Category Archives: Hazards

EPA comments in Moultrie Observer

April 28, 2014Agriculture, Colquitt County, Dougherty County, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, Safety, Trees, WaterAlbany, Chickasawhatchee Swamp, Colquitt County, Dougherty County, EPA, FERC, Flint River, Georgia, Hazards, iron pipeline, John S. Quarterman, longleaf pine, Ochlockonee River, Radium Springs, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, SONAT, SpectraBusters, Trees, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

The Colquitt County newspaper noticed the EPA questions to FERC about the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, and even got sort of a response out of Sabal Trail.

Alan Mauldin wrote for the Moultrie Observer 26 April 2014, EPA letter lists concerns with Sabal Trail,

One issue raised by EPA is whether laying a new, 36-inch pipeline in proximity to a 10-inch pipeline built in the 1950s would present a danger to the public.

The alternate route that would take the pipeline through the heart of Colquitt County would for some of its path run parallel to the old iron pipeline.

“Consequently, concerns exist with the safety of Continue reading EPA comments in Moultrie Observer →

Sabal Trail citing Stewart County injunction in Brooks County, Georgia

April 22, 2014Brooks County, Economy, Environment, Fracking, Georgia, Law, Stewart CountyBrooks County, Economy, environment, Fracking, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Kitty Maidens, Law, Mavis L. Harper, property rights, Sabal Trail Transmission, SpectraBusters, Stewart County, Travis H. HarperJohn S. Quarterman

Why would a pipeline company from Houston suffer irreparable harm if it couldn’t go onto the land of somebody in Georgia? A judge in one Georgia county bought Sabal Trail’s eminent domain assertions and now Sabal Trail is citing that to try to get a landowner in Brooks County to let it on the property to survey for its fracked methane pipeline. What about private property rights?

The letter dated 12 April 2014 from Sabal Trail includes this part:

A copy of the Order granting Sabal Trail’s request for injunctive relief, entered on February 21, 2014, is enclosed for your review. As you will see, the Order concluded that:

Sabal Trail has the right, incidental to its power of eminent domain, to enter private property to conduct the Survey Activities.
Delays in conducting the Survey Activities will cause Sabal Trail irreparable harm.
The Survey Activities will not cause substantial harm to the defendant landowners, nor will the surveys disserve the public interest.

Accordingly, the Order prohibits those landowners from preventing or interfering Continue reading Sabal Trail citing Stewart County injunction in Brooks County, Georgia →

Questions from SpectraBusters, Inc. to FERC

April 21, 2014Environment, FE, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, Health, Law, LNG, PHMSA, Safety, SolarBeth Gordon, efiling, environment, FE, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, Health, insurance, Law, LNG, PHMSA, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sanford Bishop, SEC, solar, SpectraBusters, Ted Yoho, Texas Eastern PipelineJohn S. Quarterman

FERC’s ecomment system was malfunctioning, so Beth emailed this on behalf of the board, which unanimously approved it earlier that same day. She also forwarded it to John Peconom of FERC and to her U.S. Rep Ted Yoho (FL-03) and to Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02). Here is contact information for your elected officials and candidates. -jsq

From: Beth Gordon
To: efiling <efiling@ferc.gov>
Date: Sat, Apr 19, 2014 6:05 pm
Subject: PF14-1 Sabal Trail Pipeline
To Whom it may Concern at FERC:
I am the President of a group of citizens and landowners from Alabama, Georgia, and Florida affected by the Sabal Trail Pipeline. Here are some important questions we hope you will answer for us. We have had no answers from FERC representatives at any other time. These are the questions we would like answered:

Is lack of justification of energy need by Florida sufficient for FERC staff to recommend denying a permit for the Sabal Trail pipeline? Continue reading Questions from SpectraBusters, Inc. to FERC →

Spectra fined $18.6 million + $200 million cleanup for PCBs by Pennsylvania in 1991

April 21, 2014Corrosion, Economy, Environment, Fracking, Health, Law, Leak, Pennsylvania, Safety10-K, cancer, contamination, corrosion, Economy, environment, EPA, fine, Fracking, Health, John S. Quarterman, Law, leak, Marcellus Shale, PCB, Pennsylvania, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, SEC, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Texas Eastern Pipeline, toxicJohn S. Quarterman

That 1989 $15 million fine against Spectra for leaking PCBs at 89 pipeline locations was a record for EPA at that time, but Pennsylvania topped it a few years later.

Russell E. Eshleman Jr. wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer 15 May 1991, Pipeline Firm To Pay $218.6 Million For Pcb Contamination Across Pa.,

Texas Eastern Pipeline Corp. has agreed to pay Pennsylvania $18.6 million in penalties and $200 million in cleanup costs for dumping PCBs at 19 sites across the state, the Casey administration announced yesterday….

Remember, Texas Eastern is part of Spectra Energy now.

Penn. had asked for even more than it got, so it got enough: Continue reading Spectra fined $18.6 million + $200 million cleanup for PCBs by Pennsylvania in 1991 →

News about yesterday’s Sanford Bishop pipeline listening session in Albany, GA

April 18, 2014Agriculture, Dougherty County, Georgia, Health, Law, Safety, WaterAgriculture, Albany Herald, aquifer, Dougherty County, Fox 31, Georgia, Government, Health, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sanford Bishop, sinkhole, SpectraBusters, WALB, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Here are two news reports (oddly, WALB doesn’t seem to have filed one) on yesterday’s listening session with U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02). These are brief extracts; there’s more in each article.

Cody Long wrote for Fox 31 yesterday, Deadline nears to hear pipeline comments,

There were about 50 people who showed up to the Government Center in downtown Albany. Some voiced their concerns to commissioners and the congressman about the Sabal Trail Transmission Gas Pipeline Project.

The pipeline would run through 24 miles of Dougherty County and would be capable of transporting up to one billion cubic feet of natural gas each day.

However, it would run through portions of privately owned land which Continue reading News about yesterday’s Sanford Bishop pipeline listening session in Albany, GA →

Stop the Sabal Trail pipeline –Food & Water Watch

April 15, 2014Environment, FERC, Florida, Hazards, WaterFERC, Florida, Food & Water Watch, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, springs, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

An ally takes action against the methane pipeline and for clean water and springs. Food & Water Watch today posted Stop the proposed natural gas highway near Florida’s Springs: Tell Florida lawmakers to keep our springs safe!

It’s linked to a petition, Sign the petition to keep the Sabal Trail Pipeline out of Florida!:

The Sabal Trail is a proposed pipeline that would run from Alabama to Florida carrying natural gas extracted through fracking. Experts fear that this pipeline will endanger our water resources as well as senstive ecosystems in Florida, like our precious springs. The pipeline will also encourage more hydraulic fracking or “fracking.” Fracking is a type of gas drilling that injects millions of gallons of hydraulic fluids — a mixture of chemicals, water and sand — into a well to create pressure that cracks open rock underground, releasing natural gas. This process can deplete and contaminate local water, damage the environment and threaten public health.

Please follow the link and sign!

-jsq

Sabal Trail will be expected to adhere and honor all Lowndes County Ordinances –Bill E Slaughter, JR to FERC

April 12, 2014Agriculture, Colquitt County, Environment, FERC, Georgia, Health, Law, Lowndes County, Trees, WaterAgriculture, Bill Slaughter, Colquitt County, environment, FERC, Georgia, Health, John Alderman, John S. Quarterman, Law, Lowndes County, road, SpectraBusters, Trees, USACE, Water, wetlandJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 11 April 2014. These are apparently the items he referred to Saturday 29 March 2014 at the SpectraBusters panel at VSU. There’s much more that can be done but this is a good step forward. -jsq

Bill E Slaughter, JR, Hahira, GA.
April 10, 2014

To whom it may concern:

If the route for the proposed Sabal Trail Pipeline comes through any part of Lowndes County as Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission and on the behalf of the Commission and Citizens of Lowndes County I would like to address several concerns we have with the Sabal Trail Pipeline Docket # P14-1-000.

All road crossings must obtain a Lowndes County R/W Encroachment Permit for each crossing which will include all information required by the Lowndes County Engineer.
All road crossings shall be perpendicular to the R/W.
All road crossings shall be Continue reading Sabal Trail will be expected to adhere and honor all Lowndes County Ordinances –Bill E Slaughter, JR to FERC →

A Listening Session with Congressman Sanford Bishop

April 12, 2014Dougherty County, Georgia, Hazards, Health, Safety, SolarAlbany, Congress, Dougherty County, GA-02, Georgia, Hazards, Health, John S. Quarterman, Safety, Sanford Bishop, solar, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Received yesterday from one of the organizers. -jsq

A Listening Session
with Congressman Sanford Bishop

Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 10:00 AM
Room 100 of the Dougherty County Government Center
222 Pine Avenue
Albany, Georgia
Subject: Sabal Trail Transmission
Gas Pipeline Proposed Project
The session is being held to allow citizens to provide feedback and share concerns with the Congressman on the proposed Sabal Trail Transmission Gas Pipeline Project. This is a very significant concern for a variety of reasons, among them public safety, environmental and economic impact.

Congressman Bishop’s district covers most of the path of the proposed pipeline, making him a key ally in Congress to oppose the pipeline, if he can be convinced to do so. Continue reading A Listening Session with Congressman Sanford Bishop →

Does FERC ever question the honesty and integrity of companies such as Sabal? –Sandra Slack

April 11, 2014Brooks County, Dougherty County, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Lowndes County, Martin CountyBrooks County, Dougherty County, explosion, FERC, Florida, Gainesville, Georgia, Gulfstream, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Lowndes County, Manatee County, Martin County, Ocala, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Port Dolphin, Port Everglades, Sandra Slack, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 11 April 2014. -jsq

When this project process first began, Florida newspapers, such as the ones in Martin County, Gainesville, Ocala, and others, ran the story with a map of the proposed pipeline, from FPL, plainly showing the route running from Alabama straight to Florida completely bypassing Georgia. The now “preferred” route runs approximately 156 miles, or more through Georgia. Sabal has not been forthcoming, even in their Resource Report 10, as to the reason for the change. Has there been any encouragement from any governmental entity, State or Federal, for Sabal to reroute this pipeline through the state of Georgia? If yes, which entity and why? If no, why did FERC allow Sabal to change routes? Cost would be an invalid answer.

In August and September of 2013, landowners who previously had not agreed to allow Sabal personnel onto their property began receiving letters first from Sabal and then from the law firm of Hunton & Williams of Atlanta, Ga., on behalf of Sabal, using intimidating and Continue reading Does FERC ever question the honesty and integrity of companies such as Sabal? –Sandra Slack →

Alabama Sierra Club against the Sabal Trail methane pipeline

April 10, 2014Alabama, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, Marengo County, Safety, TreesAlabama, Bob Hastings, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, Hillabee Expansion Project, John S. Quarterman, Marengo County, Sabal Trail, Safety, Sierra Club, Southeast Market Pipelines Project, SpectraBusters, Transco, Trees, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

Robert W. Hastings, Alabama Sierra Club contact for the joint Alabama, Georgia, and Florida Sierra Club statement against the pipeline, and author of a FERC ecomment against the pipeline, was elected Chairman of the Alabama Chapter 9 March 2014.

He wrote in the April Alabama Sierran about the Sabal Trail pipeline,

Seems like everyone wants to build a pipeline these days. I’m sure almost everyone has heard about the Keystone XL pipeline, and our Mobile Group has done a good job of publicizing their opposition to the oil pipeline to be constructed through a major water supply area for the city of Mobile. But there are several other pipelines being proposed for Alabama. One of these is the so-called Sabal Trail Pipeline that would carry natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing from Pennsylvania and Texas through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The new pipeline would begin in Alexander City, where it Continue reading Alabama Sierra Club against the Sabal Trail methane pipeline →