News Roundup
News Roundup for September 23
PERMIT RUSH
Stolen copper fittings
The tough South Carolina copper theft law that took effect in August is keeping law enforcement busy. The law calls for county sheriffs to issue free permits entitling the holder to transport copper and other metals to a recycling facility. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said it wasn’t expecting the run it’s had. “It was definitely an overwhelming response,” Master Deputy Jennings Autrey told WSPA-TV. It was initially taking an hour to issue each permit, but that’s now down to 30-45 minutes. Some 2,500 permits have been issued so far in Greenville County. About 3,400 have been handed out in neighboring Spartanburg County, where officials said it takes about 15 minutes.
RED HANDED
A couple of alert Fort Worth, Texas, police officers caught what they said was a copper thief in action. While on patrol, the officers saw a man peeking out of a transformer box at a construction site. According to police, a closer look revealed Duane Williams, along with gloves, pliers, a bolt matching one from the transformer box, and a piece of copper wire that had been cut, though not removed. The utility Oncor estimated damage to the transformer at $13,000.
LONG ISLAND WIND
Plans are moving forward for a wind farm in the waters off Long Island. Con Ed and two state-owned agencies, the Long Island Power Authority and the New York Power Authority, have filed a lease application with the federal government. They want to generate 350 megawatts, which could potentially double to 750 MW. The consortium also said the project could help the state meet its goal of having 30 percent of its electricity come from renewables by 2015.
PRIUS PHEV
The plug-in hybrid version of the Toyota Prius is coming, but it won’t come cheap. The automaker announced a sticker price of $32,000 for the base model and $39,525 for the advanced version, which has more bells and whistles. Prices for a home charging station begin at $1,000. Toyota plans to begin taking online orders in October from residents of 14 launch states. The cars will be delivered next spring. The Prius PHEV is expected to travel up to 15 miles on a full charge, when driven at a top speed of 62 mph.
—Based on news and wire reports
Tags: Copper Theft, Crime, Electric Vehicles, News Roundup