Scottsboro City Council Work Session-Life Saving Award-Green Power Project and Goosepond Highlight Meeting

Tristin Stavig presented Life Saving Award by Scottsboro Mayor Potter. (Photo Ch 48-WAFF-News http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=13643914 )

Scottsboro Bio-Mass Project item 8.

Goosepond Colony Resolution discussion item 9.

Last night was a City Council work session. The outline: 1) Mayor Potter presented Life Saving Award to Tristin Stavig for saving the life of one of her teachers. Ms Stavig saved the life of High School French teacher Deborah Jones during the week of November 22, 2010 by performing the Heimlich maneuver. Article from The Daily Sentinel about the event. http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_9d0a4caa-fc06-11df-9962-001cc4c002e0.html

WAFF video article about Ms. Stavig's lifesaving event: http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=13643914 2) City Engineer made presentation concerning the 5 year update of the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan. Info on Hazard Mitigation from FEMA http://www.fema.gov/plan/mitplanning/index.shtm 3) City employee Cell Phone Usage Policy discussion, item will be an addition to the City Employee Handbook. 4) Discussion concerning addition of Ordinance Enforcement Officer Job Description. 5) Surplus property report concerning 2 knuckle booms which are excess property at the Street Department. 6) East Maple Street discussion was removed from agenda. 7) Cemetery Department bid opening report for excavator at the cemetery. Tri-Green Equipment of Scottsboro was the accepted bid meeting specifications for $18,250.00. 8) Change order discussion concerning land fill gas collection project involving $47,492. This will include connecting cell 2 and the rental of a flare burner. Approximately $16,000 of the funding for the change order will come from the grant money of which the total amount of $500K will have been spent after the change order. After the project is complete the methane gas collected from the land fill will be utilized as fuel for electric power generation. Excess power will be sold to the TVA for 13 cents per Kilowatt hour according to city officials. The TVA pays the higher rate for the purpose of claiming the carbon credits which this project will generate. It is expected this project will generate not only electricity but $100-$200K of annual revenue after payments for this project. A very positive move on the part of the city for this Bio-Mass "green power" project. Kudos to Mr. Blizzard for his work on this project. 9) Item 9 was added to the agenda by request from Mr. Smith. Resolution to allow Goosepond Colony to continue control of Goosepond Colony (GPC) until the Bond issue is satisfied. Mr. Wheeler commented the current GPC bond issue will be paid in 2023.

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In other info received from city officials. - There maybe discussion soon to restructure the GPC bond issue. - There is a reluctance on the part of the GPC Board to refinance current bond issues.

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The solution to the Plantation Point Golf Course will be decided by the GPC Board. Hopefully the GPC Board will work with all involved. Kudos to Mr. Smith for bringing this resolution forward.

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Mayor Potter Reports that the FEMA payment from last years April Storm Damage has been disbursed by Alabama's Emergency Management Agency. Daily Sentinel article: http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_1d0e58c4-0e22-11e0-aae6-001cc4c002e0.html

TVA Green Power Switch--TVA Inspector General Investigation

Dear TVA Green Power Switch Purchasers,

 

Purchasers of TVA Green Power Switch Power, do you think the extra money you pay goes to purchase so called "Green Power" to your residence? If you think that think again, it does not. Your money goes into, as the IG states, the general mix. Audit findings concerning TVA's "Green Power Switch Program. "Green power purchased or procured by TVA under the Green Power Switch® program is added to the power mix and does not flow directly to consumers who sign up for the program."

The TVA IG goes on to say that folks have been explained this fact many times in several publications. Personally, I have not specifically looked and searched for the "small print" in the Green Power Switch Program. However, nothing I have heard, seen or read CLEARLY states the following explanation: "Our review demonstrates that this fact [purchases are added to the general power mix and does not flow directly to the consumers] is adequately disclosed in the marketing materials we reviewed and was generally understood by the 17 Green Power Switch® participants we surveyed."

Further findings:
>"Three items contained language explaining that renewable energy produced is added to the power mix and is not directly routed to the program participant. >Six items contained a statement that renewable energy produced is added to the power mix. >Forty-one items contained no language explaining that renewable energy produced is added to the power mix or not directly routed to the program participants. >While not all advertising materials directly stated that green power is part of TVA's power mix, they all did direct consumers to learn more about the program from TVA's Green Power Switch® Web site. The Web site states that green power is added to TVA's power mix. In addition, some marketing materials refer consumers to their distributor for additional information.

If you pay for TVA Green Power you are paying for something you do not receive. You receive power just like any other person receives power who pays no extra money. There is no "Green Power" going to any one residence or business. The reason the TVA audit took place by the TVA-OIG was due to complaints. There have also been complaints to the SEC and the FBI accusing fraud on the part of the TVA in their Green Power Switch program.

Think about it, what is "green" for some is not green for others. The money you pay goes for the TVA's purchase of nuclear power! Quote from the report, "by choosing to pay a little more for Green Power Switch, you help advance the technology and increase the amount of electricity generated from cleaner sources."

Remember friends and neighbors, the TVA considers "radioactive nuclear power as CLEAN energy, it is not clean. I have heard many statements from TVA Executives at the TVA quarterly meetings, "nuclear power is clean energy." The nuclear fuels process has been deadly, killing and sickening thousands involved in Uranium fuels enrichment process. ( Source: Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act http://www.hss.energy.gov/healthsafety/fwsp/advocacy/ Poisoned Nuclear workers http://www.wildclearing.com/ice-ages/the-exposed.html )

 

Better Business Bureau Reports nuclear energy is not clean energy. "The “clean air myth” of nuclear power was demolished on May 13, 1999, when the Nuclear Energy Institute’s advertising campaign was deemed “misleading” by the Better Business Bureau. The commercial in question featured a cute owl singing the praises of nuclear power and thanking the NEI for clean air." http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2010/09/nuclear_power_is_not_the_green.html

 

TVA Reference: Memorandum from the Office of the Inspector General February 18, 2010 Kenneth R. Breeden, OCP 1F-NSTFINAL REPORT – AUDIT 2009-12296 – REVIEW OF GREEN POWER MARKETING http://oig.tva.gov/PDF/10rpts/2009-12296.pdf