Currents

COMPILED BY VICTORIA SCHARF DECASTRO

$500 reward for identification of copper thieves

Georgia’s electric utilities are offering $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals involved in stealing copper and other metals from their property. Copper thefts from substations, utility poles and lines continue to be a growing problem for the industry. These thefts threaten the reliability of the electric system. In addition, damaged lines pose a danger of electrocution to anyone in the area, including utility workers.

This problem affects many businesses throughout the state, and the utilities are aggressively working with law enforcement agencies and scrap recyclers to apprehend the perpetrators. This reward is one way to encourage the public’s assistance.

Details such as a tag number, a physical description of a person or a car could be especially helpful. Anyone who observes suspicious activity around an electric substation or other utility facility is asked to call the statewide copper theft hotline at (877) 732-8717. If a theft is in progress, the witness should notify 911 first, and then contact the hotline.

The reward will be paid to anyone who furnishes information that leads directly to the arrest and conviction of someone involved in metals theft from a utility property in Georgia.

Answering the call in Kentucky

In late January, Kentucky faced the worst ice storm in its history.

Lead lineman Bobby Fincher from Covington-based Snapping Shoals EMC works to restore power in Kentucky. (Photo courtesy East Kentucky Power Corp.)

The beleaguered state called upon electric cooperatives from nearby states to help repair the damage caused by heavy snow and thick ice that brought down trees and power lines.

More than 900 line workers came from electric co-ops in 10 states.

From Georgia, approximately 250 crew members from 29 electric cooperatives and Georgia Transmission Corp. participated in the massive restoration effort; these include Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Young Harris; Carroll EMC, Carrollton; Central Georgia EMC, Jackson; Cobb EMC, Marietta; Colquitt EMC, Moultrie; Coweta-Fayette EMC, Newnan; Diverse Power, LaGrange; Flint Energies, Reynolds; Georgia Transmission Corp., Tucker; Grady EMC, Cairo; GreyStone Power, Douglasville; Habersham EMC, Clarkesville; Hart EMC, Hartwell; Irwin EMC, Ocilla; Jackson EMC, Jefferson; Jefferson Energy, Wrens; Little Ocmulgee EMC, Alamo; North Georgia EMC, Dalton; Ocmulgee EMC, Eastman; Oconee EMC, Dudley; Planters EMC, Millen; Rayle EMC, Washington; Satilla REMC, Alma; Snapping Shoals EMC, Covington; Southern Rivers Energy, Barnesville; Sumter EMC, Americus; Tri-County EMC, Gray; Tri-State EMC, Blue Ridge; Walton EMC, Monroe; and Washington EMC, Sandersville.

Authorities estimate that close to 1.3 million homes and businesses were without power in Kentucky.

GreyStone Power linemen Daniel Wix, left, and Todd McCoy. (Photo by Megan McKoy, GreyStone Power Corp.)

Everyday heroes: Linemen rescue hunter

Late last year, damage caused by a storm brought Douglasville-based GreyStone Power linemen Todd McCoy and Daniel Wix in to work. But instead of repairing power lines, they rescued a man who had been testing his new deer stand in a tree. “I think he was trying out the stand and it just gave,” says Wix.

The man climbed to more than 40 feet, but was then unable to get down.

While repairing lines off Highway 166 in Douglasville, McCoy and Wix were approached by paramedics. Firefighters had tried to rescue the man, but their ladder wouldn’t reach.

“We pulled up, set the truck up, and Wix went up and got him,” McCoy recalls.

“I’d thought of cats as something we’d be asked to help with, but I never thought we’d rescue a person,” says Wix.

Georgia’s Energy Outlook

Celebrate Earth Day 2009: Take action on the small somethings

On the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, millions of Americans demonstrated, rallied and protested against the deterioration of their country’s environment from oil spills, polluted factories, pesticides and toxic dumps. It was an unprecedented political alignment, which led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.

Today, Earth Day expands beyond U.S. borders as people around the world continue to petition for a healthy, sustainable environment. Yet rather than protests and rallies, the Earth Day of recent years calls for citizens to take action, to put into practice the changes needed to protect our planet. They need not be sweeping, wholesale changes. Indeed, doing several small somethings is much more beneficial than waiting to make one big change. Here are some small somethings you can do that will add up to big benefits for the environment.

Plant a tree. Planting a tree is one simple act that produces many benefits. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and filter the air we breathe. They help reduce storm runoff and flooding. And in the summer, their cooling properties help cut back on the need for air conditioning—not to mention the natural beauty of trees makes life more pleasant.

Change a lightbulb. Replacing burned-out bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs raises a fixture’s efficiency by up to 30 percent and saves up to $30 per year. If every household in the U.S. did just this, the cumulative effect would prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that from nearly 800,000 cars and would save enough energy to light 2.5 million homes for a year.

Adjust the thermostat. About 42 percent of an average household’s energy costs goes toward just two things: heating and cooling. Buy a programmable thermostat to regulate different temperatures at different times of the day. These thermostats reduce energy use by 5 percent to 30 percent and save you $100 to $150 in energy costs each year.

Support green power. Green Power EMC (Electric Membership Corp.) offers renewable energy from a variety of resources including landfill projects, a low-impact hydro facility and solar education projects, and is the largest green power program in Georgia. Green Power EMC’s members include 38 of Georgia’s electric cooperatives, representing more than 1.6 million homes, businesses, factories and farms. Several other Georgia EMCs are part of the green power program called Green Power Switch, through the Tennessee Valley Authority. Visit www.greenpoweremc.com, www.tva.gov or your electric cooperative’s Web site for more information.

By doing the small somethings and living with heightened environmental awareness, you contribute to a clean and sustainable future and make every day Earth Day.

For additional information and resources about the electric co-op industry and issues in Georgia, please visit www.georgiaemc.com. We welcome your ideas for this column at energyoutlook@georgiaemc.com.

What’s it all about?

“Our Energy, Our Future” is a campaign to build a dialogue between America’s electricity consumers and elected officials. It’s about our nation’s pressing capacity crisis, the technological hurdles we face in developing new, less carbon-intensive power generation, and the need to keep electricity affordable while achieving climate change goals.

We need to begin a conversation now to prompt bipartisan political action, set achievable goals and prepare for what this will mean to our monthly electric bills. As co-op members, we are consumers and owners of our local electric utility. It’s our responsibility to make our voices heard before decisions are made that affect our energy and our future.

Now is the time to have a candid conversation with your elected officials. Together, we can find answers and take action. Start the conversation today at www.ourenergy.coop.