Category Archives: FERC

Sabal Trail at worst spot –expert in Gainesville Sun

Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Law, Martin County, Safety, Suwannee County, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Florida newspaper reporters are not buying the pipeline company’s spin. Instead they write about the fragile limestone that holds our drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer, damage to which can easily turn a spring into a sinkhole. Wednesday, the Orlando Sentinel about Spectra’s safety record, and today Morgan Watkins wrote for the Gainesville Sun, Expert: Pipeline would cross Santa Fe at the worst spot,

Standing along the bank of the Santa Fe River near the riverside house in southern Suwannee County his family has owned since 1967, Kevin Brown pointed to the spot where a natural gas pipeline is expected to cross underneath the ground.

But Brown’s brother David, a geologist, and other concerned folks hope to persuade the company leading the project to select what they consider a safer crossing point….

The river and the surrounding area is pockmarked with springs and sinkholes. Exposed limestone — a crumbly, fractured rock — Continue reading Sabal Trail at worst spot –expert in Gainesville Sun →

Methane pipeline safety record questioned –Lauren Ritchie

Corrosion, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Leak, Maine, Martin County, New York, Osceola County, Safety, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A reporter for a major newspaper is calling Spectra on its safety record, and calling Spectra’s responses “not good enough”! After thirty years of Spectra safety promises, that’s putting it mildly. A Maine resident put it this way after the Spectra’s Searsmont compressor blowout: “we were clearly lied to”.

Lauren Ritchie wrote for the Orlando Sentinel today, Safety record of natural-gas pipeline partner raises concerns,

Spectra Energy Corp. along with FPL’s parent, NextEra Energy, would bury the 473-mile Sabal Trail pipeline expected to carry 1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to just south of Orlando in Osceola County, where it would connect to another line for eventual delivery to FPL in Martin County.

Spectra’s safety record, however, leaves something to be desired.

Take, for example, the company’s Texas Eastern pipeline, a 9,200-mile Spectra project connecting Texas with the markets in the Northeast.

Between 2006 and 2013, the company had 21 “incidents” along the line, causing Continue reading Methane pipeline safety record questioned –Lauren Ritchie →

Water supply more important than methane pipeline –Lauren Ritchie

Explosion, FERC, Florida, Lake County, Leak, Martin County, Osceola County, Safety, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“But this isn’t an issue just for tree-huggers. It’s one that every person who uses water ought to latch on to,” she wrote.

I added the links and the images below to what Lauren Ritchie wrote in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday, Move path for natural-gas pipeline to protect water supply,

Only a relatively small piece of a proposed natural-gas pipeline that is to cross three states would come through a corner of south Lake County, but the route is directly through one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Florida.

And, unfortunately, the pipeline is to be built by a company whose safety record is hardly sterling and whose tendency is to stare silently when asked questions about accidents.

I’d recognize the pipeline company from that description. Continue reading Water supply more important than methane pipeline –Lauren Ritchie →

Disappointing Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings –Bob Hastings

Alabama, Choctaw County, FERC, Russell County, Tallapoosa County, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bob Hastings of the Alabama Sierra Club reports from the Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings. -jsq

I attended both the Alexander City and Butler hearings, and was disappointed in both. There was apparently a lot of apathy and/or intimidation among people affected.

There were about 50-75 people at Alex City but only about 7 people spoke. I read the Alabama-Georgia-Florida Sierra Club statement, and got a few compliments after the meeting.

At Butler, there were only 7 people present (plus about 15 “company” employees who answered questions, but there were not many questions). Because of the small group, we sat in a circle with the FERC reps and listened to their statements and asked a few questions. No landowners made statements and I agreed to submit mine online. It was a long drive for not much information.

I was also told that about 25 people attended the Seale hearing but no one submitted comments (according to Bill Braun, a “first zero” for FERC hearings).

Bill Braun was the FERC representative (a contract environmental consultant) from Minnesota who described the projects at all three hearings in Alabama, along with Kara Harris.

FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club

Alabama, Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Fracking, Law, Safety, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Filed with FERC 14 March 2104 by Bob Hastings for Alabama Sierra Club about PF14-6. -jsq

Comments on the proposed Transco Pipeline Hillabee Expansion Project:

The Sierra Club is a national environmental organization promoting the protection of our natural environment and quality of life for all citizens. The Club has more than 1.5 million members and includes chapters in all states. The Alabama Chapter has approximately 3000 members.

The Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club has joined with the Georgia and Florida Sierra Club Chapters to oppose the proposed 650 mile Sabal Trail Pipeline that would carry natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing from Pennsylvania and Texas through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Since the purpose of the Hillabee Expansion project is to supply gas to the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, we also oppose the Hillabee Expansion project, and consider it undesirable and not needed.

Williams Partners, Inc., owners of the Transco pipeline, has a poor record of pipeline safety, and has had at least 35 reportable accidents since 2006, including the pipeline rupture and explosion on December 3, 2011, near Linden in Marengo County, Alabama. Fortunately this explosion, which devastated 65 acres of forest land, did not occur in a populated area where loss of life could have been tragic. Williams Partners should focus on upgrading the existing pipeline for improved safety rather than expanding its capacity.

The existing Transco pipeline cuts through Continue reading FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club →

Spectra stands down on drilling core samples at the Santa Fe River, Florida

FERC, Florida, Gilchrist County, Law, Suwannee County, Water, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mighty Spectra stopped from drilling for now by local opposition in Suwannee and Gilchrist Counties, Florida! Why were they preparing to drill anyway, when they don’t have a permit, and haven’t even started the formal permitting process with FERC to get it? Why have they also been reported going on property without permission this week in Georgia?

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, president of Our Santa Fe River (OSFR), reports:

Sabal has started to stake the ground as to where to put what is called a drilling station. There are plans to put one station in Gilchrist and one in Suwannee. They intend to dig a tunnel under the river bed by directional bore drilling to connect the 2 sites. There have been NO permits issued for any of this; experts have not had time to review all the pertinent information on historical resources, biology, geology, etc… Residents in Gilchrist have not even signed papers allowing them access to their land for surveying purposes and now they are staking for core drilling samples!

Sabal is presently staking Gilchrist Cypress Shores property and plans to drill for core material so that they understand what is under the ground when they plan to bring in the heavy drilling equipment (years from now). Cart before the horse. The FERC has not even decided this is the route. We have important information that shows this is a Springs system and should not be put here and will present at scoping meetings.

Deborah Hogan called me last night to tell me Sabal will “stand down” till they have more information in the Suwannee County side. Sabal believes they are in the clear to do bore hole samples for directional drilling to put a drilling platform that will go under the River and connect to other side.

Sabal has no need to do these core samples now. to find their site location. There has been no approval of this route. The Environmental Impact Study EIS, has not been completed. The scoping meetings have not been done.

OSFR has also contacted Suwannee River Water Management District and Gilchrist County Administrator, Bobby Crosby, to stop the Gilchrist core sampling.

OSFR has called the following people for more info and to get them to stop.

Deborah Hogan, Sabal survey representative, 1-305-433-1700

and

John Peconom, FERC, 1-202-502-6352

Merrillee adds:

Environmental lawyer that represents IREPA, Christopher Byrd, also takes credit for stopping Sabal for the moment.

Maybe people would like to mention this at the Suwannee County Commission meeting 6PM Tuesday 18 March 2014. The FERC Scoping Meetings go to Florida that same day, starting in Lake Wales and heading up to north Florida the following week. And you can file ecomments with FERC at any time.

-jsq

Reports of Sabal Trail going on property without permission

FERC, Georgia, , , , , , , ,

According to reliable sources, Sabal Trail is going on people’s property without permission, repeatedly, today. This is in Georgia.

Everyone please be on the lookout.

Anyone willing to take pictures and send them, we can post them anonymously.

If anyone is willing to go on the record, that’s even better.

Pipeline companies should be aware that people take trespassing seriously.

-jsq

Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company Denied by FERC

Chambers County, FERC, Law, Liberty County, Texas, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the denied application Kevin Bowman gave me, and that John Peconom also gave me:

Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company, LLC Docket No. CP10-481-000

ORDER DENYING APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE AUTHORIZATIONS
(Issued June 16, 2011)
1. On August 9, 2010, Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company, LLC (Turtle Bayou) filed an application in Docket No. CP10-481-000 under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA),1 requesting a certificate of public convenience and necessity under Part 157, Subpart A, of the Commission’s regulations2 authorizing the construction and operation of a salt dome natural gas storage facility and associated pipeline facilities in Chambers and Liberty Counties, Texas. In addition, Turtle Bayou seeks a blanket certificate under Part 157, Subpart F, of the Commission’s regulations to engage in certain eligible construction activities3 and a blanket certificate under Part 284, Subpart G, of the regulations to provide open-access transportation services, including storage service.4 Turtle Bayou also requests authority to charge market-based rates for its storage services, and accordingly seeks a waiver of certain filing, accounting, and reporting requirements. As discussed below, the Commission denies Turtle Bayou’s application for the requested certificate authorizations.

1 15 U.S.C. § 717f(c) (2006).

2 18 C.F.R. Part 157 (2011).

3 Id.

4 18 C.F.R. Part 284 (2011).

There’s also this: Continue reading Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company Denied by FERC →

Keyspan LNG and Algonquin Pipeline denied by FERC

FERC, Law, Rhode Island, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the denied application that John Peconom gave me:

KeySpan LNG, L.P. and Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC

KeySpan LNG, L.P. Docket Nos. CP04-223-000 and
CP04-293-000
Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC Docket No. CP04-358-000
ORDER DENYING AUTHORIZATION UNDER SECTION 3
AND DISMISSING CERTIFICATE APPLICATION
(Issued July 5, 2005)
  1. In this proceeding, KeySpan LNG, L.P. (KeySpan) requests authority under section3 of the Natural Gas Act to site, construct, and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at its existing LNG storage facility in the City of Providence, Rhode Island.1 In a related application, Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC (Algonquin) requests authority under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act to construct and operate 1.44 miles of 24-inch diameter pipeline in order to transport natural gas from KeySpan’s proposed terminal to Algonquin’s existing interstate pipeline system.2
  2. In essence, KeySpan is proposing Continue reading Keyspan LNG and Algonquin Pipeline denied by FERC →

Orders Denying Certificates

Colquitt County, FERC, Georgia, Law, Lowndes County, Rhode Island, Texas, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Given months to find them, all FERC could come up with for orders denying certificates was for two liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities. Each did have an associated pipeline request, but neither was for a stand-alone pipeline application. I do thank John Peconom and Kevin Bowman for providing these documents. However, really, is this all there is?

I asked John Peconom of FERC for a list of denied pipeline applications at the Moultrie makeup Sabal Trail Open House 27 January 2014, and again after the Valdosta FERC Scoping Meeting 4 March 2014, and each time Peconom said he would get me a list, including the actual orders denying some pipelines. At the Moultrie FERC Scoping Meeting 5 March 2014, I pointed out to the hundred-or-so attendees that I still hadn’t gotten a list.

After the Moultrie meeting, Kevin Bowman of FERC gave me a slip of paper with this written on it:

Turtle Bayou Gas
CP10-481-000
June 2011

See separate post.

Then John Peconom of FERC sent me an email message with these two links in it: Continue reading Orders Denying Certificates →