Georgia Magazine - September 2013 - (Page 14)

MARK BOLTON / COASTAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE COMPILED BY VICTORIA SCHARF DeCASTRO Click on this photo in GEORGIA Magazine’s digital edition or visit bit.ly/coastalec or bit.ly/sikorsky to watch a video of this event. A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter delivers a foundation pole that was vibrated into the wetlands, causing minimal soil displacement. Powering and preserving Georgia’s coastal marshes Hovering above the coastal salt marsh alongside Interstate 95 between Bryan and Liberty counties, an air-crane helicopter began work last July, meticulously positioning 80- to 100-foot steel poles into the ground. The power-line project, due to be completed in October, came about when Coastal Electric Cooperative in Midway identiﬁed the need for a high-voltage electric-transmission line to connect the Burnt Church Substation in Bryan County with the Trade- port East Industrial Park Substation in Liberty County. Tucker-based Georgia Transmission Corp. is installing the power line using innovative construction techniques and equipment that allows the project to run through the salt marshes with as little damage as possible to the environment. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources granted GTC a license to install a portion of a new transmission line in the coastal salt marsh. The new transmission line is needed to shore up reliability and prevent potential overloads and outages in the region. “Our objective is to ensure electric reliability for Coastal Electric while being good stewards of the environment,” says GTC Public Affairs Director Jeannine K. Haynes. “We are on track to complete the project in mid-October of this year.” A single power grid connects all Georgians. The state’s major utilities jointly plan and operate this grid, known as the Integrated Transmission System (ITS), to consistently power Georgia’s homes and businesses. ITS transmission lines are shared by the state’s major utilities even though they are individually owned and maintained. Gov. Nathan Deal was named the recipient of the 2013 Georgia 4-H Green Jacket Award at the Georgia 4-H State Congress awards banquet held July 25. Due to his schedule, Deal was unable to attend the event and met with Georgia EMC President/ CEO Paul Wood and 4-H representatives to receive the award prior to the State Congress. Georgia EMC sponsors the award, which was established in 2008 as recognition from Georgia 4-H alumni, donors, volunteers and friends. Recipient selection is based on the signiﬁcance of support to 4-H on a statewide level and is intended for in14 GEORGIA 4-H FOUNDATION Deal presented 4-H Green Jacket Gov. Nathan Deal, center, holding award, receives his Green Jacket Award from Georgia 4-H representatives, board members and Georgia EMC’s Paul Wood, far left, and Georgia Board of Regents Chancellor Hank Huckaby, far right. dividuals still in active service. Past recipients include Gov. Sonny Perdue, former Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Mike Beatty, Georgia Speaker of the More online at www.georgiamagazine.org House David Ralston, Georgia Board of Regents Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Randy Nuckolls, a partner in the Washington, D.C., ofﬁce of the McKenna, Long & Aldridge law ﬁrm. GEORGIA MAGAZINE http://bit.ly/sikorsky http://www.bit.ly/coastalec http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2013

Georgia Magazine - September 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Currents
Georgia’s Energy Outlook
From Rural Georgia to the Governor’s Mansion
Buried Treasure
Celebrating 75 Years in the Community
Lessons for Learning
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - September 2013