Category Archives: Economy

Needless risk through unnecessary crossings –SONAT to FERC about Sabal Trail

Disturbance of soil, exacerbating corrosion, needless risk through unnecessary crossings, and cutting corners through inappropriate boring methods: when even another pipeline company calls you out for those things, you’ve got a problem, Sabal Trail. And Southern Natural Gas just did that in ecomments to FERC.

SONAT should be worried about this after last week in Berrien County, Georgia:

Each crossing poses a risk during construction of the crossing as well as ongoing risks during operation and maintenance of the pipelines. Since the SNG pipeline must remain in service during construction of the crossings, each time Sabal Trail bores under, or cuts under, the SNG pipeline there is an increased risk that the integrity of the SNG pipeline will be compromised.

A humble county ditch puller broke SONAT’s pipeline on Bradford Road, resulting in Sheriff’s deputies from two counties, a city 911 vehicle, and an ambulance being scrambled, in addition to a fleet of Kinder Morgan vehicles. And me, since this break was only a few miles from my house, and the valve they used to turn off Berrien County is on my property. Neighbors I’ve known all my life were evacuated. One spark and they wouldn’t have had anything to come back to. And this was a 9 or 10-inch pipeline at 800PSI. Sabal Trail wants to run a 36-inch pipeline at twice the pressure, more than 20 times the gas. Why should any of us accept that risk for Sabal Trail’s corner-cutting profit?

You should have seen the face the Kinder Morgan rep on the spot pulled when I mentioned Sabal Trail. Now we can see spelled out what SONAT really thinks about their competitor, including: Continue reading Needless risk through unnecessary crossings –SONAT to FERC about Sabal Trail

Agriculture over pipeline: Terrell County resolution against Sabal Trail

Agritourism, economy, and environment were among the reasons Terrell County followed Dougherty County and passed a resolution against the Sabal Trail pipeline. FERC didn’t post the County Chairman’s cover letter, but the County Clerk sent it to me. What else has FERC neglected to post?

Filed with FERC 13 November 2014, Protest of Terrell County Board of Commissioners (Georgia) under PF14-1.

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas has proposed building a $3.7 Billion, 460-mile gas pipeline from Central Alabama to Central Florida known as the Sabal Trail, and:

300x388 Resolution, in Agriculture over pipeline: Terrell County resolution against Sabal Trail, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 5 November 2014 WHEREAS, a growing contingency of local and area residents have expressed opposition to construction of the pipeline and compressor stations used to force the natural gas through the pipelines, and:

WHEREAS, The construction of the pipeline through Terrell County, Georgia will severely impact agricultural and agiitourism businesses located in the county, and:

WHEREAS, it is clear to this board that the Sabal Trail will not Continue reading Agriculture over pipeline: Terrell County resolution against Sabal Trail

FERC recovers cost of operations through charges and fees from the industries it regulates –FERC FY14 Budget

Don’t believe FERC is funded by the industries it regulates? Well, let’s look beyond FERC’s own About web page to its actual funding request to Congress. Maybe that will motivate you to ecomment to FERC right now, and to contact your local, state, and national elected and appointed officials.

Acting Chairman Cheryl A. LaFleur, FEDERAL  ENERGY  REGULATORY  COMMISSION, FY 2015 Congressional Performance Budget Request,

Full Cost Recovery

The Commission recovers the full cost of its operations through annual charges and filing fees assessed on the industries it regulates as authorized by the Federal Power Act (FPA) and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. The Commission deposits this revenue into the Treasury as a direct offset to its appropriation, resulting in no net appropriation.

Clear enough that FERC is 100% funded by the industries it regulates?

That may seem like a win for the taxpayers. But is it a win for you the local landowners Continue reading FERC recovers cost of operations through charges and fees from the industries it regulates –FERC FY14 Budget

Consider Panhandle route: page 2 of Dougherty County Sabal Trail resolution

300x391 Resolution page 2, in Resolution No. 14-019 pipeline and compressor station, by Dougherty County Commission, for SpectraBusters.org, 5 November 2014 The page FERC lost of the Dougherty County resolution against the Sabal Trail pipeline asks FERC to move it completely out of Georgia:

SECTION III We ask that serious consideration and analysis be given to the alternative route through the Panhandle of Florida, a copy of which is attached hereto.

The missing page is now integrated into the previous post. Thanks to Dougherty County Attorney Spencer Lee for sending it. And below is that Panhandle route, as filed by Sabal Trail with FERC in November 2013. Continue reading Consider Panhandle route: page 2 of Dougherty County Sabal Trail resolution

VSU Spectator covers pipeline protest at Valdosta Sabal Trail office

It’s time for more counties to follow Dougherty County’s lead and pass resolutions against the Sabal Trail pipeline. Local protests in Valdosta and citizens speaking before local governments emphasize that point.

Brittney Penland, VSU Spectator, Page 2, 6 November 2014, Students, faculty protest future pipeline,

300x334 Students protesting, in Students, faculty protest future pipeline, by Brittney Penland, for SpectraBusters.org, 6 November 2014 Protestors gathered on Oct. 31 at the corner of Park Avenue and Patterson Street to argue against the building of the Sabal Trail gas pipeline.

The protesters were associated with VSU’s Students Against Violating the Environment and Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy. The costumes they were dressed in for Halloween attracted honking and “thumbs up’s” from those driving by.

Another protest is scheduled for today at Continue reading VSU Spectator covers pipeline protest at Valdosta Sabal Trail office

FERC lost half of Dougherty County Sabal Trail resolution

Update 2014-11-11: Thanks to Spencer Lee, Dougherty County Attorney, for sending the second page of the resolution, which does ask FERC to move the pipeline completely out of Georgia; see below. 2014-12-11: PDF of the two pages of the resolution and PDF of the entire FERC filing with the missing page interpolated.

FERC managed to lose the actual resolution on the second page of Dougherty County Commission’s FERC filing of today, but the WHEREASes are enough to see that DoCo says

….the health and welfare of our community will be severely compromised by the construction ofthe pipeline and any associated compressor stations within Dougherty County; and

WHEREAS, it is clear to the Board that, to this date, Sabal Trail has not articulated a justifiable need for the pipeline as it traverses Dougherty County.

Here’s a PDF on SpectraBusters.org of today’s DoCo filing, in case FERC manages to lose that, too.

Here’s the WHEREAS page while we’re waiting on FERC to find the lost page, like it eventually did for Bill Kendall’s letter about lack of need, false pretense, and duress. Maybe FERC just can’t handle the truth?

14-019

A RESOLUTION
ENTITLED
A RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO THE 465 MILE INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS
PIPELINE PROPOSED BY SABAL TRANSMISSISON, LLC AS SAID PIPELINE
TRAVERSES THROUGH DOUGHERTY COUNTY; REPEALING RESOLUTIONS OR PARTS
OF RESOLUTIONS IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Continue reading FERC lost half of Dougherty County Sabal Trail resolution

LNG exports would drive up domestic natural gas prices

EIA’s summary: “Increased LNG exports lead to increased natural gas prices”. How can that be “consistent with the public interest” when there’s a cheaper, faster, cleaner, and safer way that would not push domestic natural gas prices up, namely solar and wind power? So even if the Sabal Trail pipeline wouldn’t take your land, risk your family and drinking water, or cost your taxes to pay for any leaks or explosions, if it exports through even those three already-authorized LNG export operations where it leads in Florida, it would run up the price of natural gas in the U.S. You don’t even have to believe T. Boone Pickens: you can read this eia report that was commissioned by the very same Office of Fossil Energy that authorized those three LNG export operations.

U.S. Energy Information Administraiton, 29 October 2014, Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports on U.S. Energy Markets, Continue reading LNG exports would drive up domestic natural gas prices

Alabama Sierra Club Retreat talk against Sabal Trail

At the Alabama Sierra Club Retreat this weekend at Lakepoint State Park near Eufaula, I’ll be speaking and doing Q&A for an hour: 10AM Saturday 1 November 2014. If you’re anywhere near Eufaula, Alabama this weekend, I highly recommend coming to this retreat: it’s got lots of great talks and activities.

What do you important points do you think I should mention? What graphics can you send me to include in the slides? No rush: leaving Friday morning, so if you could get me your materials by tomorrow (Thursday), that would be great.

FYI, I will be talking about at least Continue reading Alabama Sierra Club Retreat talk against Sabal Trail

Sabal Trail delays formal FERC filing until “sometime later this year”

Sabal Trail has backed off its end-of-October FERC filing target, now saying “sometime later this year”. Opposition is having some effects!

Robert Hudson wrote for alexcityOutlook.com 1 October 2014, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, where Sabal Trail proposes to start its hundred-foot gouge through three states, Company preparing to submit natural gas pipeline application to FERC, Continue reading Sabal Trail delays formal FERC filing until “sometime later this year”

Help stop pipelines: donate to SpectraBusters today

You can donate to SpectraBusters to help stop the unnecessary, environmentally damaging, and hazardous Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, and its siblings Transco Hillabee and FSC, too.

You can help pay for contacting landowners (so they’ll hear something more than pipeline company PR), for contacting the public with billboards (currently we’re aiming for I-75 southbound near Lake City), and other work, ranging from research possibly up to legal assistance. Donate online today!

And don’t forget to send an ecomment to FERC.

Policy passed unanimously by SpectraBusters board 1 September 2014

Continue reading Help stop pipelines: donate to SpectraBusters today