Category Archives: Leak

EPA natural gas greenhouse gas reporting proposed rule 2014-12-09

Climate Change, Compressor, Environment, EPA, Law, Leak, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There’s still time to comment on one methane rule proposed by the EPA, which was partly prompted by outside comment to start with. So far, the only comments are by fossil fuel industry consortiums. Why should they have all the fun? Here’s how to post your own comments. And there may be another rule announced today.

Posted by the EPA, 9 December 2014, Greenhouse Gas Reporting: 2015 Revisions and Confidentiality Determinations for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems,

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing revisions and confidentiality determinations for the petroleum and natural gas systems source category of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. In particular, the EPA is proposing to add calculation methods and reporting requirements for greenhouse gas emissions from gathering and boosting facilities, completions and workovers of oil wells with hydraulic fracturing, and blowdowns of natural gas transmission pipelines between compressor stations. The EPA is also proposing well identification reporting requirements to improve the EPA’s ability to verify reported data and enhance transparency. This action also proposes confidentiality determinations for new data elements contained in these proposed amendments.

Pipelines between compressor stations would affect the compressor stations proposed for the Sabal Trail pipeline. The proposed rule also spells out in numerous places that it’s about distribution pipelines, too. And the proposed rule was partly motivated by requests from concerned parties: Continue reading EPA natural gas greenhouse gas reporting proposed rule 2014-12-09 →

Suwannee County Commission swallows Sabal Trail misinformation

Florida, Hazards, Law, Leak, LNG, Pennsylvania, Suwannee County, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After FPL visited it, the Suwannee County Commission decided they couldn’t do anything; nevermind that pipeline and fracking ordinances have worked in Pennsylvania and New York state, and there’s no reason to believe they wouldn’t in Florida. There’s still time for the Commissioners to stand up for the citizens of Suwannee County, Florida.

John S. Koch wrote for Suwannee Valley Times 8 October 2014, Sable Trail – Suwannee Commissioners say gas pipeline needed

The commission chairman noted that they have a copy of the resolution passed recently by the Hamilton County Commission addressing the issue as well as all the information about the Sable Trails Project released by the company handling the project. However, the board has taken no action one way or the other.

The key phrase in there seems to be “all the information about the Sable Trails Project released by the company handling the project”. Perhaps the Commission would like to dig a little deeper than information produced by the one company with the most vested interest in saying the pipeline is a great thing. This would be the same Chairman who denied his previous on-video Sabal Trail comments after he heard from FPL.

Phil Oxendine has a problem with the pipeline but not for safety concerns but rather political reasons. “We are overseas right now and that reason is because of our need for oil and the sooner we get away from that use the better we all will be.” Oxendine also feels it is not in the best interest of the country to export the gas but that is an entirely different issue he said.

Nevermind the Continue reading Suwannee County Commission swallows Sabal Trail misinformation →

We just do not want it! –Mary Rehberg to FERC

Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Explosion, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, Leak, Noise, , , , , , , , , , ,

Filed with FERC 30 September 2014:

Mary Rehberg, Albany, GA.

Albany and Dougherty County do not want, need or benefit in any way by this pipeline. These pipelines have been known to leak and to blow up. The pumping station needs jet turbines to pump the gas and the noise level will be horrific to anyone living near it. It should not be anywhere near any homes or businesses. We get all the risk and none of the benefit. We just do not want it!

How to comment with FERC.

Stop this Pipeline –Columbia Paper not buying the script

Columbia County, Compressor, Economy, Explosion, FERC, Fracking, Law, Leak, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Safety, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Update 28 Sep 2014: With details from Bill Huston. The main point remains:

“Supporting the pipeline proposal as it stands amounts to surrendering our future to the petroleum industry.” That about sums it up, both for Kinder Morgan’s Constition Pipeline Northeast Direct project (NED) through Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, and for Spectra and FPL’s Sabal Trail pipeline through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Parry Teasdale wrote for The Columbia Paper of Ghent, NY 25 September 2014, EDITORIAL: Stop this pipeline,

The proposed pipeline would reportedly run beneath 55 private properties in Columbia County if it’s approved by federal regulators. The property owners would have to grant rights of way to the company. Neither the towns nor the county could intervene.

The editorial doesn’t really buy that last: it laster asks local governments to intervene.

Opponents say that property values along and nearby Continue reading Stop this Pipeline –Columbia Paper not buying the script →

Departing PHMSA Administrator has let regulated companies determine testing as LNG exports increase

Economy, Explosion, FE, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, Leak, LNG, New York, PHMSA, Safety, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PHMSA Administrator Rather than stopping leaks and explosions, Cynthia L. Quarterman (no relation) seems to spend a lot of time testifying before Congress, see for example these CSPAN videos. Maybe now that “market forces” are shifting away from fossil fuels, instead of chasing the white whale of pipelines for fracked methane to LNG export, we can get a new PHMSA Administrator who will do something about the lax safety of the pipelines we’ve got while we get on with shifting to sun, wind, and water power.

James F. Bowe, Jr. and Sara E. Peters wrote for Energy Newsletter, March 2014, Congress Probes Crude by Rail Safety Developments; Voluntary Industry-Regulator Agreement Addresses Safety Concerns, Continue reading Departing PHMSA Administrator has let regulated companies determine testing as LNG exports increase →

Pipelines as enemy targets

Corrosion, Explosion, Hazards, Leak, Politics, Safety, Trees, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Natural gas or oil pipelines are natural enemy targets, in addition to the way they frequently blow up on their own. Why build such hazards when solar power is faster, cheaper, cleaner, and doesn’t blow up?

Elad Benari wrote for Arutz Sheva 17 January 2014, Sinai Terrorists Blow Up Natural Gas Pipeline,

Strong explosion rocks central Sinai after explosives were planted beneath the gas pipeline connected to cement factories in the area.

What happens if someone blows up a solar array? Flying glass, which is bad, but nothing like blowing up the explosive fuel inside a natural gas or oil pipeline, not to mention distributed rooftop solar arrays would be very hard to destroy enough of to match the energy denial of one damaged pipeline.

Gas pipelines in Egypt has been attacked more than a dozen times Continue reading Pipelines as enemy targets →

Dougherty County fighting Sabal Trail pipeline

Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Explosion, Georgia, Hazards, Leak, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At that South Dougherty League meeting yesterday, Gloria Gaines summed up Sabal Trail’s proposed compressor station near Albany, GA: “This proposal should vehemently be challenged; it should be vehemently opposed.”

Aaryn Valenzuela reported for WALB TV yesterday, Proposed Sabal Trail pipeline and compressor station raises concerns, Continue reading Dougherty County fighting Sabal Trail pipeline →

Sabal Trail pipeline considered harmful for karst limestone Floridan Aquifer –FL-DEP

Explosion, Florida, Hazards, Leak, Safety, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There’s no safe way for the yard-wide Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline through the fragile karst limestone containing the Floridan Aquifer, according to what Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection told FERC back in April. And what’s this about seven foot pipeline depth in Florida, while Spectra’s Andrea Grover complained in the Valdosta Daily Times about requests for five feet deep in Georgia?

FL-DEP points out that caves might not support a pipeline and testing or drilling could easily cause sinkholes. Plus blasting could change local hydrology.

The situation is actually worse than FL-DEP described. We don’t know that contamination couldn’t come from BCPs carried from Spectra’s Texas Eastern pipeline, or radon from the Marcellus Shale, in addition to the solvents FL-DEP mentioned. We don’t know the pipeline would carry only a gaseous product; it could be sold and used for something else. And as DEP says, it’s not just leaks that are the problem: the pipeline would require large amounts of testing water that would have to come from somewhere and go back somewhere, presumably contaminated with whatever was in the pipeline. What guarantee do we have that contamination wouldn’t go down those borings under our riverbeds?

Filed with FERC 18 April 2014 as four pages of the 74-page “Florida State Clearinghouse comments on Dockets # PF14-1, et al Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned Southeast Market Pipelines Project (Sabal Trail and Florida Southeast Connection Projects).” Some of it was also submitted to FERC by Florida’s Suwannee River Water Management District, but there is new material here; especially that superimposition map. Continue reading Sabal Trail pipeline considered harmful for karst limestone Floridan Aquifer –FL-DEP →

Another newspaper against Sabal Trail: The Gainesville Sun

Alachua County, Economy, Environment, FERC, Florida, Hazards, Leak, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A newspaper in Gainesville, with more than twice the population of Ocala, picked up the same newspaper editorial against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, reiterating that unless serious risks can be addressed, the pipeline isn’t worth it, and besides, it’s not clear Florida even needs the power other than to profit big utilities (and pipeline companies, and apparently Florida Governor Rick Scott). Hm, marching northwards, Ocala, Gainesville, next Lake City, then how about Valdosta, Moultrie, and Albany? Newspapers and TV stations in those places have covered the pipeline. Time for their editorial boards to do what just happened in Ocala and Gainesville.

30 July 2014, Editorial: A pipeline’s purpose, Continue reading Another newspaper against Sabal Trail: The Gainesville Sun →