by Dave Williams | Nov 27, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The Cumberland Island Museum is donating its entire collection to further knowledge of the ecology of Georgia’s largest barrier island.
The museum, incorporated as a nonprofit in 1985, houses a collection of thousands of items including marine and terrestrial mammals, fish, birds, mollusks, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as flora collected on the island.
“My hope is that these items will be reunited with the remainder of the collection that is already housed at the University of Georgia,” said Carol Ruckdeschel, the museum’s founder, who began collecting in the mid-1960s when she started visiting Cumberland Island as a Georgia State University student.
The collection expanded dramatically after Ruckdeschel moved to the island permanently in 1973.
Over the years, the museum has been used for scholarly research including research projects to tag sea turtles to track migratory patterns and monitor alligator and eagle nests.
Since 1990, the museum has published a quarterly newsletter summarizing Ruckdeschel’s latest findings and observations.
Big changes could be in the offing for Cumberland Island. The National Park Service (NPS) released a visitation plan two years ago that could double daily visitation to the island – accessible only by boat – from the current limit of 300 that dates back to 1984.
This fall, the NPS proposed four land exchanges at the Cumberland Island National Seashore the agency says would protect important parcels now privately owned from development.
Both plans have drawn opposition from environmental advocates worried they could threaten the island’s pristine character.
by Dave Williams | Nov 26, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has long contended that the Dominion Voting System machines the state uses are more accurate than paper ballots. Now, he has evidence to demonstrate that poiint.
A first-of-its-kind ballot-image audit conducted in all 159 counties after this month’s elections found discrepancies on only 87 of the nearly 5.3 million ballots cast across Georgia on Nov. 5. All but one of those discrepancies occurred on hand-marked paper ballots.
“The ballot-image audit shows again that the votes in Georgia were counted accurately, securely, and quickly,” Raffensperger said. “Our system works accurately and can be trusted.”
The audit examined all 1,955 races in every county in Georgia, including 295 state or federal contests and 1,660 local races.
The lone machine ballot found with a discrepancy occurred with a write-in vote in a local contest that was awarded incorrectly to a candidate on the ballot.
The audit found that the QR codes on paper backups to machine ballots were 100% accurate.
The use of QR codes has been criticized as confusing to voters. The General Assembly passed legislation this year eliminating the QR codes in time for the next election cycle.
by Dave Williams | Nov 26, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A nearly $6 billion federal loan will help electric-vehicle manufacturer Rivian restart construction of a $5 billion vehicle and battery plant near Covington, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., announced Tuesday.
The project was expected to create 7,500 jobs when it was announced in late 2021. But it appeared in doubt last March when Rivian unveiled plans to build its new R2 crossover models at a factory in Illinois instead of in Georgia.
“There was real concern last spring that construction would never start,” Ossoff told reporters Tuesday morning in an online briefing. “What we have now is a major step forward to make sure this plant is built in Georgia.”
At the time it was announced, the Rivian plant was the largest economic development project in the state’s history. However, it was surpassed five months later by an announcement that Hyundai would build a $5.5 billion EV plant west of Savannah.
The loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is conditional. Rivian must fulfill a number of commitments to the project for the loan to gain final approval. The loan is being funded through the Inflation Reduction Act Congress passed in 2022.
“We are excited to arrive at this important chapter in our growth,” said RJ Scaringe, California-based Rivian’s founder and CEO. “We are grateful for our strong partnerships in Georgia and will continue to work closely with them as we bring this landmark facility to life.”
According to the DOE’s Loan Programs Office, Rivian plans to produce its midsize R2 and R3 models first at the new plant. The project, due to begin operations in 2028, would support up to 2,000 full-time construction jobs and up to 7,500 operations jobs by 2030.
If finalized, the loan would support construction of a 9-million-square-foot facility to manufacture up to 400,000 electric SUVs and crossover vehicles annually.
President-elect Donald Trump has been cool toward electric vehicles and threatened to repeal a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 to incentivize the purchase of EVs.
“This Rivian plant is a crucial part of Georgia’s economic future,” Ossoff said. “I’ll oppose any effort to undermine Georgia’s economic development.”
by Dave Williams | Nov 25, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Agriculture has launched a low-interest emergency loan program to help farmers who suffered losses from Hurricane Helene.
The application period for the SAFETY 24 Hurricane Helene Relief Loan Program, a partnership of the agriculture agency and the Georgia Development Authority, opened on Friday on a first come, first served basis.
Farmers who suffered losses from the storm and live in a federally designated disaster area or adjacent county are eligible to seek up to $500,000 at a 2% fixed-interest rate. That includes counties across South Georgia and the eastern half of the state.
The money can be used for income replacement, operating capital, repairing or replacing damaged farm structures or farm equipment, and the purchase of machinery necessary to recover from hurricane damage.
“Help is on the way for Georgia farmers affected by Hurricane Helene,” state Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper said. “The SAFETY 24 program is meant to provide Georgia farm families with the capital they need to keep operating while we continue pushing Congress to deliver additional federal relief, and I strongly encourage all impacted farmers to apply so we can begin to build back.”
An update the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences released on Friday reported a preliminary damage assessment of at least $5.5 billion in agricultural and timber losses from Helene, down from an earlier assessment of $6.46 billion.
The losses include an estimated $2.65 billion in damage to timber, $683 million to poultry, $577 million to nursery crops, $560 million to cotton, $291 million to pecans, and $275 million to beef cattle.
The application form and additional details about the program can be found online. Applications can be submitted online via email or by regular mail.
by Dave Williams | Nov 25, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson died Sunday at the age of 59, eight months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Thompson, a Republican from North Georgia, was elected to head the labor department in 2022 and took office at the beginning of last year. Before that, he served for eight years in the state Senate.
“A successful businessman and respected leader of his community, Bruce was a passionate voice for what he believed in throughout his years of service to the people of Georgia,” Gov. Brian Kemp wrote in a social media post.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who served alongside Thompson in the Senate before the two won statewide election two years ago, praised his work at the labor department, which had been buffeted during the pandemic by heavy demand for unemployment compensation.
“He made significant changes to improve workforce outcomes for citizens across the state,” Jones said.
Thompson grew up on a farm in Montana and went on to serve six years in the U.S. Army National Guard.
He launched a series of businesses, including two automatic pool cover companies, six insurance agencies, two funeral homes, and several software firms.
At the labor agency, Thompson championed transparency, customer service, and fiscal responsibility.
He is survived by his wife, Becky, a son, and a daughter.
