– Dec. 13, 2023 –
Good morning. This week we have faith leaders making their prayers heard about protecting the Okefenokee as well as ordinary citizens raising their voices to safeguard air in their Liberty County backyards. Across the state, a solar leasing program has expanded to offer its services to nonprofits and to sweeten the pot for those who sign up before year’s end. Let’s take a look.
Prayers for the Okefenokee
The Okefenokee Swamp, which supports the largest wildlife refuge in the Eastern U.S., evokes a spiritual connection for some Georgians. So it’s not surprising that faith leaders gathered at the Suwanee Canal last week for a prayer vigil urging lawmakers to enact Georgia House Bill 71, “The Okefenokee Protection Act,” as part of their upcoming legislative session. The bill would restrict the issuance of mining permits on nearby Trail Ridge. The Current’s Justin Taylor documented in photos the clergy’s vigil and boat tour of the swamp, complete with sightings of sandhill cranes and of course, the requisite alligators.
Read the full story and see a slideshow here.
The Felician Sisters of North America, an international order of Catholic sisters, did not attend the vigil but have repeatedly signaled their support for the Okefenokee with shareholder actions seeking pledges from Dupont, Sherwin-Williams and Home Depot that these publicly-held companies won’t mine or use products mined near the swamp.
Solar leasing expands
Some homeowners interested in rooftop solar are put off by the upfront cost. Or they don’t have a big enough tax burden to qualify for federal tax credits. Nonprofit organizations are often in the same boat. A program announced in September aims to address these issues by leasing solar to Georgia homeowners whose household income is less than about $100,000 a year. The Georgia BRIGHT program expanded after its launch to include nonprofit organizations that own their own buildings, as The Current’s Mary Landers reports. The statewide program, backed by the nonprofit Capital Good Fund, boasts seven signed leases so far. To keep that momentum going, organizers are offering a $200 gift card to homeowners or nonprofits who sign a lease by year’s end.
Read the full story here.
Liberty County fumes
About 40 citizens and activists from both Liberty and McIntosh counties showed up for a press conference at Riceboro City Hall Monday, where local, state, and county officials urged them to flood the Georgia Department of Natural Resources with letters against a proposed log fumigation plant, as The Current’s Robin Kemp reports.
Weyerhaeuser, which owns tens of thousands of acres of forest in and around Riceboro, has applied to DNR’s Environmental Protection Division for a permit to use methyl bromide, a highly volatile and toxic chemical, to fumigate logs before shipping them overseas.
Read more about the proposed fumigation here and here.
State Rep. Al Williams noted the size of the crowd on Monday, praising it as “citizen participation.” In fact, the press conference, announced just two days prior, saw more than triple the attendance than OPEC leaders were able to draw for a youth event they hosted on Sunday at COP28, the international climate conference in Dubai. While COP28 had about 84,000 registered attendees – that’s more than the combined population of Liberty and McIntosh counties – only about a dozen people attended the oil cartel’s event “aimed at convincing young people to support fossil fuels,” Reuters reports.
Also noted:
• A partnership called Monarchs Overwintering in Southeastern States is requesting the public’s continued involvement in reporting monarch butterfly sightings this winter. The info can help scientists determine if these declining butterflies “can overwinter as non-breeding adults in the southern U.S. and how this might affect future population numbers,” according to Sonia Altizer, a University of Georgia ecology professor and director of Project Monarch Health. To participate, create a free account at journeynorth.org/reg and follow the site’s instructions for reporting.
• The Ogeechee Riverkeeper posted the winners and all entries for its 2023 photo contest on Flickr. Scroll through to see makes “the Ogeechee and Canoochee Rivers, and the surrounding areas, ecologically and aesthetically remarkable.”
• Researchers reported the sighting of a North Atlantic right whale mom and calf off St. Catherines Island on Thursday and another mother/baby pair in Port Royal Sound in S.C. on Thursday, bringing to three the count of right whale babies seen so far this calving season. To help protect these animals from collisions with boats, the Georgia Conservancy created signage with original artwork encouraging boaters to slow down during right whale season from November – April. Marinas interested in obtaining a sign to post can call Coastal Director Courtney Reich at 912-656-1316.
If you have feedback, questions, concerns, or just like what you see, let us know at staff@thecurrentga.org.
Pastors pray for swamp’s protection
The vigil was organized by Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, a nonprofit organization that aims to mobilize Georgians of faith toward environmental action.
Solar leasing program expands to nonprofits
A residential solar leasing program expands to include nonprofits and offers a $200 bonus to sign up.
Liberty County, Riceboro officials oppose log-fumigation plant
Seattle-based Weyerhaeuser has applied to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to open a log fumigation plant that uses the toxic chemical, methyl bromide.
Log fumigation plan meets opposition in Liberty County
Weyerhaeuser, which owns tens of thousands of acres of forest in and around Riceboro, has applied to Georgia EPD’s Air Protection Division for an expedited permit to use methyl bromide, a highly volatile and toxic chemical, to prepare logs for shipping overseas.
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