2020 News Archives
December 26, 2020 - Associated Press, US News, nwaonline, Washington News, Newsbreak,
A coastal Georgia county and a resort are undoing the rest of a 38-year-old land swap after a judge ruled in 2016 that the county had illegally given away a park.
December 19, 2020 - The Brunswick News
The mutual mistake became apparent in 2016 when the Glynn Environmental Coalition, with no small amount of help from Sea Island resident Jane Fraser, noted the park was not the county’s to trade away.
October 16, 2020, The Brunswick News
Coastal Georgia communities have to look no further than the Gulf of Mexico to see the dangerous risks offshore drilling poses to the environment.
Coalitions opposed to offshore drilling in Georgia and South Carolina hosted a virtual event Wednesday to explore experiences from the Gulf Coast community in order to understand the footprint that offshore drilling leaves on coastal communities.
September 26, 2020, Inside Climate News
The LCP Chemical Superfund site, an abandoned industrial facility on 670 acres of marshland in Brunswick, Georgia, is one of the most vulnerable. A picturesque expanse of tall cordgrass broken by silvery threads of meandering rivers and creeks, the site is frequently inundated by seawater—a regular and repeating occurrence that hastens the release of toxic mercury.
September 24, 2020, Inside Climate News
A key 2018 plan for the site makes no reference to climate change, an omission that worries Rachael Thompson, executive director of the Glynn Environmental Coalition, an environmental organization in Glynn County, Georgia, home to four Superfund sites. “You won’t see anything about climate change because they don’t talk about it,” she said. “We have a situation where the regulators are not as hard as they should be in requiring planning based on the facts and the science of climate change.”
November 29, 2020 - Inside Climate News
From a distance, the inland marsh a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Brunswick, Georgia, looks like a broad, green mat broken by silvery threads of meandering rivers and creeks. There's cordgrass four feet tall, and sea daisies that add a splash of starburst color.
July 17, 2020 - The Brunswick News
The joint letter — which includes endorsements from One Hundred Miles, the Glynn Environmental Coalition and the Satilla Riverkeeper — requested a public airing of “the latest plan for dismantling, salvaging and cleanup of the wreckage of the Golden Ray.”
July 3rd - Prism
In the wake of the Feb. 23 killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery by white vigilantes on the outskirts of Brunswick, Georgia, the idyllic veil is being lifted off the state’s so-called “Golden Isles” that include St. Simons Island and Brunswick, revealing a history of systemic oppression and systematic racism.
June 13, 2020 - ESPN Coastal Adventures
“A private company is attempting to develop a landfill in Waynesville, GA only 2 miles from the Satilla River. The site they have chosen contains several wetlands, is prone to flooding, and it is nearby 2 elementary schools, private residences, and churches. It is not an appropriate location for a landfill. Senator William Ligon introduced SB 384 which would prohibit any new landfills within 3 miles of coastal blackwater rivers, including the Satilla River. Glynn Environmental Coalition Executive Director talks with ESPN Coastal Adventures about SB 384 and the proposed landfill in Brantley County, and what action citizens can take to support SB 384 and oppose the landfill
May 20th, 2020 - The Brunswick News
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has abandoned a previously agreed upon $4 million settlement with Honeywell meant to address environmental damages on a Superfund site in Glynn County.
April 22nd, 2020 - Charlton County Herald
Rather than protecting our coastal communities in a time of need, the Federal Administration is taking our weakened state as an opportunity to kick us whole we're down.
April 17th, 2020 - The Brunswick News
A vice president of Honeywell says the $4 million settlement agreement proposed in December between the state Department of Natural Resources and Honeywell International, Inc., is fair.
April 16th, 2020 - The Houston Chronicle
Core turned 40 this season. Its founder and six dancers, who normally divide their time between Houston and Decatur, Ga., had to postpone the Houston premiere of their outdoor work “Manifolds” this month. They also had to rethink their National Water Dance Project. They had hoped to return to Driftwood Beach on Georgia’s Jekyll Island, an area renowned for its dramatic, washed-up tree trunks. Partnering with the Glynn Environmental Coalition, Jekyll Island Authority and Golden Isles Art and Humanities, Core began working in August with area schools to involve the local community in a major event with a safe seafood theme.
April 16th, 2020 - The Brunswick News
The group’s spokesperson Susan Schmaeling says the dancers felt Jekyll Island was the perfect location to film their sequence. “The ecosystem of the Georgia coast is enriching and restorative to all people, including the dancers of Core,” she said. “They started working with the staff of the Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association, Jekyll Island Authority and Glynn Environmental Coalition in 2018.”
April 14th, 2020 - The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Core Dance was planning to perform “Dancing for Our Lives” on Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, where they’d also performed in 2018. It was to be part of a residency in the coastal community that would have involved working with non-profit organizations such as the Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association, Jekyll Island Authority and Glynn Environmental Coalition.
April 14th, 2020 - The Houston Chronicle
Core had planned to perform outside on the Georgia coast, partnering with the Glynn Environmental Coalition, Jekyll Island Authority and Golden Isles Art and Humanities. Its work began last August with community outreach about safe seafood. When the Golden Ray Cargo Ship capsized off Jekyll Island last September, the sensitive ecosystem was compromised even more, and the dance work became more urgent, Schroeder says.
April 13th, 2020 - Broadway World
Core Dance, Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association and Glynn Environmental Coalition are excited to join NWD Projects in assembling a movement choir of over 2,000 dancers for the 4th Annual National Water Dance on Saturday, April 18 at 4pm EST. We are joining dancers from 38 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico to dance for our lives in a simultaneous dance performance at water sites in our local areas
April 13th, 2020 - The Islander
Both the Glynn County and City of Brunswick Commissions have asked for overdue cleanup of this toxic pollution that threatens public health and the environment. The Hercules hazardous waste permit is now up for renewal at EPD.
March 16th, 2020 - The Brunswick News
The case, brought by the Glynn Environmental Coalition and the Center for a Sustainable Coast, involves the allegation that Sea Island didn’t have authority under the permit it received from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill the wetland for how it’s using the area.
March 13, 2020 - The Brunswick News
“LCP, which closed in February 1994, is leaking high levels of lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphynels, or PCBs, into the environment,” The News reported. “Health officials and others are concerned about the health risks posed by the chemicals, especially the seafood found in nearby Purvis Creek and portions of the Turtle River.
March 9, 2020 - The Islander
“The City wants it (the contamination) totally cleaned up,” said Brunswick Mayor Cornell Harvey. “This has been going on too long.”
“Hercules does not have a good track record for cleaning up in our city,” The Mayor stated.
March 9, 2020 - The Brunswick News
Local and state environmentalists and coastal advocates gathered on Jekyll Island over the weekend to learn about what to do when dangerous substances are in the neighborhood or community.
March 7, 2020 - The Brunswick News
Georgia Environmental Coalition Executive Director Rachael Thompson read from a 2011 letter sent from EPD to Hercules that said the agency wasn’t pleased with the progress at the site and threatened enforcement actions if the company didn’t change its behavior.
“EPD can facilitate enforcement actions that can include fines, consent orders and/or litigation,” Thompson said.
March 5, 2020 - The Brunswick News
Glynn Environmental Coalition Executive Director Rachael Thompson said people should know the permit up for renewal actually expired in 2017. “Citizens should attend to learn more about the permit, the current status of contamination being managed under this permit, and cleanup activities that are planned to take place,” Thompson said. “Ultimately, the information provided will assist residents in providing information that can then be used to send comments during the public comment period. This is a critical opportunity for residents to make specific requests for amendments to be made to the permit before it is renewed by the (state) Department of Natural Resources.”
February 28, 2020 - ESPN Coastal Adventures
Glynn Environmental Coalition Executive Director gets on air with ESPN Coastal Adventures to talk about legislation moving through the Georgia General Assembly. Specifically, the interview provides an update on supporting SB 123 and opposing HB 545. SB 123 will increase the tipping fees for coal ash from $1/ton to $2.50/ton at landfill in the state of Georgia. If passed, SB 123 will make it so that dumping coal ash in landfills in Georgia costs the same as dumping household waste. If passed, HB 545 takes away 150 year old private property rights, weakens the ‘Right To Farm’ law, and favors new, damaging operations over existing property owners.”
February 19, 2020 - The Brunswick News
The Glynn Environmental Coalition recently awarded the 2020 Dr. William T. Lipscomb Grand Prize Scholarship to middle school students Leann Nguyen and Anna Roach at the Regional Science and Engineering Fair, which was held at Savannah State University.
February 12, 2020 - The Brunswick News
Roundabouts on St. Simons Island became a central topic of discussion at a St. Simons Island Rotary Club gathering Tuesday. Glynn County Commissioner Bill Brunson spoke to the club and answered some questions during the lunchtime get-together. He addressed several topics — a potential St. Simons Island ferry, the grounded Golden Ray cargo vessel, current and future special-purpose, local-option sales taxes and development impact fees — in his discussion.
January 25, 2020 - ESPN Coastal Adventures
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced on December 19, 2019, a proposed settlement agreement between the State of Georgia and Honeywell to compensate the public for lost recreation opportunities caused by the release of hazardous substances from the LCP Chemicals Superfund Site. These lost services included recreational fishing, boating, and other potential coastal recreational uses in the Brunswick, Glynn County area. The settlement requires Honeywell to pay $4 million that will be used by the State to support the implementation of natural resource restoration projects. The primary goal of the restoration projects is to enhance, restore or create recreational services comparable to those that were lost.
January 23, 2020 - The Brunswick News
Environmental Protection Agency staff found themselves surprised at the extent of toxic substance pollution at the LCP Chemicals site. One man collected enough mercury off the floor of one of the buildings to fill a small jar.
January 9, 2020 - The Brunswick News
According to state officials at Tuesday night’s public meeting on the state’s proposed settlement with Honeywell regarding the LCP Chemicals site, the law says the public is only entitled to the settlement document itself — the documents showing how negotiators came up with that agreement are to remain under wraps at least until the settlement becomes final.
January 2, 2020 - The Brunswick News
Local residents will have several more weeks to examine the $4 million environmental mitigation settlement proposed between the state Department of Natural Resources and Honeywell International. DNR announced Monday that Commissioner Mark Williams extended the public comment period by 30 days, placing the deadline on Feb. 18. Attorneys for DNR lodged the proposed consent decree with the federal district court in Atlanta on Dec. 19.
January 1, 2020 - The Brunswick News
At the close of 2018, The News took a comprehensive look at the developments with the Terry Creek site. With another year passing by, Terry Creek and the pollution that remains at the Hercules outfall continues to be of a top concern, putting it in the grouping of 2019’s top five stories in statewide and coastal politics.