The Baldwin City Council has reinstated a local restaurant’s alcohol license after temporarily suspending it this week for selling alcohol to a minor.
During a Friday evening hearing, the council ordered the Los Cerritos Mexican Restaurant owners to pay a $500 fine. The business must also add a local manager’s name to the alcohol license and require all Los Cerritos employees to sign an updated handbook.
During an investigation by the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) on April 23, authorities say Los Cerritos illegally served alcohol to a minor. Baldwin suspended the license until a hearing could be held.
Under the terms of the agreement, which the council unanimously approved, the council immediately reinstated Los Cerritos’ alcohol license.
“I appreciate (Los Cerritos managers) Victor and Juan (Ibarra) taking personal and professional responsibility,” said Baldwin Mayor Stephanie Almagno.
Alto Grocery hearing postponed
The restaurant on the Highway 441 Bypass is not the only Baldwin business that got caught up in the Georgia DOR investigation. Baldwin police temporarily shut down Alto Mountain Grocery on GA 365 for alleged illegal sales to minors.
The convenience store’s owners were originally scheduled to appear at the same license hearing as Los Cerritos on Friday but asked to move it. During the meeting, it was announced that their hearing will be Wednesday May 1 at 4:30 p.m.
Members of Habersham Central High School's varsity baseball team celebrate a 7-2 win over South Paulding High School to move on to the Sweet Sixteen Friday, April 26 in Douglasville. (Zack Myers/NowHabersham.com)
For just the second time in school history, Habersham Central High School’s varsity baseball program is headed back to the Sweet Sixteen round of the state playoffs after a 7-2 win over South Paulding High School in a decisive Game 3 on Friday night in Douglasville.
Thanks to a strong pitching performance and timely hitting, HCHS will face Etowah High School in the second round. The Raiders will travel to Woodstock for a doubleheader on Wednesday and then an “if necessary” Game 3 on Thursday.
From the first pitch of Friday’s contest, it felt like the Raiders (21-9) were in the driver’s seat, controlling the flow of the game. Still, it took five innings of play before they put runs on the board despite having runners in scoring position early.
The Raiders, in total, left 13 men on base throughout the contest. Eight of those 13 were in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded in the second, fifth and sixth innings. Runners were stranded at second base in the first and seventh innings.
Despite that, HCHS notched three runs in the fifth, two runs in the sixth and another pair in the seventh to take the win.
In the fifth, senior Konner Burrell delivered an RBI single to score sophomore Maverick Chitwood, who singled to start the inning. Three batters later, senior Hayden Gailey, who singled in the at-bat following Chitwood, scored on a wild pitch.
The next batter, senior Kaleb Chastain was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then, junior Callum Spivey walked, scoring junior Cody Davis. Davis was on as a pinch runner for Burrell.
HCHS would leave the bases loaded with a strikeout and flyout closing out the top of the frame.
In the sixth, Chitwood again would leadoff and reach base, this time on a walk. After stealing second, the sophomore was able to move to third on a groundout by Gailey. Then, Burrell delivered another RBI single to score Chitwood.
Habersham Central High School sophomore Maverick Chitwood scores a run in a 7-2 win over South Paulding High School on Friday, April 26 in Douglasville. (Zack Myers/NowHabersham.com)
After another walk and hit by pitch, Chastain hit an RBI single up the middle to plate Davis, who was back in to run for Burrell. Another strikeout and flyout ended the inning with bases loaded.
On to the final inning, the Raiders notched their final two runs after a 1-out single from Chitwood got the ball rolling. Gailey followed up with a hit into the hole between the third baseman and shortstop. The shortstop made a great play to keep the ball in the infield, but a wayward throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and the play was ultimately ruled an error with Gailey settled on first base.
From there Burrell drove in his third and fourth RBIs of the night with a 1-out double down the left field line.
The Spartans (20-13) put their two runs on the board in the bottom of the second as the first batter delivered a single to center field. Two batters later, a 1-out double found its way into left field. With two outs, a line drive single into right field scored a pair.
The game was sealed with sophomore Hudson Gailey cleanly fielding a ground ball from his second base spot and delivering a throw to first baseman Charlie Mills for a force out.
Let the celebration begin!
Players not on the field sprinted onto the diamond to celebrate moving on to the Sweet Sixteen by spraying water, chest bumping, hugs and lots of emphatic yells into the night sky.
“I’m incredibly proud of our guys. I’m not surprised at all that we came down here and won this series today,” HCHS Head Coach Chris Akridge.
Following the doubleheader on Thursday, the Raiders were forced to make the two-hour trip back to Mt. Airy, try to get some sleep and come back the next day and get the victory to move on. With those things against them, they stepped up when it mattered and took care of business.
Habersham Central High School’s varsity baseball players and coaches stand for the National Anthem before a playoff game against South Paulding High School on Friday, April 26 in Douglasville. (Zack Myers/NowHabersham.com)
“To be on the road in the playoffs is tough. To travel so far is tough. To split and then have to go all the way back home… We pulled out of (Wilbanks Middle School) at midnight (Thursday) night. I went to bed at 1:30 (a.m.), I know a lot of these guys did too,” Akridge said. “Then we’ve got to come all the way back down here today. That’s a tall task, that’s a tough task for many teams, most teams, but not for this one.”
Akridge said, after getting dominated in Game 2, his postgame meeting with his team lasted about 30 seconds. His message was very direct.
“I looked at them and I said, ‘We just lost Game 2. We’ve got to go back home and come back tomorrow. So what,’” the head coach said. “They’ve embraced that mentality that when something negative happens, they’re not going to let it get to them. They’re going to focus on the next task at hand. I’m not surprised at all that this group of Raiders came down here tonight and won this series.”
Burrell started on the mound for HCHS and went the distance after closing Game 1 Thursday. In that closing effort, the senior threw 20 pitches.
Due to pitch count rules, Burrell was limited to 100 pitches in Friday’s contest. He needed just 87 and finished with just three strikeouts, meaning his defense was strong in support.
“Konner’s performance today was just fantastic,” Akridge said. “He was so efficient and our defense just played phenomenal behind him, which helped keep his pitch count down and helped him go the distance.”
Habersham Central High School senior Konner Burrell (center) celebrates a 7-2 playoff win over South Paulding High School on Friday, April 26 in Douglasville. (Zack Myers/NowHabersham.com)
At the plate, five different Raiders picked up hits on the night. Burrell and sophomore right fielder Kreed Barrett each had three hits. Burrell drove in four runs in the contest. Chitwood added a pair of hits and scored three times on the night. Chastain also notched two hits and drove in a run in the game. Hayden Gailey picked up a hit and scored a pair of runs.
Sweet Sixteen
Akridge is in his 15th season as head coach of the Raiders, but he started with the program in the 2006 season under then-head coach Steve Harwood. That season is the last and only time in school history HCHS has moved on to play in the Sweet Sixteen.
As Akridge put it, “Ironically enough, we played Etowah in the second round (in 2006).”
The Eagles (26-5) are, according to rankings, a very solid squad.
The latest Netting Professionals Coaches Poll has Etowah ranked No. 6 in Class 6A. HCHS received votes in the poll, but it’s just outside the Top 10.
MaxPreps has the Eagles at No. 6 throughout Georgia regardless of classification and No. 2 in Class 6A.
Prep Baseball Report has Etowah as the top team in Class 6A and 19th nationally.
In 2023, Etowah fell to eventual state champion Houston County 6-5, 4-1 in the Final Four.
“We played at least one nationally ranked team this year with Cherokee Bluff. It’ll certainly be a tall task for us,” Akridge said. “I don’t know a lot about Etowah, but I know something about the Raiders – our guys are not going to be scared.
“We’re going to go and play our tails off and we’re going to make the people of Habersham County proud.”
District 10 State Rep. Victor Anderson accepts an award recognizing his support for technical education during a recent event at North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville, Georgia. He is pictured with the school's VP of Marketing and NGTC Foundation Executive Director, Amy Hulsey.
State Representative Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) was recently honored for his dedicated advocacy of technical education and North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) during the college’s 1943 Gala, which NGTC’s Foundation Board of Trustees organized.
“I am grateful to North Georgia Technical College for acknowledging my commitment to supporting both the school and technical education,” said Rep. Anderson. “This recognition by NGTC’s Foundation Board of Trustees is a testament to our collective efforts in advancing technical education in Georgia. I look forward to continuing our partnership in ensuring a skilled workforce for our community’s future.”
North Georgia Technical College is a public technical college with campuses in Clarkesville, Toccoa, and Blairsville. As part of Georgia’s Technical College System, it serves Habersham, Stephens, Union, Fannin, White, Rabun, Towns, and Franklin counties. The college offers career-focused education and training.
Anderson represents District 10, which includes Rabun County and portions of Habersham County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Governmental Affairs and Intragovernmental Coordination committees.
Challengers is a movie that delves deep into the twisted side of romance just as much as it does the relentless intensity on the tennis court. It’s a movie that is superbly acted, with a lot of moments where the characters are pushed to the edge both mentally and even romantically. Still, it takes time in other areas, which can be heart-pounding or frustrating.
The movie stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a highly motivated tennis player who befriends two other players: Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Patrick and Art are childhood friends and partners on the court who are both attracted to Tashi. The boys have a match coming up and Tashi tells them that she’ll go out with the winner.
Patrick wins, but she ultimately ends up with Art, even marrying and having a daughter with him. Still, Patrick is clinging to the hope that Tashi will come back to him. The two use sneaky ways to see each other behind Art’s back, but he may actually know about their meetings.
Tashi ends up retiring due to an injury, and she becomes Art’s coach. Patrick and Art are no longer friends by this point.
Challengers is a film that is advertised as a steamy romantic drama, and it certainly has those scenes, but it also features a lot of dialogue-driven scenes in which the characters are allowed to be articulate and discuss their strategies both on and off the court.
It’s a credit to director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter Justin Kurtizkes for allowing these actors to have moments where they can see, talk, and witness the events in their lives that can affect the way they play tennis and their relationships.
The movie’s weak point is that some scenes are allowed to go on much further than needed, such as in the climax with its repetitious electronic nightclub music and the editing in which the camera spends a lot of time on the looks of the characters instead of letting the action play out. It takes its time, but sometimes it takes too much time.
Nevertheless, the performances are the selling point throughout. This might’ve been the good, trashy fun some audiences might’ve wanted with the Fifty Shades movies.
Challengers sometimes serves and misses, but overall it’s mostly game, set, match when it comes to being entertaining enough to recommend.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity.)
Authorities are investigating the cause of a single-vehicle wreck that killed a man in Homer.
Banks County Emergency Services responded to the crash at 479 Highway 51 South on April 25 at 8:36 a.m., says Fire Chief Steve Nichols.
Crews extricated the male driver, approximately 50 years of age, from the truck.
“Life-saving measures were taken, and the patient was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries,” says Nichols. He adds, the man “was local to Banks County.”
The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash but has not released any other details.
Halie Adrianna Harris, 5-foot-4 and 98 pounds. Last seen 12:51 p.m. april 26 near Dooley Road in Hollywood area. (Habersham County Sheriff's Office)
Halie Adrianna Harris, the missing 18-year-old from the Dooley Road area of Hollywood has been located according to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office. Halie is safe.
Initially, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office reported that Halie was last seen around 12:51 p.m. Thursday, April 26, near Dooley Road in the Hollywood area. It is indicated that she left with a friend in an unknown vehicle.
The family of Beverly Hamby Harvard is heartened by the fact she went to join her Lord and Savior, her parents, and her best friends on April 24, 2024.
Beverly was born on October 17, 1949, to Ben and Lunnette Hamby, formerly of Clarkesville, GA. She moved frequently as a child following her father’s career with State Farm but eventually settled in Acworth, GA. Beverly met the love of her life, Jerre Eugene Harvard Jr, at North Georgia College in 1968 and they have been inseparable since. Beverly and Jerre married in September 1971 and experienced a modern-day love story, standing by one another through the thick and thin of the past 52 ½ years.
After making lifelong friends in Clayton, GA, and having their firstborn, Jay, they relocated to Habersham in 1977, where they made it their home. Following the birth of their daughter Valerie in 1979, their family was complete. Beverly began making her impact in the North GA area. She worked for Standard Telephone/Alltel/Windstream for 30 years where she made many lasting friendships. She was involved in every way possible with Clarkesville First Methodist Church, especially with the church choir.
Her pride and joy are her four beautiful grandchildren: Haley (17), Benjamin (17), Magnus (15), and Abigail (13). Nothing made her happier than when she was with her grandkids. She is survived by her loving and feisty husband (Jerre of Clarkesville, GA), her son (Jay Harvard and wife Gudrun of Roanoke, VA), her daughter (Valerie Harvard Wells and husband Charles of Ft. McCoy, WI), grandchildren, sister (Barbara Hamby Pletsch and husband Richard of Huntsville, AL), sister-in-law (Linda Howard and husband Hoke of Athens, GA), and brother-in-law (John Harvard and wife Carol of Americus, GA).
Words cannot express how much joy one woman could bring to so many around her. She will be eternally missed but forever imprinted on the hearts of all who knew her.
A visitation will be held for Beverly on May 4, 2024, at Clarkesville First Methodist Church from 2-4 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Life service at 4 p.m. We will celebrate and honor Beverly by wearing bright colors at the visitation and service. In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored if you made a donation to Habersham Food 2 Kids or if you would take your loved ones out for a fried shrimp dinner.
White County School System Teacher of the Year Caroline Bishop with county schools human resources director Laura Corley. (Dean Dyer/WRWH Radio)
On Thursday evening, the White County School System recognized its teachers, employees, and bus drivers of the year during a special ceremony held at White County Middle School in Cleveland.
“Our recognition tonight is to highlight individuals that are chosen by their peers as exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, motivated and skilled in their field,” said White County Schools Director of Human Resources Laura Corley.
Several nominees were selected in each category, with one person in each category taking home the systemwide honor.
Caroline Bishop, a 6th-grade gifted English Language Arts (ELA) instructor at White County Middle School, was named as this year’s White County School Teacher of the Year.
“I’m just thinking about Ephesians 2:10 because it says, ‘Our purpose is to do the good work that God has prepared for us before him,’ and that good work walks into my classroom every day. So, this isn’t a job, it’s the purpose for which I was created,” Bishop said in accepting the honor.
Other school-level Teachers of the Year for the 2023-24 school year include Kacey Worley from JP Nix Elementary School; Jessica Rogers of Mossy Creek Elementary School; April Teems of Mount Yonah Elementary School; Leslie Hughes of Tesnatee Gap Elementary; and Chris Dotson of White County High School.
Teachers of the Year, left to right, Kacy Worley, Kessica Rogers, Chris Dotson, April Teems, Leslie Hughes, Caroline Bishop. (Dean Dyer/WRWH Radio)
Gayle Nash, a school nurse, was presented with the system Employee of the Year award.
Other employees of the year included Kaylin Palmer from J P Nix Elementary; Gayle Nash of Mossy Creek Elementary; Donna Smith from Mt. Yonah Elementary School; Waisha Scobee of Tesnatee Gap: Gail Turner from the White County Middle School; Hayla Stanley of White County High School; and Burt Davis representing the White County Schools Transportation Support.
Employees of the Year Kaylin Palmer, Gayle Nash, Donna Smith, Waisha Scobee, Gail Turner, Hayla Stanley, and Burton Davis. (Dean Dyer/WRWH Radio)
The bus drivers of the year who were recognized were Tina Johnson, representing the elementary schools; Steve Tucker, a middle and high school driver; and Lynn Taylor, a Special Education driver. Steve Tucker was announced as the system bus driver of the year.
2023-24 Bus Drivers of the Year Tina Johnson, Steve Tucker, and Lynn Taylor. (Dean Dyer/WRWH Radio)
“I’m so excited to be able to recognize our wonderful educators, employees, and bus drivers. They are all deserving. They work hard, and I’m just proud to be a part of this celebration,” commented Corley.
Vandalism has been a problem at Banks County Elementary School. According to school administrators, graphic depictions of vulgar acts have been sighted on bathroom walls, art tables, and the gym floor. They say custodians have been covering the drawings to prevent students from seeing them and painting over what they can. Permanent markers were used.
Social media post
A Facebook post on a Banks County community page elicited close to 300 comments about an accusation of a strip search of a student at Banks County Elementary School in search of permanent markers.
The mother of the student, Jennifer Atwood, posted the question, “I want to know who else’s child was improperly searched yesterday at Banks County Elementary for permanent markers?(sic)”
Atwood responded to several of the comments indicating, “She (daughter) was taken to the principal office and asked twice to take her shirt off after she said ‘no’ both times the principal removed my child’s shirt not asking her one question if she had under clothes or anything else on and removed her shirt herself from my child’s body…(sic)”
Now Habersham reached out to Atwood. She said, “I stand by my daughter’s story. I am speaking with the investigator from Banks County Sheriff’s Office.”
School system’s response
Addressing the disturbing accusations, the Banks County School System posted a statement to its Facebook page responding to what it claims are “false social media claims.”
The school system says that on Wednesday, April 24th, school officials asked individual elementary students to empty their pockets in an effort to find the marker used to vandalize the gym floor. The school system says no student was strip-searched or asked to remove or lift any article of clothing.
“There is no truth to this allegation,” Banks County School Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins tells Now Habersham. “We have asked for a sheriff’s investigation because of the seriousness of the accusation.”
Hopkins says the school system stands by Banks County Elementary School Principal Leigh Ann Perry.
Law enforcement statement
The Banks County Sheriff is investigating the matter. Early Friday afternoon, after the initial publication of this article, the sheriff’s office released the following statement: “Friday morning, Banks County Sheriff’s Office was requested by the Banks County Board of Education to investigate social media allegations that stemmed from an incident that occurred on the grounds of Banks County Elementary School,” the sheriff’s office says. The statement continues, “As the investigation has started and continued throughout the day, Banks County Sheriff’s Office has not received any formal complaints or reports from parents and/or guardians.”
Now Habersham has requested information regarding the sheriff’s office investigation and will update this article as new details are released.
(Georgia Recorder) — Georgia voters will start casting ballots in person Monday, kicking off a three-week early voting period ahead of the May 21 primary election.
The election will decide nonpartisan judicial races, including a single contested seat on the Georgia Supreme Court. But for the most part, voters will be choosing which candidates appear on the ballot this November for congressional, legislative and local seats across the state.
Or, in some cases, this round of voting will at least narrow the field of candidates. Runoffs are expected in some races, like the conservative 3rd congressional district in west Georgia. Five candidates are running in the open race to replace Republican Congressman Drew Ferguson, who is retiring.
In races where no candidate clinches 50% of the vote next month, a runoff election will be held June 18.
This primary election won’t feature any presidential candidates since Georgians already weighed in on that in March. But the primary election is also important because in many of these down-ballot races, the candidate who wins the partisan primary election will likely go on to coast to victory in the fall.
Where should you go to vote?
The Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page is a honey hole of helpful individualized voter information, including where to find early voting locations in your county and where your assigned polling place is on Election Day. You can also find sample ballots and see which districts you live in, which may have changed after another round of redistricting last year.
Want to vote by absentee?
Absentee voting for the May 21 primary election is already underway. Ballots can be requested up to 11 days before election day, but they must arrive at the local registrar’s office by the time polls close on election day to be counted. So, the sooner voters return their absentee paper ballots, the better.
An application for an absentee ballot can be found here. The completed application can be submitted to the local registrar or through the state’s portal. The state’s complete guide to absentee voting can be foundhere.
Will there be any debates?
Candidates in some of the more competitive races, including some closely watched congressional contests, will face each other on Sunday, April 28, as part of the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series.
None of the invited incumbents have agreed to participate, though, which some have called a worrying trend.
This is the first time in the history of the Atlanta Press Club’s debate series that so many incumbents have failed to take part, the Press Club said in a statement Friday. Each candidate who declines to participate will be represented by an empty podium as part of the organization’s long-standing policy.
“The Atlanta Press Club believes it is the responsibility of people running for public office to answer questions from their local media that will help inform voters before they cast their ballots,” the organization said in the statement.
“If a candidate is running for public office, the candidate should be willing to participate in the democratic process, which includes attending debates and fielding questions from journalists and opponents.”
On the Democratic side, state Rep. Mandisha Ann-Marie Thomas and Cobb County Commissioner Jerica Richardson are competing in the 6th congressional district west of Atlanta. Congresswoman Lucy McBath, who is considered the frontrunner in that race, is not expected to participate.
In the 13th congressional district in Atlanta, several Democrats trying to oust longtime Congressman David Scott are set to make their case to voters – without Scott there. Among the challengers is a familiar face: Marcus Flowers, who ran against conservative firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022.
On the Republican side, the candidates for the 3rd congressional district are set to square off Sunday. Those candidates include Brian Jack, who was an aide to former President Donald Trump and who now has Trump’s endorsement, and former Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, former state Rep. Philip Singleton and former state Sen. Mike Crane. The winner will face a Democrat later, but the district is considered a safe GOP seat.
And a handful of Republicans are also competing for a chance to face longtime south Georgia Congressman Sanford Bishop this fall. Bishop successfully fought off a GOP challenger in 2022 in a nationally watched race.
The Press Club is also holding debates for the one contested Georgia Supreme Court race, which features Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s appointee, Justice Andrew Pinson, and challenger John Barrow, a Democrat and former congressman who has said he believes Georgia’s constitution protects abortion rights.
And there will also be debates for Fulton County District Attorney and DeKalb County CEO, which is an open seat.
The debates will stream live on The Atlanta Press Club Facebook page and GPB.org. They will also air on GPB-TV and WABE. For more details on the schedule and how to watch the debates (or catch the replay), visit the Atlanta Press Club’s website here.
Not currently registered?
The deadline to register to vote in the May 21 election has already passed, but you can register here to participate this fall when voters head to the polls to help decide who will serve in the White House for the next four years.
Sean Millwood faces multiple charges of child sexual exploitation after investigators say he distributed videos showing child sex abuse. (Hall County Sheriff's Office)
A 19-year-old Clermont man is in jail, charged with possessing and distributing child sex abuse material (CSAM), according to a news release from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators took Sean Aiden Millwood into custody Thursday, April 25, at the sheriff’s office headquarters. He is being held in the Hall County Jail without bond.
According to the release, Millwood was arrested following an investigation by HCSO. He has been charged with the possession and distribution of multiple child sex abuse videos.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation began after they received a cyber tip from the GBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Investigators determined that between April 8, 2023, and April 10, 2023, Millwood was in possession of at least four videos depicting children being sexually molested.
Millwood also shared those videos on the Discord social media app, the news release states.
Investigators charged Millwood with eight counts of sexual exploitation of children, four counts for possession of child sexual abuse material, and four counts for distribution.
Investigators say additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.
Protesters outside a 2019 Georgia Public Service Commission meeting called for state regulators to reject the utility’s request to make ratepayers pick up the tab for coal ash cleanup. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)
(Georgia Recorder) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday the final adoption of rules aimed at significantly reducing fossil fuel power plant pollution across the country.
Several clean energy nonprofits hailed the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic announcement as a powerful federal law that will reduce health risks associated with toxic metals disposed of in coal ash ponds and landfills, a byproduct of now-shuttered Georgia Power plants.
The EPA on Thursday also announced three other final rules designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants and from new natural gas turbines. The new emissions standardswill force existing coal plants to cut their carbon emissions by 90% by 2032 if they intend to keep running past 2039.
“Today, EPA is proud to make good on the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision to tackle climate change and to protect all communities from pollution in our air, water, and in our neighborhoods,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans.”
Under the new policy, Georgia’s largest utility company may be forced to abandon plans to let coal ash sit in groundwater at some of its older plants. Georgia Power once operated nine coal-fired power plants across the state.
It’s unclear how the new rules would apply to three natural gas generators the company now plans to buildat Plant Yates in Coweta County.
Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director G Webber commended the EPA for implementing standards that will protect Georgia communities from serious health threats posed by more than 90 million tons of toxic coal ash.
For the first time, 19 of Georgia’s legacy coal ash ponds and landfills could have to comply with new environmental regulations, the Sierra Club said.
“For far too long, many of the sites where this toxic material is stored have been allowed to skirt important regulations that protect our families and communities from the serious health risks posed by this legacy pollution,” Webber said in a statement. “Closing this loophole is common sense: It doesn’t matter when this toxic material was dumped, it remains dangerous and should be treated as such.”
Power companies weigh in on new policy
On Thursday several power industry organizations blasted the rules as a threat to jobs and electric reliability at a time when power demands are surging. They also criticized the rule’s reliance on what they called largely unproven carbon capture technologies.
America’s Power, a trade association for coal power plants across 42 states, views the latest EPA clean energy plan as an expensive overreaction that will threaten electricity reliability.
America’s Power President and CEO Michelle Bloodworth called the rule “an extreme and unlawful overreach that endangers America’s supply of dependable and affordable electricity.”
“Already, utilities have announced plans to shut down more than 60,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation over the next five years,” she said.
The Edison Electric Institute, which represents 220 million Americans who receive electricity from investor-owned electric companies, highlighted the progress made by power companies in drastically cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
“EPA’s suite of new regulations will affect the generation sources that will be used to reliably power America’s increasingly electricity-dependent economy, and we appreciate the agency’s efforts to align compliance deadlines to help companies make informed resource planning decisions that minimize customer costs,” Edison CEO Dan Brouillette said in a statement.
Many experts expect the regulations to be litigated, particularly the carbon rule, since the last time the EPA tried to restrict carbon emissions from power plants, a group of states led by West Virginia mounted a successful legal challenge that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
In recent years, Georgia Power officials have noted significant progress in reducing its carbon footprint, including a 60% reduction in carbon emissions since 2007 and a 95% reduction in other emissions since 1990.
The state’s largest electricity supplier and state regulators drew the ire of Georgia environmental groups last week with the adoption of an updated plan that calls for significantly extending fossil fuel capacity to meet a rapidly growing commercial demand.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy said that the EPA is serving notice to the region’s major utility companies that are planning to build more capacity using fossil gasses that now account for about 25% of the nation’s greenhouse emissions.
“Even though EPA has had the proposed version of these rules on the books for about a year, major utilities, including Duke, Georgia Power, TVA, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Santee Cooper have failed to adequately plan to comply with the rules, while committing tens of billions of ratepayers’ dollars to gas projects subject to these rules,” wrote Chris Carnevale, Climate Advocacy Director for the southern energy alliance. “(Thursday’s) announcement sends a clear signal: utilities and regulators must rethink the reckless drive toward a risky gas-dominant future.”
States Newsroom’s national energy reporter Robert Zullo contributed to this report.
