The December 6 issue of FORTUNE hits newsstands this week with an article about the "great North Carolina power grab."
The article describes the issues surrounding the Yadkin Project relicensing. You can read the article here:
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Update on 401 Hearing
The hearing regarding the 401 Water Quality Certificate is currently in recess and will resume in Raleigh on Monday, November 15. The hearing is expected to conclude in February 2011.
Since the hearing began on September 27, Administrative Law Judge Joe Webster has heard three weeks of testimony regarding the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources' May 2009 decision to issue a water quality certificate for the Yadkin Project.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Droughts Conditions Developing along the Yadkin River
People who like to spend time fishing, boating and playing on the lakes along the Yadkin River have enjoyed consistently high water levels throughout the summer recreation season. But now comes news that the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin is beginning to experience drought conditions.
The NC Drought Monitor has classified more than 10% of the region as “Moderate Drought.” The National Weather Service has indicated that, based on low stream flows in the Upper Yadkin, drought conditions could worsen.
We are closely monitoring the developing drought conditions and taking steps to minimize the impact of a drought before it even arrives.
To protect the water supply and downstream environment, Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI) will reduce the amount of water it sends downstream (targeting a weekly average release of 1,000 CFS) and begin working with the Yadkin Drought Management Team to identify how to minimize the impact of drought conditions. The team – comprised of state and federal agencies, hydropower operators, local homeowners, business interests and others – will meet on September 30 to discuss drought conditions, including factors such as actual and forecasted stream flow, precipitation, and ground water levels.
Stay tuned for further information about drought conditions, or visit the NC Drought Monitor for the latest news and updates.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Alcoa responds to Senate committee
Alcoa has delivered a letter to Sen. Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr., chairman of the Senate Judiciary II committee, defending the company’s safety and environmental record in North Carolina.
“Alcoa has been a good corporate citizen for more than 120 years, including nearly 100 years in North Carolina, is proud of both its environmental and worker safety records and wants to ensure there is a fair exposition of the matters discussed by your Committee,” wrote William J. O’Rourke, Alcoa vice president of sustainability, environment, health and safety. The letter responded to questions raised during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary II committee on July 6, 2010.
Friday, September 17, 2010
UNC-TV Releases Emails Between Reporter, Former Board Member
UNC-TV has released additional copies of unredacted emails between reporter Eszter Vajda and Bruce Thompson, a Stanly County lobbyist who served as a member of the UNC-TV Board of Trustees during the development of Vajda’s controversial series on Alcoa. The UNC-TV segments have been widely criticized by journalism professors as slanted, unsupported by the facts and failing to meet accepted journalism standards. The additional emails shed even more light on how the production was influenced by those outside of UNC-TV.
Thompson is one of several Alcoa opponents -- including former House Speaker Richard Morgan, political consultant Carter Wrenn and Stanly County banker Roger Dick -- who worked closely with Vajda as part of a coordinated effort to support a government takeover of Alcoa Power Generating Inc’s Yadkin Project. The recently released emails indicate that Vajda asked for feedback from Thompson on drafts of stories about Alcoa and forwarded to him internal UNC-TV emails about the station’s resistance to produce a documentary about Alcoa.
Thompson resigned his seat on the UNC-TV board on September 7. He requested that UNC-TV make available unredacted copies of his email correspondence with Vajda. Click here to view the emails.
Click here to read more about the UNC-TV issue and view the complete set of public records originally provided by UNC-TV.
Thompson is one of several Alcoa opponents -- including former House Speaker Richard Morgan, political consultant Carter Wrenn and Stanly County banker Roger Dick -- who worked closely with Vajda as part of a coordinated effort to support a government takeover of Alcoa Power Generating Inc’s Yadkin Project. The recently released emails indicate that Vajda asked for feedback from Thompson on drafts of stories about Alcoa and forwarded to him internal UNC-TV emails about the station’s resistance to produce a documentary about Alcoa.
Thompson resigned his seat on the UNC-TV board on September 7. He requested that UNC-TV make available unredacted copies of his email correspondence with Vajda. Click here to view the emails.
Click here to read more about the UNC-TV issue and view the complete set of public records originally provided by UNC-TV.
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