Oil Found in Valdosta, But Not Quite a 'Gusher'

The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has found oil - right under the new Lowndes County Judicial Complex now under construction.

They shouldn't get too excited, though. There probably isn't a whole lot there.

The county's public information officer, Paige Dukes, says enough was found that the commissioners approved a two-year contract Tuesday night with Georgia Petroleum, Inc. to remove unwanted petroleum at a dime a gallon.

Dukes says the process gets about three gallons a day, netting the county 30 cents a day, and that the petroleum is a byproduct of several gas stations located at the site in past years.

Information from: The Valdosta Daily Times,

(AP)

Hearings soon for possible new oil pipeline

State officials will hold three public meetings next month on the issue of pipeline expansion in Georgia. The company that runs the state’s main line, Colonial Pipeline, hopes to convince the state Enviromental Protection Division and about 500 landowners that the benefits outweigh the negatives. Its top benefit is to unclog a choke point of oil transport between Louisiana and Georgia. Potential hazards of the line running about a meter below-ground would be fuel leaks, polluted water and lowered property values. The proposed line would run through the northwest counties of Cobb, Paulding, Carroll, and Haralson.

Gas prices inch slowly upward

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Georgia this morning stands at $3.60--that’s according to the AAA fuel gauge report. In some areas of the state, this is a penny increase over yesterday. Georgia’s $3.60 average however, stands 8-cents lower than the national average. The lowest average for a gallon in Georgia can be found in Augusta, at $3.51. Pushing the higher average, prices in Albany and Savannah stand at $3.66 a gallon. Industry officials will watch the effect of Hurricane Gustav on oil prices this week.

Experts debate terror threat

Today a panel of experts in Savannah is discussing the hazards associated with spills of liquefied natural gas. It's part of the International Oil Spill Conference. The federal government says a terrorist attack on tanker carrying liquefied natural gas - commonly called LNG - could cause an explosion and fire so intense it burns people up to a mile away. There is an LNG terminal on Elba Island near Savannah.