Georgia
Greg McElroy explains why he’s looking forward to Georgia at Texas in 2024
The new-look SEC provides interest for plenty of reasons but the 2024 schedule is at the forefront at the moment. Some old rivalries will be rekindled while some national brands are going to be facing off. Georgia and Texas are certainly two of those, meeting in Austin for what should be an incredible showdown.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy circled Georgia-Texas as one of the top five games he is looking forward to. Part of the reason is due to the atmosphere Austin put together when Alabama was in town this past fall. Even for an 11 a.m. kickoff in early Sept., the crowd surely came to play.
And then there is a certain quarterback who could be under center wearing No. 16 in a home burnt orange jersey.
“We saw Alabama go to Texas,” McElroy said. “Look at that scene. It was incredible. Now, you get what might be the No. 1 ranked team in the country traveling to Austin in what might be Arch Manning‘s first year as the starting quarterback. Arch Manning chose Texas over Georgia. A lot of tentacles when evaluating that game.”
Manning played high school football at New Orleans (LA) Isidore Newman, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian was able to win Manning’s recruitment, with Alabama and Georgia thought to be the other finalist. Manning took plenty of visits to Athens and was in the running to land the latest star to come from the family. Instead, the Dawgs may be lining up against him in the fall of ’24.
Even if Manning is not the starting quarterback, the Texas crowd is going to be ready for Georgia. In recent seasons, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has been at its best when non-Big 12 opponents are in town.
Alabama was the most recent example but the 2019 matchup against LSU was another lively crowd. Notre Dame in Austin produced an infamous game with Texas’ Tyrone Swoopes game-winning touchdown but undoubtedly a ruckus environment.
It’s hard to think about a game scheduled for over a year away. But somehow, there is already plenty to look forward to for Georgia-Texas. Now, all we can do is sit around and potentially wait for the highly-anticipated game.
Georgia
Biden administration, Georgia officials applaud debut of Plant Vogtle expansion • Georgia Recorder
Officials with the U.S. Energy Department plan to celebrate the completion of Georgia Power’s controversial nuclear power expansion at Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro on Friday.
President Joe Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm are set to tour Plant Vogtle, which has become the nation’s largest nuclear power plant and the largest source of carbon-free electricity. In the next 60 to 80 years, the two new nuclear units are estimated to generate enough electricity for one million homes and businesses.
The historic occasion is also being celebrated by representatives from Georgia Power, Georgia Public Service Commission, top state lawmakers and a number of other business and community leaders who say the project is a shining example of how nuclear energy can create well-paying, high quality jobs while also producing electricity in a way that tackles the climate crisis.
The two Vogtle units are the first nuclear reactors to be built in the United States in more than 30 years and the project’s supporters say Vogtle demonstrates how nuclear energy can generate high-paying jobs while producing electricity in a way that combats climate change.
Six Georgia energy and consumer groups released a report Thursday analyzing the true cost of nuclear power, citing the severe problems while constructing Vogtle that resulted in seven years of delays and $21 billion of cost-overruns.
The two Vogtle units were under construction for 15 years at a cost of $36.8 billion. Unit 3 was completed in August while Unit 4 began producing electricity in April.
Vogtle could serve as the selling point for further nuclear development in the United States, with the Biden-Harris administration hosting a summit at the White House this week to highlight the ongoing collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The Biden-Harris administration announced Wednesday the formation of a nuclear power project working group composed of experts in nuclear power and mega-construction.
The White House released a statement this week that says that nuclear energy has been the largest source of clean energy for decades, currently accounting for 19% of national energy production and directly employing 60,000 workers.
“Alongside renewable power sources like wind and solar, a new generation of nuclear reactors is now capturing the attention of a wide range of stakeholders for nuclear energy’s ability to produce clean, reliable energy and meet the needs of a fast-growing economy, driven by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and manufacturing boom,” the White House statement said.
However, a report released by Georgia consumer advocates contends that more nuclear development is not the best course of action for the future of the nation’s energy supply.
The report titled Plant Vogtle: the True Cost of Nuclear Power in the United States, was commissioned by Georgia consumer advocacy organizations like the Center for a Sustainable Coast, Concerned Ratepayers of Georgia and Cool Planet Solutions. It was authored by Kim Scott, executive director of Georgia WAND, Glenn Carroll, coordinator of Nuclear Watch South and Patty Durand, former president of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative and a Democratic Party candidate for the state PSC.
The average Georgia Power residential customer began paying an additional $5.42 per month, or a 3.2% increase, after Unit 3 began commercial operations last August.
The two Vogtle units prompted the latest in a series of rate increases Georgia Power customers will continue to bear in the coming months.
According to the report, the average monthly bill for Georgia ratepayers will increase by $35 over the next two decades as Vogtle’s Units 3 and 4 are operational, or more than twice the $15 increase Georgia Power currently estimates.
The report contends that Georgia Power’s average household bill will rise by $420 annually in order to cover the cost of nuclear power that is seven times as expensive to produce as wind, solar and natural gas.
The analysis says that shareholders of Georgia Power’s parent company Southern Co. will continue to benefit from Vogtle’s financial windfall as the utility significantly expands its base rate.
The report’s authors blame Georgia Power officials for a decade-long pattern of providing misleading costs estimates to state regulators in order to continue justifying the Vogtle expansion. The construction of Vogtle was plagued by delays due to worker shortages, a strike, technical problems and its original contractor Westinghouse Electric Co. filing bankruptcy in 2017.
Brionté McCorkle, report co-author and executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, said that Plant Vogtle is a cautionary tale for the rest of the country and that Georgians deserve safe, clean and affordable energy instead of wasting money to bring Vogtle’s nuclear reactors online.
“Imagine all of the renewable power, battery storage and energy-efficiency investments we could have made in the time it took to build the two new reactors at Plant Vogtle at a fraction of the cost,” McCorkle said in a statement. “Imagine what we could have done with the $35 billion dollars instead of dumping them in this radioactive money-pit.”
Scott, the executive director of Georgia WAND, said that Georgia Power is more concerned with its own economic interests as Vogtle’s expansion is leaving its customers struck with paying exorbitantly high power bills.
“So it is clear that Georgia Power is looking out for its own economic interests and (is) not concerned about moving Georgia to a clean-energy economy, let alone protecting the health of Georgians who live in and around nuclear power Plant Vogtle,” Scott said.
Republicans Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns joined executives with Georgia Power and Vogtle co-owner’s Oglethorpe Power, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and Dalton Utilities to celebrate the Vogtle project earlier this week.
Georgia Power owns 45.7% of Plant Vogtle, followed by Oglethorpe Power Corporation at 30%, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia’s 22.7%, and Dalton Utilities 1.6.%.
Kim Greene, chairman, president, and CEO of Georgia Power, said the new Vogtle units are a key component in supporting the company’s goal of meeting growing electricity demands in Georgia. A large share of that demand is driven by new data centers opening across the state.
“As we mark the completion of the Vogtle 3 and 4 expansion, we’re grateful for the leadership and foresight of the Georgia PSC, as well as the steadfast dedication from all of the project’s co-owners,” Greene said. “(Wednesday), we welcomed business and community leaders, as well as elected officials and other guests from across Georgia, to celebrate the first newly constructed nuclear units in the U.S. in more than 30 years – representing a long-term investment to benefit our customers and the state. It is truly a great day for Georgia.”
Originally, the five-member Georgia Public Service Commission approved a $4.4 billion construction budget for Vogtle, but in 2017 state regulators and Georgia Power agreed that $7.3 billion would be considered a reasonable cost.
In December, the Public Service Commission approved terms of a financial agreement requiring Georgia Power to cover at least $2.6 billion of the expected $10 billion in construction and capital costs. The terms were outlined in a stipulated agreement reached in August between Georgia Power, PSC advocacy staff, the Georgia Association of Manufacturers and consumer and watchdog advocacy organizations Georgia Watch and the Georgia Interfaith Power & Light and Partnership for Southern Equity.
As part of the settlement, Georgia Power agreed to about a 50% expansion of energy efficiency programs and also offered up to 96,000 additional low-income seniors to participate in a program that would reduce their monthly bills by an average of $33.50.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Georgia
Brian Kelley Says Florida Georgia Line Split Wasn't Mutual
John & Tammy: San Diego’s Morning Show
Brian Kelley says he didn’t want Florida Georgia Line to end the way it did … noting he tried to keep the group going — but, it seems Tyler Hubbard didn’t feel the same.
The singer-songwriter hopped on the phone for an interview with “John and Tammy: San Diego’s Morning Show” recently … and, he talked about the now-defunct band including his feelings toward his ex-bandmate.
BK says he’s grateful for all the fans who support the group and their individual endeavors post-split before dropping a bombshell … namely, he never wanted FGL to come to an end.
He explains, when conversations about individual routes started happening with TH, he wanted to both stay together while simultaneously putting out solo work — intertwining them somehow.
Kelley admits he has no idea how such a move might work in practice, but he reveals he couldn’t get on the same page with Tyler about it … so, they decided to move out of the Southeast.
Despite the breakup, Brian makes it clear he holds no ill will toward Tyler … adding he’s always rooting for him — and, leaving the door open for a future reunion.
TMZ.com
So, no acrimony here … not exactly surprising given how the guys left things publicly. Remember, they ended their last performance with a goodbye to fans before hugging and walking off different sides of the stage — a symbolic close on the chapter in their music lives.
BTW … each guy’s released a couple solo albums in the last few years — including Hubbard’s “Strong” in April and Kelley’s “Tennessee Truth” earlier this month.
In any case … FGL fans will probably be happy to know their two favorite musicians aren’t fighting — and can hold out hope for a reunion.
Georgia
Loaded list of visitors heading to Georgia this weekend
-
News1 week ago
The states where abortion is on the ballot in November : Consider This from NPR
-
News1 week ago
Read Prosecutors’ Filing on Mar-a-Lago Evidence in Trump Documents Case
-
Politics1 week ago
Michael Cohen swore he had nothing derogatory on Trump, his ex-lawyer says – another lie – as testimony ends
-
Politics1 week ago
Anti-Israel agitators interrupt Blinken Senate testimony, hauled out by Capitol police
-
World1 week ago
Serbian parliamentary minnow pushes for 'Russian law' equivalent
-
World1 week ago
Who is Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s acting foreign minister?
-
Technology1 week ago
Microsoft’s new Windows Copilot Runtime aims to win over AI developers
-
News1 week ago
Buy-now, pay-later returns and disputes are about to get federal oversight