Category Archives: Martin County

Sierra Club opposes new natural gas electric generating units: good news against Sabal Trail

The excuse for Spectra’s Sabal Trail pipeline is new natural gas electric generating units in Florida. FPL calls this “modernizing“, which is an odd word for using 20th century fossil fuels when 21st century solar power, conservation, and efficiency is ready right now for the Sunshine State. Adding to their opposition to LNG export, the Sierra Club Board of Directors has adopted this new policy:

“Natural Gas: The Sierra Club opposes new electric generating units powered by natural gas, including peaking and combined cycle units. Consistent with the Board’s goal of eliminating all fossil fuels from the electric sector no later than 2030, it is critical that the US avoid further high-capital investments in new natural gas plants and related infrastructure.”

This is in Sierra Club’s Continue reading Sierra Club opposes new natural gas electric generating units: good news against Sabal Trail

A pipeline partner admits LNG export is possible

FERC had been saying no LNG export, yet the pipeline partners said a year ago 300x388 Introduction and map, in Mountain Valley Pipeline Non-binding Open Season, by EQT Midstream Partners, LLP and NextEra Energy, for SpectraBusters.org, 12 June 2014 in their Open Season: “as well as deliveries to Cove Point LNG”. NextEra, co-owner of Sabal Trail Transmission, is one of the Mountain Valley Pipeline partners. Sabal Trail and FERC have told us Sabal Trail is not for LNG export, yet they never told us about an already-approved LNG export license right where the Sabal Trail pipeline chain goes in Florida.

Duncan Adams, Roanoke Times, 25 June 2015, Mountain Valley Pipeline partner says operation could be used for exports,

A partner in the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline confirmed this week that natural gas transported by the pipeline could be one supply source for liquefied natural gas bound for India.

The news comes after Paul Friedman, a project manager for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, repeatedly — and publicly — dismissed concerns last month from pipeline opponents that natural gas transported through the pipeline would be exported.

WGL Midstream has a Continue reading A pipeline partner admits LNG export is possible

LNG export approved and proposed

How big is the LNG export gold rush? Here are maps of dozens of approved, proposed, and potential LNG export terminals, one of them even including Carib’s FE-authorized Martin County LNG export facility that FERC never seems to remember and Sabal Trail never talks about.

Update 2015-02-23: Now with the rest of the maps.

300x225 FERC Proposed LNG Export, in LNG, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 22 February 2015 In addition to the approved LNG import and export terminals, there are more on this FERC map of Proposed North American LNG Export Terminals, including ones in Lake Charles (2 and 7), Sabine Pass (6), Plaquemines Parish (8 and 11), and Cameron Parish (13) Louisiana, Lavaca Bay (4) and Sabine Pass (9), Texas, Elba Island (5), Georgia, and Jacksonvile (14), Florida, as well as Coos Bay (1) and Astoria (3), Oregon, plus two in Kitimat (15 and 17) and one on Douglas Island (16), British Columbia. One of those proposed BC LNG export terminals is where Spectra Energy proposes to build not one but two pipelines. And even that ain’t all. Continue reading LNG export approved and proposed

FGS intervenes as likely customer of Sabal Trail

LNG “storage, vaporization and truck loading facility” FGS just spelled out that it wants gas from the end of this pipeline chain in Florida, in its motion to intervene on Sabal Trail’s FERC docket. Remember, FGS’ apparently PCB-contaminated site is on the same Warfield Blvd as FPL’s Martin County “Clean Energy Center” and as LNG-export-authorized FLiNG Energy’s storefront, with an FPL pipeline running right down that same road. And FLiNG says it is “located immediately adjacent to Floridian Natural Gas Storage”. Do you still claim, Sabal Trail, that your fracked methane isn’t for export?

This motion is even simpler than FGT’s motion to intervene. Remember: file before 24 December 2014.

Filed with FERC 9 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141209-5082, “(doc-less) Motion to Intervene of Floridian Natural Gas Storage Company, LLC under CP15-17.” Continue reading FGS intervenes as likely customer of Sabal Trail

FPL to purchase NextEra gas fracking subsidiary in Oklahoma

FPL integrated ownership of fracking and pipelines to LNG export for its profit, at the expense of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida landowners, U.S. natural gas customers, and of course FPL ratepayers: that’s what FPL is hoping to wrap up at the Florida PSC.

FPL wants to buy the 50% its parent NextEra Energy bought of “independent” PetroQuest’s Oklahoma fracking operation back in 2010 before FPL put out its December 2012 RFP for what ended up being the Transco -> Sabal Trail -> FSC methane pipeline to Martin County, Florida, plus an FPL pipeline from there to the sea at Riviera Beach. where meanwhile three LNG export operations have been authorized and a fourth LNG export operation has reqeusted a permit from FERC.

FPL’s PR of 25 June 2014 doesn’t mention most of the above, not even that NextEra already owns half of PetroQuest’s Oklahoma fracking operation. FPL proposes innovative plan to invest in natural gas to save customers millions of dollars and lower long-term fuel costs, Continue reading FPL to purchase NextEra gas fracking subsidiary in Oklahoma

Build FPL’s natural gas pipeline or not? –Palm Beach Post

FPL’s hometown newspaper never mentions solar or wind in an opinion piece asking whether you think the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is a good idea. You can comment directly in the newspaper. Maybe you’d like to send your comments to FERC, as well.

Palm Beach Post Opinion Staff wrote yesterday, Should FPL’s natural gas pipeline be built?

NextEra Energy, parent of Florida Power & Light, is contracting with Spectra Energy to run a natural gas pipleine 591 miles through the heart of the state, ending in Martin County.

FPL President Eric Silagy says the company needs the additional pipeline to provide redundancy and added capacity to the state’s existing natural gas pipleines. FPL is now the nation’s largest consumer of natural gas, he says.

It’s curious how FPL’s own projections in its 10-year plan don’t support Continue reading Build FPL’s natural gas pipeline or not? –Palm Beach Post

Where are Floridian LNG and FLiNG Energy?

Where is FLiNG Energy and its “partners in Indiantown” that it expects to help it quadruple its LNG capacity in the first quarter of 2016? All along FPL’s pipeline to the sea, and PCBs, too. So convenient for LNG export from the proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline!

FLiNG Energy lists its contact address as 15328 SW Warfield Blvd. Indiantown, FL 34956. That’s this unassuming storefront that google maps shows with “Indiantown Realty” on the front: Continue reading Where are Floridian LNG and FLiNG Energy?

Florida LNG Company FLiNG “expects to quadruple its LNG capacity in the first quarter of 2016.” They serve the Caribbean and Central American export markets.

FLiNG (Florida LNG Group, LLC) says of itself…..

FLiNG “is  located immediately adjacent to Floridian Natural Gas Storage, which is scheduled to begin producing LNG in early 2016. …. We serve the Florida market as well as the Caribbean, and Central American export markets. FLiNG Energy is close to all major Florida ports, another logistical advantage that allows us to support international LNG users.”

Where will that gas come from???

LNG World News carried a FLiNG press release 21 Januar 2014, FLiNG Energy to Serve LNG, CNG Markets in Florida and Caribbean.

Can Sabal Trail fracked methane go to China?

People talk about LNG exports to China through the Transco – Sabal Trail – Florida Southeast Connection pipeline, even though FPL says it knows nothing about exports through that Southeast Market Pipelines Project (SMPP), and FERC also seems to know nothing. If that fracked gas really can go to China, where’s FERC’s rationale for federal eminent domain, which depends on Florida needing the gas? Nevermind FPL’s own 10-Year Site Plan doesn’t support a need for the gas, and EPA doesn’t buy what it’s seen as rationalizations for that alleged need: can the gas go to China?

FERC has admitted in more than one Scoping Meeting that it’s not the pipeline company that has to get export authorization: it’s the end user. And FPL is not the only end user and FERC is not the only export-authorizing agency. Continue reading Can Sabal Trail fracked methane go to China?

FPL supports solar power without spending money on it –FPL to FERC

FPL doubled down on a need because it claims fracked methane is “clean”, in its FERC filing of 21 April 2014. FPL says it is “a strong supporter of solar power” even though it didn’t increase its solar capacity from 2010 to 2013 because of the lame baseload capacity excuse. FPL says it knows nothing about Export of Gas, even though Floridian LNG, located next to FPL’s Martin County “Clean Energy” Center right at the end of the Transco-Sabal-FSC pipeline, was approved for LNG export by the U.S. DoE Office Fossil Energy (FE) 14 November 2013, and Crowley Maritime’s Carib Energy was approved for export from Florida by FE 27 July 2011. And FPL says its ratepayers are not paying the costs of the pipeline, even though FPL VP of development and external affairs Pam Rauch argued in pring 29 July 2012 for a “Clean Energy” (fracked methane) Center at Cape Canaveral that was one of several mentioned by the Tampa Times 24 October 2014 as a reason for a new pipeline, and that same Pam Rauch filed PF14-2 with FERC for the Florida Southeast Connection (FSC) pipeline that connects from Sabal Trail to FPL’s “Clean Energy” Center in Martin County, next to Floridian LNG. FPL doesn’t seem to know what’s going on next to it, and maybe not what its own employees are doing. I hope EPA doesn’t consider the questions it filed with FERC the same day answered by this weak tea from FPL.

April 21, 2014
Ms. Kimberly D. Bose
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426

Subject: Southeast Market Pipelines Project
Docket Nos. PF14-1-000, PF14-2-000, and PF14-6-000

Dear Ms. Bose:

Florida Power & Light Company (“FPL”) hereby submits these comments in response Continue reading FPL supports solar power without spending money on it –FPL to FERC