are you sure it was called big daddy's? does not sound right. mildred gordon owned that property and she recently passed away. freight yard would have been on opposite side of us 70. otherwise i agree with your post.
It goes without saying that along with enjoying the creature comforts that electricity provides, there would also be the corresponding negative impact of the residual industrial waste in the form of coal ash. Nobody ever enjoyed a watermelon without spitting a few seeds. It's encouraging to see that Duke Energy will be utilizing current high density, polyethylene, geomembrane technology to line the new coal ash containments, but I daresay that it took them 10 years to figure out a solution that looks to be little more than an above-ground pool liner with chemicals impregnated to "slow biological degradation". And they probably wouldn't have even come up with that idea, unless their hand was forced by government regulatory agencies, and their own shareholders who filed a complaint in May of 2014 against Duke Energy's board of directors, where they alleged that the board's "failure to clean up it's coal ash ponds in North Carolina, have left shareholders liable for billions of dollars in avoidable costs." The figures I got quoted somewhere between 30-60 billion dollars for Duke to excavate unsecured coal ash dump sites in North Carolina. But all those things aside, none of it answers the question of WHERE the coal ash would be dumped in the future, even with the new geomembranes in place. It's safe to assume that once a coal ash dump has reached capacity, a new dump would need to be built. It's been determined that in addition to transporting agricultural and consumer goods - CSX is most certainly in the business of transporting coal ash. And as I had mentioned earlier, they plainly advertise their coal ash transportation services right there on their website. So with hundreds of tons of coal ash being excavated and transported from failing coal ash ponds across North Carolina in boxcars, I think we can also assume that in the interest of efficiency and expediency - the average load being around 10,000 tons of coal ash - would most likely not be "off-loaded" to another transportation method. In other words, when I load up my truck and trailer with wood chips in Raleigh, I'm not likely to transfer them to a station wagon just before I get home. Like everybody else, I'm just going to take the fastest and most efficient route possible, and unload the haul just where I want it to be. Of course, driving a truck offers alternative road routes, where many different directional options are available to the driver, unlike CSX who is restricted to riding rails already developed which are fewer in number than existing roads, and by definition, offer constricted travel routes - unless new rails were installed to expand their territory. Whether or not coal ash will eventually find it's way to a rural Edgecomb county landfill via CSX's established service of providing coal ash transportation is uncertain, but this service is part of the services that CSX continues to provide, in addition to moving other goods. A few days ago, I read all the celebratory announcement regarding the new CSX terminal in the Rocky Mount Telegraph, with no word about CSX's history of transporting coal ash to dump sites across rural North Carolina. In fact, there was a fair amount of mean spirited, anti-Johnston County sentiment in one of the articles that read: "The railway already feeling spurned by hostile landowners in Johnston County, were grateful to see a friendly face." And later: "No need for the eminent domain bullet that left the folks in Johnston County howling." Every year, Duke Energy produces 5.5 million tons of coal ash that needs to be contained somewhere. There are currently 100 million tons of toxic coal ash submerged in 33 water basins, and 14 energy plants in North Carolina. The average size of a coal ash landfill is 116 acres, at a height of 43 feet. Duke Energy is now in the process of excavating and relocating unlined coal ash pond and landfill materials by retrofitting the newly constructed dump sites with technologically advanced liners, and in those cases that warrant it, double-liners. After which, these sites will be monitored by environmental consultants who will check for changes in "biological degradation", geomembrane liner leakages, and also monitor changes in air and water quality.
It sounds like you are a firmly against coal plants, I get that. So what do you propose instead? More nuclear? Solar? Wind? Fusion? While I'm sure from your writings you would probably choose Solar and/or Wind, do you realize the environmental issues of both of those? Or just how much land would have to be set aside for them? NC uses over 250 PWh per year, it takes 2.5-3 acres to generate 1 GWh per year. That means you would need about 750,000 acres of solar panels, or about 1,170 square miles. Or an area almost the size of Wake and Johnston counties put together. No houses, no buildings, no roads, all solar panels. Not feasible to take 2 out of 100 counties in NC and make them all solar panels. Even if you got rid of ever farm in NC, you would probably just get close to 750,000 acres. Wind, well in NC you can generate about 1 MW per 100 acres in NC, or about 10-11 acres per GWh per year, worse than solar, so it would need even more land. I guess that really only leaves nuclear. Nuclear is about 0.05 to 0.08 acres per GWh per year (it can vary a lot though, the densest is 0.01 acres per GWh). So to power all of NC, you would only need 25,000 acres going by one of the least dense Nuclear plants out there, or 2500 acres using the densest model. While I do think Coal is bad, Nuclear is about the only other real alternative. And most people are firmly against it. Even though less deaths have occurred from Nuclear power generation, than any other type (even solar!). - http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesco...-deathprint-a-price-always-paid/#41dce39549d2 CSX here is just a transporter, nothing more. Just like Union Pacific, FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. If CSX doesn't haul it, someone else will. Don't bash on CSX for doing their job, and from what it sounds like, they do it pretty well.
Hi, No I'm not "against coal plants" at all. I currently enjoy the comforts that coal-produced electricity provides, and although other sources of power may seem attractive, I don't believe that at this particular time, technologies like solar or wind can completely replace the coal generated power that we now enjoy, without having to build totally different home designs, especially when the average home has increased in size, and needs that much more electricity. And you're absolutely right when you say that there's always going to be downsides, or negative considerations with any kind of power that we generate, whether it's coal or anything else. I always enjoy your statistics, and agree that the space required to generate electricity can be prohibitive when considering solar or wind, and may not be worth the investment at all, especially for homeowners. For instance, a co-worker recently had some solar panels installed on his 2,500 sf home, and gets all fired up telling everyone who will listen, that he's saving $50 per month on his electricity bill! That doesn't make much sense to me, and is hardly savings enough for anyone to squawk about! In my post I don't pretend to have the answers, since I have no "skin in the game", and I'm not "bashing" CSX for transporting the coal on rail cars to dump sites. That's just what they are hired to do with some of the services that they offer. Considering the volume of coal ash that is produced as an industrial waste product in NC, what choice do we have right now, but to dump the stuff somewhere? I am glad to hear that Duke Energy will be cleaning up their coal ash sites in the future, which would also be beneficial in creating jobs for North Carolinians. I believe it is entirely possible for businesses like Duke Energy to own up to past mistakes and remedy them in the future. And from what I've read on Duke's own website, the clean up operation itself could possibly provide even more jobs in the state. And that would be a win-win situation for everyone. My only issue with Duke Energy would be that they didn't secure the coal ash ponds earlier, and may have further compromised water supplies, although the causal link of that is currently difficult for rural town folk to prove. I hope that clears up any misunderstanding, but at the same time acknowledges that there still remain challenges ahead for primarily rural North Carolinians in dealing with coal ash storage issues. Thank you for your comment.
You have taken the "shotgun" approach and blasted out about many different things. I agree the handling of coal ash has been poor since there have been coal fired plants. That is an issue separate from the transport by CSX. Yes, transporting, which is far different from long or even medium term storage. Actually that is a very false assumption. Rail cars have to be unloaded in order for the contents to be transported to the final location. There are no landfills where trains drive through. The contents are off loaded and loaded onto trucks to get them to the final location. Sure you are if that truck is a semi with two 40 foot trailers behind it and you have a narrow driveway with no means for such a truck to turn around. That is the comparison you are missing. Trains haul a large amount of material in one car and it must be broken down into smaller loads for use. That is whay the intermodal system is so popular. The same container is filled while on a semi-trailer frame, taken to a railroad intermodal yard, put on a train, taken to another intermodal yard removed from the train, placed on another trailer, taken to a harbor, taken off the trailer and placed on a ship, transported to another harbor, taken off the ship, placed on another trailer, transported to another intermodal yard, removed from the trailer, placed on a train, taken to the final intermodal yard, taken off the train, placed on the final trailer, taken to the final destination and the trailer is only then opened and the contents removed. The best and most efficient methods of shipment are used for as much of the transport as possible. As an end user NOT as a manufacturer, wholesaler, or major retailer paying for the transportation out of their profits. Just as you would not try the same thing by going to a warehouse in Florida for 8 or 10 of those small loads if you could pay more to have them all brought to the closest Lowes or Home Depot. Which ignores the huge scale of the transport as noted above, Yes, it is in the business of transport. That would be due to the fact that bulk shipment cars such as are used for coal ash, etc. would not be taken to the intermodal yard as a destination. They are not intermodal type shipments. I could agree with that just from what I have read here about the way CSX was treated. This claim of storage of coal ash, for example. Yes, The Farm was not wanting to sell and created a lot of confusion quickly. Good thing they employ so many people in the area to keep that economic growth going. And back off on a different tangent again.
Actually, solar panels do not preclude any other use of the land. Duke Energy has been suggesting a couple of programs for commercial buildings where solar panels are installed on the roof surface either by leasing the roof or by loaning money for the installation and an extended term lease of the output. Private homes too can be converted. The savings are not that great because the poer companies only have to purchase the power from you at the going wholesale rate or even cost, depedding on the state, while selling you power at retail when you do not produce enough to supply your needs. That creates a significant price differential for this area.
You have chosen to argue irrelevant semantics and obscure the fact that even Duke Energy has publicly concluded that they need to ameliorate the coal ash disposal and containment problems in rural North Carolina. By the way, Mr. Stollings, what is your personal history with the rural people of North Carolina - both past and present?
Even if you put solar panels on every square foot of every roof in NC, you still wouldn't get even 30-40% of the total need. Data centers are the killer here, we have buildings that are 30,000 square feet and draw 4-6 MW of power. You would need hundreds of acres of solar panels just to accommodate that one building. And there are dozens of these large data centers here in the Triangle. Out by Charlotte, there are data centers that use 10-20 MW each even.
No, I was not deflecting from the initial point that CSX had nothing to do with the coal ash contamination in Jesup as you stated and tried to indicate was related to the intermodal facility. What ever your objections to Duke Energy's position, and there are many from many sources, it is unrelated to the intermodal facility or any potential transport by CSX or any other carrier.
From the cover story, it looks like Selma stands to lose 200+ jobs in September due to the SONA plant closing. I understand these are manufacturing jobs, for the most part, and the CSX thing wouldn't get off the ground in time but it does make losing CSX to another county all the more hard to take. Selma needs jobs, not a wedding venue.
But hey, he gonna marry Scotty McCerry(spelling i dont know) sister. That's gotta be good for the venue.
Nowhere in my post have I suggested a strictly solar or wind power approach, and yet you continue to deflect my question as to whether or not you have roots in rural North Carolina. Although you backtracked and circled around, you never did answer it. As I have said, there are disadvantages to ALL power sources including solar and wind that will have to be dealt with, just like coal ash, but it doesn't take a "mathematical genius", or a "statistical wizard" to see that rural North Carolina is used as a dumping ground for coal ash. Unsecured coal ash sites in North Carolina has contaminated groundwater in some places, so much so, that Duke Energy itself had to provide bottled drinking water to the affected rural areas where the water had been tainted - and they're sure as hell not dumping coal ash in the backyards of doctors and lawyers. I don't see you posting any maps on here which shows that coal ash is being dumped in rural North Carolina. It's a problem that Duke Energy has been dealing with for some time now, and who knows when it will be solved. I don't live in one of those fancy houses that they're building, hooked up to city water, but if there's a slim chance that coal ash might find its way anywhere near my well water, like it has in other towns, I'd at least like to try to protect my well water from coal ash contamination. CSX, and other railways, are in the business of transporting coal ash to be dumped in rural communities, but I doubt that CSX will be coming into rural towns and advertising that fact anywhere. Instead you'll see the ticker-tape parade from rural communities who may not be aware of their role in coal ash transportation to coal ash dump sites in North Carolina. Will CSX build a rail spur in the future from Rocky Mount's intermodal site to an industrial coal ash dump site? We don't know, but I will say that it's certainly something to keep your eye on, especially if you are a rural town dependent on drinkable well water. I spent the early part of my childhood in rural Appalachia, and know all too well that rural people oftentimes get the short end of the stick. That's no secret. Would you care to answer my original question concerning your own personal roots in North Carolina, or would you prefer instead to just aggressively deflect and circumvent my question, and then further insult my ability to put "two and two" together?
As the post was made in reference to Jesse's post, not yours, and that I was not discussing the viability of the various energy sources in relation to the claims made by CSX I do not see how you connected to any claim of strictly anything. The "unrelated to the claim i was referencing" should have been a hint. Mainly because it is unrelated to the points I was discussing and I was trying not to get drawn into the various other discussions you were including. As is the case with many rural areas. More land to use with fewer people to impact. Again because it is UNRELATED to your claims concerning CSX. That is a completely DIFFERENT set of discussions. I do not blame you in the least. As I said, coal ash has not been properly treated in storage or disposal since the advent of the use of coal. They are in the business of transporting. The current sites are also rural and they would be involved in transporting FROM those rural sites too. No, if there were a spur built it would most likely be from an existing line where a landfill has been constructed. The intermodal yard is unrelated to the transport of bulk material cars, as I said earlier. You mean Rocky Mount since that would be the nearest location to that intermodal yard, correct? I spent most of my life there until I was in my 30s. No disagreement there. The roots as you say, have no bearing on the facts of the matter, nor are they connected to what I pointed out as errors. Learning from errors is a good thing.
Well, if you are in fact from Appalachia, you do not look to be from any people I recognize, because where I'm from, we do not insult or shame our neighbors on a public board, or tell them what to do with their land. But you have chosen, time and again to insult that Johnston County landowner whose "crime", in your arrogant opinion, was to object to CSX trying to buy HIS land. I don't know who that man was, but it is HIS business if he wants to sell HIS land, or keep it in HIS family, and nobody, including you has the right to insult him and mock him on this board. He owns the land, and can do just what he pleases with it. You folks with your daily clown posse insults, are no better than CSX who is insulting all of Johnston County right now in the Rocky Mount Telegraph, which they have no right to do. This shaming just isn't right. For years, my 85 year old uncle has turned down offers to buy his land in Western North Carolina. Sometimes they'd show up wearing a suit and tie, other times, it was an open collared shirt. He didn't know anything about statistical graphs or charts, but he could see the glint in somebody's eye and knew exactly what that meant. We'd hear stories about people coming around over the years, and had a pretty good laugh about it, when they tried to dupe him, or offer him stuff he didn't need or want. Some of my cousins built their homes on that land, but even if he had sold it, nobody would have publicly shamed him for making that decision like you've been doing almost every day on this thread. If farmers and landowners want to keep their property for the security of their children and grandchildren, there is nothing wrong with that, and their personal decisions should be respected. And that's the kind of thing I learned living in Western North Carolina, that you, sir, have sadly forgotten. You may now distract the conversation away from this thread to post your esteemed opinion about the new Panera, as you now seem to be the authority of French bread.
Sure, those jobs that Johnston County lost because of a very few people means nothing. Too bad there was not such an uproar earlier or they could have prevented the building of I-95, I-40, or any of the other roads through the area. That is great for him, but not so great for those folks who might just be needing a job to support THEIR family. To a point, but if he was so darned important why did he need to get everyone to support his view instead of their own? Sure they have the right. They can give their opinion all day long just like you gave your opinion of them. It depends on what the land was to be used for. Bringing in business where there is a need for good jobs would warrant shaming if the good of the community was so easily ignored. The local economy in the area in which I grew up was mainly powered by retirees because they had some steady income. There were few good jobs and they were far between. I was lucky to have one of them but stupid enough to stay in the area longer than I should. When I sold my house I had to pay at closing because there was just no market. They were going to build a new Walmart and the real estate agent was giddy about the sales boom that was going to bring about because there were three managers being transferred into the store and they each would be buying a house. Three houses was a sales boom. That same house sold not too long ago for almost $2000.00 more than I sold it for over two decades ago. The people working in the few stores cannot afford to buy the products sold there. We drove through the towns a few weeks back trying to point out what had been in the empty building or empty lots now. Where have they built such rail spurs? There are not many Class D landfills around, but I can see the GOP led government approving as many as they can, just like they stopped the litigation on the ponds. None of that relates to CSX, however. If you think I am trying to ensure there is honest discourse and reasonable/sustainable growth, you would be correct.
Honest discourse? Ha! In fact, I wonder if you do in fact, have skin in the game, whereas I just have my opinions. You have defended your right to publicly shame any landowner in Johnston County who may not want to sell their land because it may be in the best interest for their families. On what planet are you from? In my book, these landowners ARE thinking about people - their own families! And as far as I know, nobody has ever offered to take care of me and my family out there in world, or have we asked them to do so. I've had to work hard for everything that I have, and have never depended on the kindness of strangers, that you hear so much about these days! What you are describing is no different from communism where supposedly in the best interest of the people, land is taken away and developed for the "common good", which I do not support! But I'm sure you will again twist my words anyway, because you think it's just fine to shame people publicly who do not agree with you. "Honest discourse", for your information, includes looking at both sides of things prudently and realistically, weighing the facts carefully, and not sweeping unpleasant truths under the rug. If you go over my posts, you can clearly see that's what I'm doing. As I'm just learning about CSX and their transportation of coal ash to rural NC dumps, I do believe that it may be of interest for rural landowners to consider this fact. Some people might want to sell their land, others just might not want their family land to become a damn coal dump. It's up to them to make that decision, and you sir, should recognize that nobody needs your approval to sell or hold onto their land, and they certainly don't need your insults every single day on this board. Besides land grabbing through eminent domain, I'd still like to think it's a free country to do what you will with your own land, regardless of anybody's opinion of what YOU say should be "reasonable growth". We've got enough new HOAs around here to restrict homeowners as it is, making these expenses absolutely mandatory for a lot of families who will never be able to get out from under those expenses - and that's looking to be the future now. I suppose you could say that trying to be independent is getting harder and harder to do these days. But it's real nice to know that a total stranger, like yourself, is now passing judgement publicly on the private, family decisions of their neighbors, and posting it online. Maybe you'd also like to get set up in the home of this landowner and find a comfortable chair somewhere, and tell them what time to make dinner for you. And in this thread, at least show some civil decency in your so-called "honest discourse" and show a little respect for your Johnston County neighbors whose lives and personal circumstances you know nothing about. With all your statistical figures and postings over this issue, you are now just pretending to tell me, of all people, your so-called "concerns" for rural people, so naturally I'm going to take a side-eye appraisal of you, just like my uncle had to do with the suits and open collars that came onto HIS land. In your prior posts, you never mentioned that you were at all concerned about rural people, but chose instead to humiliate and insult your neighbor, a man whose family has probably been here farming for generations. And so, like my uncle in Western North Carolina, I do not trust your intentions here one bit, especially since you seem to be on this board every single day to cause harm.
