Anna, Per our phone conversation at 3PM today. The TVA thru the EDA has requested local government bodies to recommit to the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant construction project thru a Resolution of Support for the Bellefonte Project. If you have not received the TVA/EDA resolution request it is expected you will receive a request in the near future. Our message is important, it involves the future health and economic stability of future Jackson County citizens. There are those of us in Jackson County that do not believe the TVA has the best interest of the community in mind concerning Bellefonte and Nuclear Power. I have seen this request for a resolution. We of the Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team ( BEST ) Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) believe there is a better way to meet our future energy needs without the risk of nuclear power. We have facts and information to present to you concerning the risks of leaving a RADIOACTIVE waste dump legacy for future Jackson County citizens. We have a solution to this problem. We would like the opportunity to have representative local county citizens, Ms. Heather Bradley of Stevenson and Ms. Elizabeth Johnson of Scottsboro to tell you briefly about their concerns. Mr. Lou Zeller, Science Director of the Blue Ridge Environmental Group and Ms. Sandy Kurtz of BEST have a short summary which explains the risks and the alternatives. I, Garry Morgan, will introduce the folks and give a brief introductory presentation. We realize your time is very important but the full story of nuclear power and our solution for the citizens of Jackson County is equally important. We firmly believe our solution is safer, 3 billion dollars less expensive, has less risk and will employ more Jackson County Citizens at our Industrial Parks without the legacy of dangerous, RADIOACTIVE Waste. We respectfully request an audience before the Jackson County Commission on Monday Feb. 8, 2010. The total amount of time should take less than 25 minutes."

>

(2) Reply from the County Commission Clerk:

Mrs. Sadie has placed you on the agenda for February 8th, 2010. She also wanted me to tell you that no one has said anything about a resolution.

Anna Lewis
Commission Clerk
Jackson County Commission

>
(3) Memorandum concerning incident forwarded to individuals involved:

Memo for the Record.
After being instructed by Ms. Lewis via phone conversation that I needed to send an email to her concerning our group request(see attached email...), which I did, and previously leaving a message with the Chairperson of the Commission on her cell phone, per instructions from the clerk, (I was told Ms. Bias, Chairperson of the Commission was out sick but I could call her on her cell phone.) explaining our group request on Wed. Feb 3rd., which I did, not receiving a return call, then receiving the confirmation below from the clerk concerning our request via the email below with the specific requests in regards to time and people requesting to speak. Then calling the county commission clerk to confirm the group request was granted as stated in the email, which was confirmed, one would think all was in order.

I was told today by the Commission Chair that only I could speak for 5 minutes. The Commission also attempted, via Mr. Clemmons' motion, to amend the agenda by removing me from the agenda at today's meeting, the motion did not pass, a tie vote was broke by Ms. Bias. I spoke for the 5 minutes, mostly in protest to the treatment members of our group received and mentioning the 7 million pounds of nuclear waste present at the Tennessee River Valley Nuclear Plants. It was suggested that our group return for the work session. That is not possible since our Science Director has traveled over 250 miles to make this presentation, plus he has other commitments next week and others have work commitments. I asked after the meeting was adjourned if anyone of the commissioners would care to hear the concerns of their constituents that had showed up for the commission meeting. Not one commissioner bothered to inquire about the specific concerns of the citizens present in our group.

Garry Morgan

>
In other business per link from the Huntsville Times article from David Brewer: http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1265710517244150.xml&coll=1

>
Consent agenda approved: 1) $2737.50 payment approved to Tennessee Valley Family Services, Jan.2010. 2) County Attorney fee for January 2010, $4004.10

Scottsboro City Council

There was no old business. New Business: 1) Council Resolution 2010-02-02, bid was approved for recycled materials. 2) Council Resolution 2010-02-01, Declaration and sale of surplus property at Rec-Com, includes auto, funds from sales to be placed into Rec-Com's capital expense fund. 3) Ordinace declaring property surplus was not approved at this meeting but will be placed on the agenda at the next council meeting. Property involved is the old police station on John T. Reid Parkway. There was no motion to set aside the rules in order to bring the issue to the table for a vote. The property must be declared surplus before it may be sold. 4) Vacancies on the Personnel Board, Museum Board and the Tree Commission announced, from the Jan 26 meeting regarding deadline and info on positions available: Personnel Board 2 vacancies; Tree Commission 2 vacancies; Museum Commission 1 vacancy for completion of term. All requests for Board or Commission placement must be submitted to the City Clerk by Monday 15 February, 2PM. 5) After a 2 minute recess, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League made a presentation outlining concerns of nuclear energy. Local concerned citizens along with subject matter experts expressed facts about why nuclear power is not a good idea for Bellefonte. Alternative solutions were submitted to the council. 3 local citizens expressed concerns indicating why they did not want nuclear power at Bellefonte. Within the near future the City Council will be voting on a resolution of support concerning Bellefonte and nuclear power. 6) The Mayor announced a Green Energy grant approval for methane recovery at the Scottsboro land fill. Story from the Huntsville Times: http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1265710579244150.xml&coll=1

The Truth About Nuclear Power Expansion. Political greed and payoffs, a Presidential connection.

Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant, $5 billion spent and not one kilowatt of nuclear power produced. The TVA completed and published a study in 1997 that Combined Cycle Natural Gas was the most economical means of producing power at Bellefonte. A 800mega-watt plant would cost under $900 million dollars. Bringing a gas line in from Marion County Tn. would cast another $150 million dollars. The completion of the nuclear plant at Bellefonte is estimated to cost between $3 and $5 billion. New nuclear construction per reactor unit will cost between $8 and $10 billion.

As the story below relates the nuclear power industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on political payoffs and propaganda.

Nuclear Links disclosing the deception of Bellefonte: http://arklite.blogspot.com/search/label/Bellefonte%20Nuclear%20Plant

>>

An article from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). http://www.ucsusa.org/news/media_alerts/nuclear-industry-spent-millions-to-sell-congress-on-new-reactors-0343.html?utm_source=SP&utm_medium=head&utm_campaign=NuclearSell-02-03-09head

(The article from UCS} "Nuclear Industry Spent Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Over the Last Decade to Sell Public, Congress on New Reactors, New Investigation Finds: (The propaganda, payoffs and treachery of the nuclear industry continues. They care not for the safety and risk thrown upon the public, their concern is money for their industry's bottom line.)

The nuclear industry claims that there is increased public support for nuclear power as a solution to climate change, and some members of Congress are arguing that massive incentives for new nuclear reactors are critical to passing a climate and energy bill. Today, the Obama administration is expected to propose tripling the amount of loan guarantees to the industry to $54 billion and there are proposals in Congress to add billions more through a new "clean" energy fund and other incentives to support nuclear power expansion. (I'll add, the nuclear industry is far from clean, it is deadly to the workers who manufacture nuclear fuels.)

Where did all this support for new nuclear reactors come from? Let's follow the money.

Growing support for new nuclear power comes after an extensive decade-long campaign in which companies and unions related to the industry have spent more than $640 million on lobbying and campaign contributions from 1999 through 2009, according to a new analysis by former Los Angeles Times reporter Judy Pasternak, now with the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University. (See below investigative reports link.) In the first three quarters of 2009 alone, the nuclear energy industry spent $84 million lobbying Congress.

"In many ways, the nuclear power industry's efforts to win support are a textbook case of how the influence game is played in Washington," Pasternak reports. "Besides the money spent on lobbying and campaign contributions, the industry, led by the NEI [Nuclear Energy Institute], has created a network of allies who give speeches, quote one another approvingly and showcase one another on their Web sites. The effect is an echo chamber of support for nuclear power."

Two of the industry's celebrity spokespeople, former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and former Greenpeace activist Patrick Moore, have been stumping around the country, writing op-eds, and appearing on TV to extoll the virtues of nuclear power as the co-directors of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, but they rarely, if ever, mention that the NEI created the coalition and is its sole funder. "

>

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE

An investigative report, Nuclear Energy Lobby, Deep Pockets, $645 million spent by lobbyists: http://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigations/nuclear-energy-lobbying-push/story/nuclear-energy-working-hard-win-support/

>

President Obama's connection to nuclear energy--Exelon Energy--big campaign contributions: http://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigations/nuclear-energy-lobbying-push/multimedia/exelons-links-president-obama/ Hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign funds, millions of dollars to nuclear lobbys in supporting deceit that radioactive nuclear power is safe, cheap, clean, reliable, it is none of the above. Money buys propaganda and politicians. The nuclear industry has Washington politicians in their back pocket in support of the nuclear deception.

More from UCS: http://www.ucsusa.org/