All posts by John S. Quarterman

My Thanksgiving prize was an eminent domain threat from Sabal Trail –Sandra Jones to FERC

December 3, 2014Colquitt County, Dougherty County, Ethics, FERC, Georgia, Law, Stewart CountyAlzheimers, Andrea Grover, breach of law, Colquitt County, Dougherty County, Ethics, FERC, Frank S. Singer III, Georgia, Hunton & Williams, Kitty Maidens, Law, Matthew Calvert, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Stewart County, terroristic, threats, Valdosta Daily Times, VDT, William B. SingerJohn S. Quarterman

A Colquitt County resident spelled out a series of eminent domain threats to her, plus the background of the infamous Stewart County eminent domain ruling Sabal Trail has used to threaten landowners in other counties.

Filed with FERC 19 November 2014 as Protest of Sandra Y Jones under PF14-1 (PDF),

Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioners:

The article featuring an interview with Spectra’s Andrea Grover in today’s Valdosta Daily Times newspaper requires a response from an impacted landowner and please note that I am only one of possibly over a thousand in the same position. Ms. Grover asserts that allegations from homeowners that surveyors threatened eminent domain on their properties “hard to believe.”

Ms. Grover may be right that surveyors have not threatened eminent domain, but Spectra Energy and Sabal Trail land agents certainly have. In the second letter I received from this company dated September 16, 2013 (see attachments) requesting my signature for permission to survey my two tracts of land, the use of Georgia statute O.C.G.A. 22-3-88 was threatened.

“We hope you understand Continue reading My Thanksgiving prize was an eminent domain threat from Sabal Trail –Sandra Jones to FERC →

Miami Herald notices FPL wants ratepayers to pay to frack Oklahoma

December 2, 2014Ethics, FERC, FL PSC, Florida, Fracking, Law, OklahomaDuke Energy, Ethics, FERC, FL PSC, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, FPL, Fracking, FSC, John S. Quarterman, Law, Oklahoma, policy, ratepayers, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Back in May Sabal Trail and FSC argued fracking wasn’t relevant to their pipelines. How can they argue that now that FPL wants to frack frack Oklahoma for methane for those pipelnes proposed to gouge through Alabama, Florida, and Georgia?

Mary Ellen Klas, Miami Herald, 1 December 2014, FPL asks permission to drill for natural gas, Continue reading Miami Herald notices FPL wants ratepayers to pay to frack Oklahoma →

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2014Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, LNG, Solar, WaterAlabama, Allies, Economy, environment, Florida, FPL, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, Hillabee Expansion Project, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Thanksgiving, Water, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Dear SpectraBusters and Allies,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to all who get out on the street, into the halls of government, or on the media: public awareness is the key to winning this fight.

Thanks to all who quietly and often anonymously help Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving! →

MGAG didn’t contact local governments before agreeing with Sabal Trail

November 25, 2014Colquitt County, Dougherty County, Georgia, LawAlbany, Colquitt County, Dougherty County, Georgia, Hillabee Expansion Project, John S. Quarterman, Law, Moultrie, Sabal Trail Transmission, SONAT, Southern Natural Gas, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Transco, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Looks like Spectra is still making stuff up. Apparently Spectra got one of its usual pipeline distributors to make a deal in Georgia for Sabal Trail without that distributor ever asking its own customers whether they needed the gas. This is very convenient for undercutting opposition to Sabal Trail’s threats of Georgia eminent domain, but not very useful to the named counties or to Sabal Trail’s own credibility.

Remember Sabal Trail’s FERC Filing in Docket CP15-17 said on page 11: Continue reading MGAG didn’t contact local governments before agreeing with Sabal Trail →

GCCC against Sabal Trail in Albany, GA

November 25, 2014Climate Change, Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Georgia, Hazards, SafetyAlgonquin Pipeline, Climate Change, compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, GCCC, Georgia, Georgia Climate Change Coalition, Gloria Gaines, Gretchen Elsner, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Logan Shirah, Radium Springs Neighborhood Association, Rich Rusk, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

The Georgia Climate Change Coalition Bike Lines to stop Pipe Lines stopped in Albany yesterday and got some news coverage.

Diane Dean, WALB TV, 24 November 2014, Bike riders focus on GA environment,

Members of the Georgia Climate Change Coalition are concerned about what the planet will look like for future generations.

“It crosses the flint and Chattahoochee River and their water sheds that provide drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people,” said Gretchen Elsner of the Georgia Climate Change Coalition.

Rich Rusk is Continue reading GCCC against Sabal Trail in Albany, GA →

Opposes Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County –Lowndes County Commission

November 24, 2014Alabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, Lowndes County, SafetyAlabama, Bill Slaughter, blast zone, Clyattville Elementary School, Economy, Education, FERC, Florida, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, liability, Lowndes County, personal property rights, Safety, SpectraBusters, taxJohn S. Quarterman

Escalating from the Chairman’s letter of 11 April 2014, perhaps after listening to requests from citizens, the Lowndes County Commission passed a resolution wanting no part of Sabal Trail in the county or in the state of Georgia.

Update 2014-11-25: Well, according to Joe Adgie in the Valdosta Daily Times today, “Even though the missive has already been mailed [to FERC], the resolution will not be formally voted on until the county commission’s next meeting in December [9th].”

Filed with FERC in docket CP15-17 on 21 November 2014 as Accession Number: 20141121-5242, but that was a Friday and FERC doesn’t work on weekends, so it actually appeared Monday 24 November 2014.

RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas has proposed to build a $3.7 Billion, 460mile natural gas line known as Sabal Trail, and;
WHEREAS, The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has concerns regarding personal property rights Continue reading Opposes Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County –Lowndes County Commission →

Sabal Trail formal FERC filing CP15-17

November 21, 2014Alabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, LNG, Solar, WaterAlabama, Economy, eminent domain, FERC, Florida, FPL, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, LNG, NextEra Energy, property rights, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, taxes, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Have Dougherty and Colquitt County sold us out to Sabal Trail? Sabal Trail’s FERC filing seems to say so.

One day after Transco’s Hillabee, Sabal Trail filed CP15-17 21 November 2014 in ten submissions with dozens of PDF files. So Andrea Grover’s “sometime later this year” turns out to be today.

The first submission alone is 581 pages, none of which mention any of the words solar or photovoltaic, nor LNG or export, according to a PDF search. A search for privileged finds that, though. Continue reading Sabal Trail formal FERC filing CP15-17 →

Williams Company formal filing CP15-16 for Hillabee Expansion Project

November 21, 2014Alabama, FERCAlabama, CP15-16, FERC, flow, Hillabee Expansion Project, hydraulic, PF14-6, SpectraBusters, Transco, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Transco’s formal FERC filing of 18 November 2014 isn’t online and the visible “supplement” is almost entirely privileged and hidden from the public, with no new maps or any other new information visible to the public. Why? Because Transco’s ability to compete is more important to FERC than the public’s right to know what this invader from Houston wants to do to local lands:

“These hydraulic flow model files models are proprietary and include competitively sensitive data regarding Transco’s market-area system design and flow conditions, disclosure of which to Transco’s competitors could cause substantial harm to Transco’s continuing ability to compete for new markets and firm transportation commitments.

So, as predicted, Transco has filed, and PF14-6 is of no further use, replaced by Docket number CP15-16.

Accession Number: 20141119-5018, “Supplement to November 18, 2014 Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC application for a CP&N [Hillabee Expansion Project – Hydraulic Flow Model Files] under CP15-16.” is quoted below, and Accession Number: 20141119-5019 has twelve (12) PDF files all marked “PRIVILEGED – Transco ? Hillabee Expansion Project ? Supplemental Information”.