VALDOSTA — A group of area citizens disrupted a morning session of Valdosta Technical College’s Gathering of Eagles Thursday.

The small group of approximately 10 individuals interrupted speaker Dean Alford to present a case for renewable energy rather than coal-fire power plants.

Alford is president and chief executive officer of Allied Energy Services and a spokesperson for Power4Georgians. He is also the Technical College System of Georgia’s chairman.

Power4Georgians, a consortium of Georgia electric cooperatives, is in the permitting phase of constructing a coal-fire plant in Washington County and has proposed a similar plant in Ben Hill County.

When the protesters entered the conference room in Valdosta Tech’s Building 500, Alford asked those in the room to clap if they wanted the group to leave.

Many in the audience did clap as two protesters climbed up on stage beside Alford holding a sign that read, “Dean’s Dirty Deal: Polluting Georgia’s Job Market.”

As another protester, Seth Gunning, began to speak to the audience, Alford suggested those in the room take a five-minute break. The session had only recently reconvened from a short recess.

Several walked out, but others sat and watched the spectacle unfold. A number of the protesters shouted, “Dirty coal isn’t fair.”

Security personnel approached the group, and Valdosta Tech President Dr. Ray Perren told them to leave the premises or be arrested.

As the group of protesters departed the building, escorted by campus security, a person from the Gathering of Eagles seminar shouted, “Get a job!” Others clapped at their removal.

“Dean Alford’s $4.2 billion investment in Georgia is only expected to produce around 150 permanent jobs for the state,” Gunning said. “We are here today to call on Dean and Power4Georgians to invest that money and meet energy demand with renewable energy and energy efficiency and create four to six times more jobs for Georgians.”

Investing the money in different areas would create jobs for students graduating from Valdosta Technical College, Gunning said.

Mikayla Beyer, a Valdosta State University student and member of Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E), said coal-fired plants also pose health risks to Georgia citizens.

“This plant can contribute to the ill health of Georgians and this institution chose to reward him,” she said.

Alford’s topic for Gathering of Eagles was how to manage a successful business during times of recession.

Coal-fired plants in Georgia remove jobs from the state since no coal is mined within the state, Gunning said. This, he added, results in millions of dollars leaving the state each year to pay for the cost of importing coal.

If Alford wants to promote a successful economy in Georgia, he should invest in renewable energy sources where students from local colleges and universities can have a hand in its growth and development, said Erin Hurley, S.A.V.E. president and VSU student.

Coal-fired power plants produce electricity by burning coal in a boiler to heat water to produce steam. The steam, at tremendous pressure, flows into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity. The steam is then cooled, condensed back into water and returned to the boiler to start the process over.

On average, the United States consumes more than three million tons of coal every day of the year, according to The Sierra Club.

As of Aug. 25, 2009, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has issued draft permits for surface water and groundwater withdrawal, water discharge and air for the Power4Georgians Plant Washington near Sandersonville.

The Power4Georgians Web site claims Plant Washington will be one of the cleanest coal-fired power plants in the country. The 850-megawatt coal-fired power plant will generate enough electricity to meet the annual needs of 500,000 to 700,000 Georgia homes.

The plant will cost approximately $2.1 billion and take four years to construct.

In the construction phase, the plant will generate 1,600 jobs. Once completed, the plant will have a workforce of about 120 workers, the Web site states.

The plant will use a mixture of pulverized low-sulfur Powder River Basin and Illinois Basin coal and is expected to use between 3.65 and 4.27 million tons per year. Plant Washington will be one of the cleanest coal plants in the nation — one that produces more energy with less coal and emissions using state-of-the-art technology with the life of a power plant being about 50 years, the Web site states.

On its Web site, the group emphasizes that coal-fired plants — most importantly Plant Washington — are the most affordable and reliable option to meet energy demand.

In one section of the Web site the organization sets out to debunk what they deem as opposition to the plant.

On The Sierra Club’s Web site it states that coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of air pollution in the United States, creating particle pollution or soot that can trigger heart attacks, strokes, worsen asthma, cause irregular heartbeats and lead to premature death. Particle pollution on the ground causes acidification of waters, soil nutrient depletion and destruction of forest and crops.



On the Web



http://power4georgians.com

www.sierraclub.org