Category Archives: Florida

SpectraBusters Allies cited as why Sabal Trail may fail

April 1, 2016Alabama, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, PoliticsAllies, Chattahoochee River, Duke Energy, easements, Flint River, FPL, Irina Slav, Kinder Morgan, KMI, legislature, OilPrice, Palmetto Pipeline, river, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, Suwannee River, Tyler Durden, Withlacoochee River, zerohedgeJohn S. Quarterman

SpectraBusters allies were just called out by fossil fuel industry publication OilPrice, and by notorious financial blog Zerohedge, as reasons why Sabal Trail may lose.

Irina Slav, OilPrice, 31 March 2016, Gas Pipeline Uses 160 Eminent Domain Suits To Get Property In 3 States, picked up by “Tyler Durden”, Zerohedge.com, 1 April 2016,

Eminent domain is a tough pill to swallow for Americans who take their property rights very seriously, and the aggressive moves by Sabal Trail to seize property for a natural gas pipeline running through three southern states is turning into a drama of immense proportions.

The rest is the best story I’ve seen about Continue reading SpectraBusters Allies cited as why Sabal Trail may fail →

Cost to KMI of Palmetto Pipeline Suspension and other pipeline opposition

April 1, 2016Alabama, Canada, Chatham County, Connecticut, Duval County, Economy, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Suwannee CountyAlabama, Chatham County, Chesapeake Energy, Colonial Group, Duval County, Economy, Florida, Georgia, Greenlaw, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Expansion Project, JEP, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, legislature, Midcontinent Express Pipeline, Moody's, moratorium, Motley Fool, Palmetto Pipeline, Ryan Chandler, Savannah Riverkeeper, SpectraBusters, Steve Caley, Suwannee County, Tonya BonitatibusJohn S. Quarterman

The financial press amusingly tries to spin Kinder Morgan’s suspension yesterday of its Palmetto petroleum products pipeline as a positive. Meanwhile, Sabal Trail still needs stopping even after the historic win in the Georgia legislature, and remember KMI is in bed with Sabal Trail on on the Jacksonville Expansion Project (JEP) from Suwannee County, FL to Jacksonville, FERC Docket No. CP15-144.

Matthew DiLallo, Motley Fool, 31 March 2016, Kinder Morgan Inc. Presses Pause on the Palmetto Pipeline Project: The Palmetto Pipeline is halted due to eminent domain dispute.,

The Palmetto Pipeline project was initially Continue reading Cost to KMI of Palmetto Pipeline Suspension and other pipeline opposition →

The Empire Strikes Back: Spectra sues FL,GA,AL landowners

March 23, 2016Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Law, Osceola CountyAIM, Alabama, Algonquin, BK Ranches, Brenda Dykgraaf, California, Duke Energy, eminent domain, Florida, Four Corners, FPL, Georgia, Gerald McGratty, Greenpointe Communities, I-4, Intercession City, John S. Quarterman, Law, lawsuit, Osceola County, Porter Ranch, Reunion, Reunion Resort Golf Course, Sabal Trail Transmission, Southern California Gas Co., Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Walt Disney WorldJohn S. Quarterman

Reciting from the standard pipeline playbook, Spectra has started suing landowners. This while doughty rebels defeated 34 aye to 128 nay easements to drill under Georgia rivers, which could put a crimp in the Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail fracked methane boondoggle. Can we the people beat the Mickey Mouse fossil fuel empire?

Paul Brinkmann, Orlando Sentinel, 22 March 2016, Sabal Pipeline project files 160 eminent domain lawsuits,

The pipeline company insists that it already has federal and court authority to seize the property under the Natural Gas Act. Sabal claims its project must be under construction by June 21 and in service, by May 1, 2017.

Sabal Trail pipeline

According to maps provided by the utilities, the Sabal pipeline would come through the Four Corners area of northwestern Osceola County, dip south of Walt Disney World property, cross Interstate 4 near Celebration and connect with a hub of pipelines just west of Reunion Resort Golf Course.

The Greenpointe property is one of the biggest Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back: Spectra sues FL,GA,AL landowners →

Six rehearing requests to FERC, including from Sabal Trail and Transco

March 19, 2016Alabama, Compressor, Economy, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, Solar, WaterAir, Alabama, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Inc, BREDL, compressor, Economy, environment, FERC, Florida, G.B.A. ASSOCIATES LLC, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Jonathan P. Waters Attorney at Law, Law, solar, SpectraBusters, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company LLC, Water, windJohn S. Quarterman

The pipeline companies want rehearings, apparently because they don’t like the restrictions the FERC order put on them, so maybe we’ll actually see a rehearing. The other four rehearing requests all don’t like what FERC certified Sabal Trail to do, and some have new reasons beyond what was in the FEIS or the docket beforehand. Poor FERC! Nobody likes your Order! How about stop permitting new fossil fuel projects and promote renewable sun and wind power instead?

The six requests for rehearings, including one by Transco and one by Sabal Trail, all conveniently grouped by FERC in a subdocket at the end of the results if you search for CP15-17 in FERC’s Docket Search: Continue reading Six rehearing requests to FERC, including from Sabal Trail and Transco →

Hamilton County takes exception with Sabal Trail

March 15, 2016Florida, Hamilton County, WaterChris Mericle, Debra Johnson, sinkholes, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USACEDebra Johnson

Tonight, Tuesday March 15, 2016, Hamilton County unanimously voted to request that the Army Corps of Engineers perform an independent study on site concerning the ommisions and discrepancies contained in the final environmental study that FERC and Florida DEP used to issue the permit for the Sabal Trail pipeline.

These ommisions in the EIS were discovered by Mr Chris Mericle when comparing a geological study by local geologist Dennis Price with the final EIS Sabal Trail study submitted to FERC on which FERC based the permit for the Sabal Trail pipeline.

Hamilton County was prompted to write this letter after attending the Suwannee BOCC workshop a few weeks ago where members of both boards hiked the Suwannee River crossing and saw for themselves the numerous sinkholes in and around the pipeline route. A route that Sabal Trail claimed the closet sinkhole was 750′ from the pipeline route.

One Hamilton County commissioner asked if Suwannee County was still taking an unheard of neutral stance on this for export fracked gas pipeline.

Thank you to all of the commissioners of Hamilton County for taking action to protect their constituents and our sole source of water – the Floridan Aquifer.

Debra J.

Sabal Trail on agenda, Hamilton Co., FL, 6PM tomorrow, 2016-03-15

March 14, 2016Florida, Hamilton County, Wateraquifer, Florida, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, karst, limestone, Sabal Trail Transmission, sinkholes, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, springs, Suwannee River, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Sabal Trail is back on the agenda for the Hamilton County, Florida Commissioners tomorrow evening. Please go if you’re in the area.

When: 6PM Tuesday
March 15th 2016

Where: Room 112, Courthouse,
207 Northeast First St.
Jasper, Florida

Here’s the agenda.

-jsq

Strom Crystal River LNG export approval 2014-10-21

March 6, 2016Citrus County, FE, FERC, Florida, Fracking, LNG, StromCitrus County, Crystal River, Department of Energy, DoE, Duke Energy, FE, FERC, FGT, Florida, Florida Gas Transmission, Fracking, Free Trade, Gulf of Mexico, in-service date, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Office of Fossil Energy, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, StromJohn S. Quarterman

Strom can ramp up its LNG export to the Gulf from Crystal River an order of magnitude with its initial units, and then add more units, all without any further approval by anybody, says this Order from the U.S. DoE Office of Fossil Energy, which also appears to permit bomb trains shipping LNG anywhere in Florida, or maybe even other states, with some of the fracked methane probably coming from Sabal Trail if built. This FE Order was issued 21 October 2014, one month to the day before Sabal Trail filed in the FERC formal process in 21 November 2014. Yet not a word was said about Strom or any other LNG export by FERC or Sabal Trail in any of the FERC Scoping Meetings I went to, as I pointed out at the one 1 October 2015 in Lake City, Florida.

FE is even more a rubberstamp regulatory-captured lapdog of the fossil fuel industry than is FERC, and Strom is setting up to require no further approvals by them or anybody else: Continue reading Strom Crystal River LNG export approval 2014-10-21 →

Sabal Trail wants to proceed

March 5, 2016Florida, Georgia, Law, Lowndes County, Marion County, Safety, WaterBrian Fahrenthold, Florida, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, Lowndes County, Marion County, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

In a letter Sabal Trail sent to multiple Florida county commissions, the most important point is “We… are on track to place the pipeline in-service by May 1, 2017.” Important to Spectra Energy, because if they slip that date they could forfeit a $200 million bond and possibly the contract for the project, and they’re having some problems with that, since despite what they imply they do not have all the permits they need.

Then there are those glossed over in passing, such as “with certain conditions” and Continue reading Sabal Trail wants to proceed →

Resolution against Sabal Trail pipeline –Groveland, FL 2014-04-21

March 4, 2016FERC, Florida, Lake County, Polk County, Sumter County, WaterCity Council, FERC, Florida, Floridan Aquifer, Green Swamp, Groveland, John S. Quarterman, Lake County, Polk County, SpectraBusters, Sumter County, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

In April 2014 the Groveland, Florida City Council unanimously voted to ask FERC to move the Sabal Trail pipeline off of private property and the Green Swamp and onto Florida state lands.

The vote is recorded in their minutes of April 21, 2014:

Resolution 2014-04-06: Sabal Trail Transmission Line
Action: Motion to approve
Moved by Vice Mayor James Smith, Seconded by Council Member John Griffin.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Motion approved.

The text of the resolution is in their agenda packet: Continue reading Resolution against Sabal Trail pipeline –Groveland, FL 2014-04-21 →

Sabal Trail wants to plow through oak grove and horse pasture in Lake County

February 25, 2016Economy, Florida, Lake County, Lawbusiness, Economy, equine, Florida, horse, John S. Quarterman, Lake County, Law, oak, SpectraBusters, Sue AveraJohn S. Quarterman

Sue Avera reports from Lake County, Florida:

My name is Sue Avera I have a property in Groveland Fl. I board, train, breed. sell, show, horses and I also coach my clients at equine competitions. I have been here for 19 yrs doing business from this property and was at my former address in this business for 21 yrs. Sabal Trails is putting pipleine through my east 6 acres. It will go right down the middle of the property, rendering it useless until they leave. this is 1/3 of my work space. It will also take down a 150+ Oak Hammock that is my only shade on that 6 acres. I am not going to be able to safely even continue my work without renting a barn and arena so that I can keep my clients.

This is the oak grove: Continue reading Sabal Trail wants to plow through oak grove and horse pasture in Lake County →