Category Archives: FERC

FPL pushing FERC to rubberstamp Sabal Trail: time to push back

January 25, 2016Alabama, FERC, Florida, Georgia, SolarAlabama, FERC, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, SpectraBusters, windJohn S. Quarterman

How about not in February or March for the Sabal Trail FERC permit?

FPL is pushing FERC to rubberstamp Sabal Trail (and FSC and Transco’s Hillabee) by February 1^st. Nevermind FERC said when it issued its FEIS that its target for “considering” a permit was March.

Since FERC hasn’t fixed its process as four Georgia Congressmen demanded, how about FERC stop its process until it is fixed? You may also want to ask your members of Congress to ask FERC to do that.

There are no more FERC Commision meetings in January, and none of the other meetings scheduled for January or February are about Sabal Trail, so apparently FERC did not jump when FPL went frog. However, beware that no agenda is yet posted for the Commission meetings of 18 February 2016 or 17 March 2016. The time to head off a FERC permit is now.

Filed with FERC 11 January 2016 as Accession Number 20160111-5226, “Florida Power & Light Company’s Letter in Support of the Southeast Market Pipelines Project under CP14-554, et. al..”: Continue reading FPL pushing FERC to rubberstamp Sabal Trail: time to push back →

The LNG export shell game: FERC, FE, MARAD, or NEB?

January 9, 2016British Columbia, Economy, Ethics, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, LNG, MARAD, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Nova Scotia, Oregon, Solar, Suwannee County, Texas, WaterAES, Bahamas, Big Bend, boondoggle, British Columbia, Calypso LNG, Coos Bay, Cove Point LNG, Economy, Elba Island LNG, Ethics, FE, FERC, Florida, FPL, Georgia, greed, Hudson River, Jacksonville Expansion Project, Jaxport, JEP, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, KMI, Law, LNG, Manhattan, MARAD, Maryland, Mexico, NE, NextEra Energy, Nova Scotia, Ocean Express, Oregon, Oregon LNG export, Port Dolphin, Port Everglades, profit, Rio Grande, Sabal Trail Transmission, shell game, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Strom, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, Texas, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

If you’re a Houston fossil fuel company and you can’t get FERC approval fast enough, try FE, or MARAD! If that doesn’t work, ship it by land through Canada or Mexico! Local property rights, they laugh at those! Rio Grande, Suwannee River, or Hudson River: just minor obstacles to greed! If the people are tired of profit being more important than their land, water, air, or safety, it’s time to stop this fossil fuel shell game.

MARAD

Continue reading →

Strom moving amendment

January 8, 2016Citrus County, FE, FERC, Florida, LNG, LNG, StromDebra Johnson

Strom LNG Processing & Exporting Facility Amendment — Approved
Strom app to relocate to Citrus County giving them access to Sabal Trail pipeline. Note Strom will be have facility to produce LNG gas for long term exporting from ST supplied fracked gas or possibly FGS pipeline — which pipeline source do you think they really plan on using? — from fracked natural gas and truck or haul via “bomb” trains this gas 90 miles to Tampa Port for export.

Again where is the public need or necessity in the Sabal Trail Pipeline? There is none. Only profits for invested politicians at the risk of our water supply and danger to individual lives as this fracked gas is processed for export and transported on public highways.

STROM DOE FTA Location Source Amendment 9 29 2014 (2).pdf

Petition for GAO to rein in FERC

January 2, 2016Ethics, FERC, LawBernie Sanders, boondoggle, corruption, Delaware Riverkeeper, Elizabeth Warren, Ethics, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, GAO, Government Accountability Office, John S. Quarterman, lapdog, Law, Maya K. van Rossum, regulatory capture loopholes, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Please sign this petition for an independent investigation of FERC by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Or call or write your own members of Congress and ask them to investigate FERC and rein in its rubberstamping of new fossil fuel projects.

FERC has actually denied two pipelines out of a huge number of applications. Both were part of LNG import projects. One of them was about hardship to mineral interest donors, and a fair FERC would conclude hardship to everyone who depends on the Floridan Aquifer for their sole source of drinking water would be more than sufficient reason to deny Sabal Trail. The other`was a Spectra pipeline, so even mighty Spectra can lose at FERC.

But it’s hard for any new fossil fuel project to lose at FERC because FERC brags about “Full Cost Recovery” meaning 100% of FERC’s annual Congressional allocation is paid back out of fees and charges from the very industries FERC supposedly “regulates”. This is what Investopedia defines as regulatory capture: Continue reading Petition for GAO to rein in FERC →

Marion County Sinkhole on Sabal Trail path

December 25, 2015FERC, Florida, Marion County, Safety, WaterAudubon Florida, burrowing owl, Florida, gopher tortoise, Janet Barrow, Marion County, Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs, River Springs, Rock Springs, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, sand hill crane, scrub jay, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

Janet Barrow says:

Here is a photo of a sinkhole that is 1230 feet from the proposed pipeline at MP 380. It dropped overnight—40′ wide and deep—several years ago.

This is the biggest recent one on the ranch where I live, but there are others. MP 377 – MP 386 go through the ranch where I live. We don’t own it. My husband is manager. This is in Marion County. 29.094506, -82.405163.

The thing is, I know a lot about this land, and very few others know anything about it. It is Continue reading Marion County Sinkhole on Sabal Trail path →

FERC rubberstamped FEIS for Sabal Trail today 2015-12-18

December 18, 2015FERC, Law, WaterAir, Duke Energy, FEIS, FERC, Final Environmental Impact Statement, FPL, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sierra Club, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USACE, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Just before Christmas, when the fewest people will be paying attention, FERC just issued for Sabal Trail, FSC, and Transco Hillabee the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), aiming at March to rubberstamp a permit. You can still ecomment to FERC, or to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or to GA-EPD or ask your local, state, and federal elected and appointed officials to oppose this unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous boondoggle.

Curious how EPA changed its tune just before the FEIS.

Accession Number: 20151218-4001, “Final Environmental Impact Statement Volume I re the Southeast Market Pipelines Project under CP14-554 et al. Dated December”, with an announcement, Continue reading FERC rubberstamped FEIS for Sabal Trail today 2015-12-18 →

SMP Schedule

December 12, 2015FERCDEIS, Environmental Impact Statement, FEIS, FERC, Florida Southeast Connection, John S. Quarterman, permit, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Transco Hillabee Expansion ProjectJohn S. Quarterman

Three weeks after the date on the letter, I got this schedule notice from FERC, saying they plan to issue the final Environmental Impact Statement 18 December 2015, and they plan to rubberstamp the permit 17 March 2016, for Sabal Trail, Transco, and Florida Southeast Connection. So the opposition has made FERC slip the schedule a month.

This letter does mention a move for the Albany Compressor Station, but it looks to me like it’s referring to the previous site relocation.

-jsq

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
CP14-554-000
CP15-16-000
CP15-17-000
Florida Southeast Connection, LLC
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC
Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC
NOTICE OF REVISED SCHEDULE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF THE
SOUTHEAST MARKET PIPELINES PROJECT
(November 19, 2015) Continue reading SMP Schedule →

What companies are in Sabal Trail and related?

December 9, 2015Duval County, FERC, LNG, Suwannee Countyboondoggle, conflict of interest, corruption, Duke Energy, Duval County, FERC, Florida, Florida Power and Light, FPL, Gulfstream, Jacksonville, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, KMI, LNG, Rick Scott, Sabal Trail Management, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee County, Transco, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Who is Sabal Trail, anyway? Counties resolving against Sabal Trail might want to make their resolutions against any new pipeline, since there’s already another one proposed for Suwannee County (see below).

Sabal Trail owned and operated by….

Reviving a pipeline idea that failed in the Florida PSC in 2009, FPL put out a request for proposals that was won by Sabal Trail in 2013. Note the original proposed Sabal Trail path in the map below did not go through Georgia; why that changed is a long story apparently only known in full to Spectra, FPL, and Williams Co.

Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC was formed by Continue reading What companies are in Sabal Trail and related? →

Defer DEIS, deny Sabal Trail –SpectraBusters to FERC

October 27, 2015FERCCP15-17, Debra Johnson, FERC, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

You can still file your own e-comment today!

Here’s what SpectraBusters filed with FERC 27 October 2015 as Accession Number 20151027-5032, “Supplemental Information of SpectraBusters, Inc. under CP15-17.To ask that FERC ceases descions based on incomplete and faulty DEIS by Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC. We also ask that FERC extend public comment period.” (PDF) -jsq

Spectrabusters, Inc.
Debra Johnson — Board Member

To: John Peconom — Project Manager, Environmental Biologist at FERC

Spectrabusters, Inc. would like to respectfully request that FERC defer any decisions concerning the DEIS for the Sabal Trail pipeline project, Docket #CP-17-000, based on the fact that all necessary information to determine the validity of the DEIS/EIS is incomplete as final submissions from other governmental agencies, pending court rulings and Sabal Trail have not been submitted.

Please refer to the ongoing actions below that would impact the DEIS.
Continue reading Defer DEIS, deny Sabal Trail –SpectraBusters to FERC →

Today is last day to E-Comment to FERC about DEIS 2015-10-26

October 26, 2015FERCDEIS, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, FERC, pipeline, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

The whole world is watching: speak up to FERC and be heard!

Update Tuesday October 27, 2015: According to FERC, you can still e-comment today!

Here’s how to e-comment.

Simple is good: “The Albany compressor station is a very bad idea.”

Or: Continue reading Today is last day to E-Comment to FERC about DEIS 2015-10-26 →