Category Archives: Corrosion

Methane pipeline safety record questioned –Lauren Ritchie

March 19, 2014Corrosion, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Leak, Maine, Martin County, New York, Osceola County, Safety, WaterAndrea Grover, Bangor, Bay Lake, corrosion, explosion, FERC, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, Floridan Aquifer, Green Swamp, John S. Quarterman, Lake County, Lauren Ritchie, leak, Maine, Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, Martin County, negligence, New York, Osceola County, PF14-1, PF14-2, Polk County, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

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 →

Property rights and water: please deny the Sabal Trail methane pipeline –Tim Carroll, Valdosta City Council, 5th District

March 2, 2014Corrosion, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, Health, Law, Leak, Safety, Watercorrosion, eminent domain, explosion, FERC, Floridan Aquifer, Georgia, Hazards, Health, Law, leak, property rights, public good, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tim Carroll, Valdosta City Council, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 3 March 2014; PDF -jsq

Tim Carroll, Valdosta, GA.

To: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

I am writing to you on behalf of citizens that live in my city council district. Specifically those that will be negatively impacted by the Sabal Trail methane gas pipeline. Please accept the following reasons why I oppose this project coming through our community.

Eminent Domain laws refer to the greater good of the citizens of the community and/or state where this law is being used. Continue reading Property rights and water: please deny the Sabal Trail methane pipeline –Tim Carroll, Valdosta City Council, 5th District →

Pipeline Reader: Who, what, when, where, how, and why not the Sabal Trail methane pipeline

March 2, 2014Alabama, Corrosion, Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, Health, Law, Leak, Noise, Safety, Solar, Water, West Virginiacorrosion, Danielle Jordan, Economy, environment, explosion, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, Health, History, Law, leak, methane, natural gas, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Water, West VirginiaJohn S. Quarterman

Here’s PDF of a reader for county commissions and others who need to get up to speed on the pipeline. Feel free to add local material for your county commission or city council.

This pipeline reader contains:

About the Pipeline
Sabal Trail Pipeline Context maps —Spectra Energy and FPL — Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange www.l-a-k-e.org
Natural Gas Pipelines — www.foodandwaterwatch.org
Spectra Safety Violations — www.spectrabusters.org
Facts on Fracking — Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) www.wiregrassace.org/
Local Governments Can Restrict Pipelines — www.spectrabusters.org
WV Polluter Files Bankruptcy — www.spectrabusters.org
Stranded Fossil Fuel Assets — www.spectrabusters.org
Solar Jobs — Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange www.l-a-k-e.org
How to File a Comment with FERC

Continue reading →

Methane pipeline blew up onto Florida Turnpike next to high school

February 11, 2014Corrosion, Economy, Explosion, Florida, Hazards, Health, Leak, Martin County, Safetycorrosion, crack, Economy, Education, emergency services, failure, Florida, Florida Turnpike, Hazards, Health, High School, I-95, injuries, integrity, John S. Quarterman, Martin County, missile, NTSB, Palm Beach County, PHMSA, property damage, rupture, Safety, SCADA, SpectraBusters, taxesJohn S. Quarterman

Five years ago a natural gas pipeline blew up between the Florida Turnpike and I-95, flying a 104-foot piece of 18-inch pipe through the air, shutting down both roads, and fortunately missing a high school. NTSB determined it was the fault of the pipeline operator, Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC (FGT).

FGT was written up by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in NTSB/PAB-13/01 of 13 August 2013 for “Damage/Clean-up Cost: $606,360” in this 4 May 2009 incident near Palm City, Florida:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was environmentally assisted cracking under a disbonded polyethylene coating that remained undetected by the integrity management program. Contributing to the accident was Florida Gas Transmission Company’s failure to include the pipe section that ruptured in the integrity management program. Contributing to the prolonged gas release was the pipeline controller’s inability to detect the rupture because of SCADA system limitations and the configuration of the pipeline.

So NTSB said it was FGT’s fault.

And Florida and Martin County taxpayers had to pay for Continue reading Methane pipeline blew up onto Florida Turnpike next to high school →

Maine Citizens: We were “lied” to! No 24/ 7 manned compressor stations like Spectra promised- slow response to emergency “not good enough.” Residents feared for their lives.

January 24, 2014Corrosion, Hazards, Leak, Maine, Meetings, Waldo CountyBeth Gordon

Resident that lived near station: you are showering me with chemicals.