– Oct. 19, 2022 –
Finally, a climate question
Coastal voters concerned with rising sea levels and the increasing number of sweltering hot days per year didn’t hear a question about climate change at Friday’s senatorial debate between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Nor was there a climate question posed to Gov. Brain Kemp, Democrat Stacey Abrams or Libertarian Shane Hazel in their debate Monday. But it didn’t take long for the topic to come up in Tuesday’s District 1 Congressional debate between incumbent Republican Buddy Carter and Democratic challenger Wade Herring Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta. Carter said he acknowledges the existence of climate change but says you can’t “let policy get ahead of innovation” by regulating energy and promoting green energy sources, as The Current’s Jake Shore reports. Herring stated the Biden administration’s policies are creating green job opportunities for South Georgians.
The League of Conservation Voters gives Carter a score of 6% for his 2021 votes on environmental bills in Congress and a 4% lifetime score for his votes. Warnock scores 100% for his votes last year, his first in the U.S. Senate. Fellow Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff scores 100% for his votes last year, also his first in office.
Carter and Herring are scheduled to meet in a second debate at 7 p.m. Wednesday on WTOC-TV in Savannah.
Georgia River Guide
If the political season feels too intense, a relaxing paddle on a coastal river might be in order. And it’s easier to plan now that the Georgia River Network has developed an app that helps connect canoeists, kayakers and other water enthusiasts to rivers around the state, as The Current’s Mary Landers reports. The free app is designed for anyone who wants to paddle, swim, fish, boat or otherwise explore Georgia’s waterways, said Georgia River Network spokeswoman Sarah Taylor.
Blasting off to Florida
Camden County Administrator and Spaceport Camden Project Leader Steve Howard is counting down his last days in Coastal Georgia. Howard accepted a job as county manager of Citrus County Florida for $197,500, which was approved by the county commission there on Tuesday. (Howard’s Camden salary is $188,570.) He starts in the west coast Florida county in late November. Howard’s departure is one of two for key proponents of the spaceport. County Commission Chairman Gary Blount lost his bid for reelection in the primary. The spaceport plan itself, on which the county has spent over $11 million, is in limbo awaiting decisions from the Georgia Supreme Court and a lower court that will determine if the county will be able to buy the property licensed for launches.
Briefly noted:
When the MacArthur “genius” awards were announced last week, a UGA professor was among them. Jenna Jambeck, a professor in the College of Engineering, is internationally recognized for her research on plastic waste in the ocean and for the Marine Debris Tracker app she co-created with fellow faculty member Kyle Johnsen. She’s also been honored by the Georgia Water Coalition as one of its 2018 “Clean Thirteen.”
The Savannah Tree Foundation, an urban forestry nonprofit organization, will distribute 500 free trees to Chatham County residents from 9 a.m.-noon Oct. 29, at Tricentennial Park on the Coastal Heritage Society grounds, MLK Jr Blvd at Louisville Rd. With a “Trick or Tree” theme, the event will also host kid-friendly educational activities by Chatham County’s Environmental Program and others. Residents can learn about the benefits of trees and pick up a free one for their own yard. The trees are sponsored by State Farm through the Arbor Day Foundation T.R.E.E. program.
James Holland, a crabber and fisher who served as the first Altamaha Riverkeeper, died Thursday, as Larry Hobbs reports in the Brunswick News. Holland was a self taught environmentalist and photographer who used his knowledge and skills to great effect with his own style of straight-talking advocacy. His uncompromising love of the Georgia coast inspired a generation.
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Miss a 2022 debate? Watch them here.
Updating daily as needed. Coming Oct. 19: US House, Dist. 1. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Wade Herring. 7 p.m., WTOC.com Oct. 24: Georgia Senate, Dist. 2. Derek Mallow, Clinton Young. Sponsored by League of Women Voters for Coastal Georgia and WJCL. Info. US House, Georgia Dist. 1, Oct. 18 Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, […]
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