Would it or wouldn’t it cross the Withlacoochee River in Florida? (It certainly would in Georgia by 4 out of 5 proposed paths.) And Sabal Trail poo-poohed all four of Greenlaw’s suggested Alternatives, but FERC could still require any one of them. Here are Sabal Trail’s own maps of Greenlaw Alternatives 1-4:
Continue reading Sabal Trail Response to FERC directive of 26 August 2014
Lori McCraney of 
Suwannee Alliance for Sustainable Growth wrote in the Suwannee Democrat 11 September 2014,
Guest commentary — Is the Sabal Trail pipeline necessary?
I am pleased that the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners has issued a resolution challenging the location of the Sabal Trail pipeline in the vicinity of the Withlacoochee River. Hamilton County resident Chris Mericle did an excellent job of explaining the risks of locating the pipeline in such fragile karst terrain. Sable Trails LLC quickly responded by saying that it will move the crossing to the west, possibly crossing the Suwannee River somewhere near the Suwannee River State Park.
The same problems still exist with tunneling under the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County, Georgia and tunneling under the Suwannee River at two locations in Suwannee County. As Mr. Mericle explained about drilling under our rivers, “The horizontal directional drilling could intersect spring conduits, affect spring well flows, and ultimately river base flow. Grouting in this cavernous, Continue reading Is the Sabal Trail pipeline necessary? –Lori McCraney
FERC just directed Sabal Trail to actually address problems raised
by citizens and local government agencies, plus numerous discrepencies
FERC itself detected.
Opposition to this unnecessary and hazardous fracked methane
pipeline is having effects, even with rubberstamping FERC.
But watch out Tifton, Valdosta, Thomasville, and The Villages!
You’re now on possible routes.
Sabal Trail is to provide details for Greenlaw’s route-around-Albany proposals on behalf of Sierra Club and others Valdosta, you’re back in two proposed routes, the the one you saw last summer, plus one down I-75 that would go right past Lowndes High School and also past The Villages in sinkhole-prone Sumter County, Florida. Tifton, you’re not safe; look at that Hillabee route. Thomasville watch out: you’re on a new proposed route.
Sabal Trail is to provide alternatives to minimize effects on or
completely avoid the
Withlacoochee River,
and this is even before the Hamilton County Commission’s resolution
against the pipeline gets to FERC.
FERC’s letter is peppered with requirements to cooperate with federal, state, and local agencies especially including about land use and environmental requirements and land approvals.
It explicitly says that
all surveys Continue reading Explain karst, sinkholes, discrepencies, and routes around Albany and the Withlacoochee River –FERC to Sabal Trail
After citizens familiar with the springs, shoals, and sinkholes
of the Withlacoochee River and the fragile karst limestone that
contains them and the Floridan Aquifer, source of drinking water
for all of Florida and south Georgia, the north Florida county
of Hamilton passed a resolution asking FERC to have the Sabal Trail
fracked methane pipeline avoid those geological formations.
According to
a letter already forwarded to FERC by the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection
and also quoted in part to FERC by the
Suwannee River Water Management District,
that would mean
there’s basically nowhere that pipeline would be safe in north Florida
(or south Georgia, which has the same limestone substrate).
Joyce Marie Taylor updated in the Suwannee Democrat 25 August 2014, Hamilton fights back against Sabal Trail pipeline,
A special meeting was called on Friday, Aug. 22, and the board voted to pass Resolution 14-10 that expressed their concerns about the proposed pipeline route across the Withlacoochee River that forms the western boundary of Hamilton County.
A portion of the resolution states, Continue reading Avoid the Withlacoochee River and karst limestone –Hamilton Co. FL to FERC
Filed with FERC 18 April 2014. Avoid karst limestone, unconfined aquifer, caves, springs, wetlands, drilling under rivers, blasting, or using groundwater for testing pipes or disposing of it afterwards, and where can a pipeline go?
SUWANNEE
RIVER
WATER
MANAGEMENT
DISTRICTApril 18.2014 Continue reading Avoid highly sensitive water resource features –SRWMD to FERC
The Congress member for all of the north Florida path of the proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline invites you to a Town Hall in Ocala Monday.
On Ted Yoho’s facebook page, this event:
Ocala Town Hall
Hosted by Congressman Ted Yoho
6:30-7:30pm Monday 17 March 2014
3733 SW 80th Avenue, Ocala, FLCome join me for a Town Hall meeting on Monday, March 17th at Westport High School. I’ll be there to give an update on what is happening in Washington as well as answer any questions or concerns. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Hope to see you there!
Florida’s Third Congressional District includes part or all of all of the north Florida counties on the pipeline path: Madison County, Hamilton County, Columbia County, Suwannee County, Gilchrist County, Alachua County, Levy County, and Marion County.
Continue reading Ted Yoho (FL-03) Town Hall in Ocala, FL tomorrow 17 March 2014
Merrillee did it, and so can you: write a letter to your local newspaper,
or to a state or national one, for that matter.
In the Suwannee Democrat Thursday and a longer version in the Gainesville Sun today, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson: Natural gas highway proposed in the springs heartland -jsq.
The springs have been taking a beating in our recent history and now
they are poised to brace for another blow. Spectra Energy Corp. and NextEra Energy Inc. have teamed up to build a $3 billion gas highway that will connect an Alabama natural gas bulk transfer station, cut through Georgia and bisect Florida’s springs heartland.
It would extend down to Orlando, where the gas will be dispersed into two more pipelines, ultimately benefiting Florida Power and Light. The two corporations have created Sabal Trails LLC for the surveying and construction team. Spectra Energy Corp. constructs pipelines and created Sabal Trails to get the job done, while
Florida Power and Light wants the gas and is a subsidiary of the electricity supplier NextEra Energy Inc.
The Florida citing commission has ruled to allow NextEra and Spectra the right to survey and build another gas transmission pipeline through Florida’s vulnerable landscape. Land impacts will be plentiful; protected animal and plant species will have to suffer Continue reading Natural gas highway proposed in the springs heartland –Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson
The same U.S. House subcommittee that wants to export liquid natural gas is pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The two subcommittee members are from Alabama and Florida represent counties in the paths of two Spectra methane pipelines.
Ted Poe (R TX-02) of Houston, Chairman of the SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM, NONPROLIFERATION, AND TRADE of the COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES spelled out the connection to natural gas in the panel discussion for the hearing on The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Outlook and Opportunities,
Hopefully, we will change that and become an exporter, especially of natural gas.
This meshes with his remark hearing on natural gas exports:
The Department of Energy has not approved an application to export to a country we don’t have a Free Trade Agreement with in 2 years.
Presumably he meant FERC, which bills itself as an independent agency. The point remains the same: Chairman Poe wants more free trade agreements for more LNG exports. In his opening statement to the TPP hearing he spelled out that he considers the Trans-Pacific Partnership to be a free trade agreement: Continue reading The Trans-Pacific Partnership and LNG exports
This newspaper didn’t mention Suwannee County, Florida may be
getting a compressor station.
And remember, the proposed pipeline path crosses
the Withlacoochee River a second time just before crossing the Suwannee River
to enter Suwannee County.
All of the Open Houses required by FERC, are listed on the calendar. They resume Monday evening in Lumpkin, GA and Williston, FL. Before that, Monday morning, the Lowndes County Commission, Georgia, is having Spectra speak at their 8:30 AM Monday 9 December Work Session, to answer questions submitted in advance by the public.
Suwannee Democrat, 30 November 2013, Public invited to proposed gas pipeline open house events,
Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC will be hosting two open house meetings for the interested public to learn more about the underground natural gas pipeline project that is proposed to come through Suwannee County.
The public is invited to attend the meetings on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Coliseum (11th Street/Fairgrounds) in Live Oak and on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Branford High School (405 S Reynolds St., Branford).
They also included “As previously reported by the Suwannee Democrat”:
Natural gas pipeline to extend 40 miles in Suwannee County
500 landowners could be affected
By Bryant Thigpen
bryant.thigpen@gaflnews.com
Sabal Trail Transmission has announced their intent to construct a natural gas pipeline which will run approximately 40 miles in Suwannee County, according to Andrea Grover, spokesperson for Sabal Trail Transmission. Plans are underway to construct a natural gas pipeline from North Alabama to Central Florida and could be constructed as early as Summer 2016.
If the proposed map remains unchanged, the pipeline is about 470 miles long and will make its way through four Alabama counties, nine Georgia counties and 12 Florida counties, including Suwannee and surrounding Madison and Hamilton counties.
The pipeline will extend for approximately 40 miles in Suwannee County and approximately 500 landowners will be affected by this project. About 100 landowners in Hamilton County will be affected by this project as well.
“The routing is very much not set,” Grover said.
According to Grover, the current proposed route could change, but it will stay within the 600 feet corridor. Grover said the pipeline will run along existing rights-of-way for about 80 percent of the route. When construction begins, the pipeline’s projection path will be narrowed down to a 50 feet corridor.
Really? In Lowndes County, Georgia, at least, “run along” means side-by-side but not on the same easement, so many landowners get a second pipeline gash through their property if we let this happen. And why did Sabal Trail file with FERC all those detailed alternative maps including one for a “Hildreth Compressor Station, Suwannee County, Florida”?
Hildreth Compressor Station, Suwannee County, Florida, in Alternatives, by Sabal Trail Transmission,
for FERC Docket No. PF14-1-000, 15 November 2013, converted by SpectraBusters
SABAL TRAIL PROJECT, DRAFT RESOURCE REPORT 10, Alternatives, FERC Docket No. PF14-1-000, Initial Pre-Filing Draft, November 2013
-jsq
Watch out, Valdosta and Tifton! The Hillabee Georgia alternative route avoids Albany and Russell County, Alabama, by starting in Harris County, Georgia, passing through Muscogee, Talbot, Chattachoochee, Marion, Schley, Sumter, Lee, Worth, Turner, Tift, Cook, and Lowndes Counties before entering Florida in Hamilton County much like Spectra’s preferred route. This is the rest of the Option B that was first proposed to Lowndes County residents back in June.
Extracted from Sabal Trail’s one big PDF document, here is PDF and JPG of the Hillabee Georgia alternative route map.
SABAL TRAIL PROJECT, DRAFT RESOURCE REPORT 10, Alternatives, FERC Docket No. PF14-1-000, Initial Pre-Filing Draft, November 2013
http://spectrabusters.org/ferc/pf14-1-sabal-trail-transmission/update-2013-11-15/draft-resource-report-10-alternatives/
-jsq