Category Archives: Safety

Albany and Dougherty County, GA leaders meet to stop Sabal Trail

July 18, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, Safety, WaterAir, Albany, compressor, Dorothy Hubbard, Dougherty County, Economy, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, John Hayes, John S. Quarterman, Mayor, Roger Marietta, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sanford Bishop, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tracey Smith, Water, WFXL, Winfred DukesJohn S. Quarterman

Polite complaints to FERC, even demands, aren’t working, not even from elected officials at every level, city (Albany), county (Dougherty), state (Georgia), and federal. Now they are escalating to demonstrations and flooding FERC with comments while getting in the news.

Tracey Smith, WFXL, 9 July 2015, Top leaders meet to stop the Sabal Trail,

For years local leaders have been fighting against the Sabal Trail pipeline and the compressor station set to be built in Albany and Dougherty County. Now it’s time for the final push against the project.

Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, Georgia State Representative Winfred Dukes, County Commissioner John Hayes, Albany Commissioner Roger Marietta and other top leaders all got together in one room, for one reason: to stop the Sabal Trail from happening.

Their concerns range from Continue reading Albany and Dougherty County, GA leaders meet to stop Sabal Trail →

This compressor station is a terrible injustice against this community –Gloria Gaines 2015-07-11

July 18, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Ethics, Georgia, Law, SafetyAfrican-American, compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, environmental justice, Ethics, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Thomas SwainJohn S. Quarterman

Nobody says it better than Dougherty County native Gloria Gaines, this time at the protest last Saturday at the Albany Sabal Trail office.

This is a terrible imposition on this majority African-American community….
It is a terrible environmental justice against this community. And I’m just happy to see all the people out here today, because they clearly understand: if we don’t want this in our community, that we must stand up and say so….
This is our beloved Dougherty County and we’re all fighting Continue reading This compressor station is a terrible injustice against this community –Gloria Gaines 2015-07-11 →

Canadian regulator orders Spectra to clean up its safety practices

July 16, 2015British Columbia, Canada, FERC, Safety, TexasAlberta, British Columbia, Canada, FERC, Houston, John S. Quarterman, management system failures, National Energy Board, NEB, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, TexasJohn S. Quarterman

Canada’s FERC equivalent had to escalate from specific fines to a blanket clean-up order. Do you still believe Spectra is “a very genuine, safe, law-abiding company”?

Mackenzie Scrimshaw, iPolitics.ca, 15 July 2015, The Drilldown: Spectra Energy faces NEB fines,

Spectra Energy Corp SE.N is feeling the heat from the National Energy Board (NEB). As Reuters reports, the Houston-based company is facing more than $120,000 in fines for committing almost 30 infractions at its Westcoast Energy processing plants in the last 15 months. What’s more, the NEB has requested a correction of these “management system failures.” “The Board expects Westcoast to address safety concerns on a systemic basis, throughout all its gas processing plants and facilities,” reads the NEB’s safety order. “Based on recent violations described below, the Board is not confident safety concerns are being addressed in this manner.”

So that $88,000 fine in January was just the start of this year’s NEB fines to Spectra.

Mike De Souza, Yahoo! Finance, 14 July 2015, Canada regulator orders Spectra Energy to clean up practices, Continue reading Canadian regulator orders Spectra to clean up its safety practices →

Sierra Club FERC comment submission form for Sabal Trail Albany Compressor

July 14, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, LNG, Safety, WaterAlbany, compressor, Dougherty County, environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Jerry Funderburk, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Roger Marietta, Safety, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

A FERC comment submission form appears along with a letter by Roger Marietta, Albany City Councilman, in the Georgia Sierra Club newsletter based on the recent Albany Herald silent protest story about Spectra Energy of Houston Texas’ invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and its Albany compressor station. Excerpt:

It is clear that the Sabal Trail Pipeline will destroy our local environment, and is hazardous to private property, health, and the local economy. The evidence has shown that this massive pipeline is not needed; Continue reading Sierra Club FERC comment submission form for Sabal Trail Albany Compressor →

Spectra already lost at FERC once; could also lose at NRC

July 7, 2015FERC, Hazards, History, LNG, New York, Rhode Island, SafetyAIM, Algonquin Gas Transmission, Algonquin Incremental Market, earthquake, fault, FERC, fire, Hazards, History, Hudson River, Indian Point, John Peconom, John S. Quarterman, LNG, New York, NRC, nuclear, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, oil, Providence, Rhode Island, Safety, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

FERC previously denied a Spectra pipeline, and now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may prevent one. After three months of asking, John Peconom of FERC divulged how many pipelines FERC had ever denied: two, of which one was for a pipeline from an LNG site in Providence, Rhode Island, proposed by KeySpan LNG, L.P. and Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC, and denied by FERC 5 July 2005. According to Spectra Energy:

Continue reading →

Deny Sabal Trail, said U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, and FERC ignored him

June 19, 2015Agriculture, Alabama, Compressor, Dougherty County, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Law, Lee County, Safety, Stewart County, WaterAgriculture, Air, Alabama, Albany, aquifer, compressor, Dougherty County, eminent domain, FERC, FGT, Florida, Florida Gas Transmission, GDOT, Georgia, Georgia Department of Transportation, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, karst, Kinder Morgan, KMI, Law, lawsuit, Lee County, Mitchell County, noise, Palmetto Pipeline, pollution, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sanford Bishop, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Stewart County, Transco, trespass, Water, Webster CountyJohn S. Quarterman

Citing the GDOT denial of KMI’s Palmetto Pipeline and numerous specific hazards of Spectra Energy’s proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline (sinkholes in karst limestone and a compressor station next to Albany’s water wells, all for no benefit to Georgia, by a company with a poor safety record), U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02) wrote to FERC (PDF):

I believe that FERC should deny STT’s application for a Certificate of Public Necessity.

And he told FERC to tell Sabal Trail to stop suing his constituents for eminent domain.

A year after Rep. Bishop listened in Albany for two hours to complaints about Sabal Trail, Dougherty County and Albany, Georgia filed followup letters to their resolutions against that pipeline. Neither FERC nor Sabal Trail answered them, so their Representative in the U.S. Congress forwarded their letters with that sharp cover letter. Three weeks later, FERC still hasn’t even filed his letter in their e-comment system, much less responded to it.

Just how lawless is FERC, anyway? Doesn’t a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations give them pause? Continue reading Deny Sabal Trail, said U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, and FERC ignored him →

FERC still stonewalling Dougherty County Commission and landowners about Sabal Trail

June 19, 2015Agriculture, Dougherty County, FERC, Hazards, Law, Safety, Trees, WaterAgriculture, air quality, Dougherty County, Dougherty County Commission, economic justice, FERC, forests, geology, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Law, Ned, noise, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, soil, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Trees, Water, wetlands, wildlifeJohn S. Quarterman

It’s not a short list; basically nothing Dougherty County previously asked has been answered by Sabal Trail or FERC:

They have not addressed the issues of (1) potential effects on geology and soil, (2) impacts on water resources and wetlands, (3) impacts on vegetation, forests, fisheries, wildlife and threatened species, (4) cumulative impacts, (5) public safety concerns, (6) purpose and need for the proposed pipeline, (7) alternatives to the preferred route, (8) air quality and noise and (9) socioeconomic factors – environmental justice.

Filed with FERC 6 April 2015 as Accession Number: 20150406-5144, “Comment of Dougherty County, Georgia under CP15-17.” Continue reading FERC still stonewalling Dougherty County Commission and landowners about Sabal Trail →

At least put Sabal Trail on hold –Moultrie resolution

June 17, 2015Colquitt County, Compressor, FERC, Georgia, Law, Safety, WaterAirport, Colquitt County, compressor, ecosystem, eminent domain, FERC, FPL, GA EPD, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, need, NextEra, property rights, Sabal Trail, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, taxes, Water, William M. McIntoshJohn S. Quarterman

Moultrie‘s review shows the Texan and Floridan FERC-enabled Sabal Trail wants Colquitt County as a cheap invasion route, even though that threatens local property rights, taxes, health, welfare, airport, and general ecosystem, while there’s no demonstrated need for the fracked methane nor any definitive plans even to sell it in Georgia, so the Moultrie city government opposes the pipeline and resolves that it should at least be put on hold until local concerns are adequately considered by FERC and GA-EPD.

So both of the counties (Dougherty and Colquitt) and both of their county seats (Albany and Moultrie) named by Sabal Trail as needing gas through MGAG have passed resolutions saying they don’t want the pipeline at all, along with Terrell County, Brooks County, Lowndes County, and Valdosta, Georgia, plus Hamilton County, Florida.

Filed with FERC 6 May 2015 as Accession Number: 20150506-0008, “City of Moultrie, Georgia submits a Resolution re the Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC Natural Gas Pipeline etc under PF14-1.” Continue reading At least put Sabal Trail on hold –Moultrie resolution →

Pipelines don’t age, and we have no idea why Transco blew up (again) –Williams Co.

June 11, 2015Explosion, Hazards, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, PHMSA, Safetyage, explosion, explostion, John S. Quarterman, leak, Lycoming County, NTSB, PHMSA, rupture, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Transco, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

How do they say these things with a straight face?

Although the pipeline that ruptured was at least 4 decades old, company officials say pipelines don’t age —

Sure and their bathrooms don’t require air vents, because they don’t stink.

…and its maintained according to federal standards.

As in the standards the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Agency (PHMSA) told Williams Co. to follow back in September 2012, before fining it for not doing so? The PHMSA standards that are so poor that Continue reading Pipelines don’t age, and we have no idea why Transco blew up (again) –Williams Co. →

KMI playing same tricks for Palmetto as Sabal Trail did

May 22, 2015Corrosion, Georgia, Hazards, Law, PHMSA, Safety, WaterAiken County, corrosion, El Paso Pipeline, Georgia, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, KMI, Law, leaks, North Augusta, Open House, Palmetto Pipeline, PHMSA, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Savannah Riverkeeper, South Carolina, Southern Natural Gas, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Wall Street Journal, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

This meeting format sounds like the Open Houses Sabal Trail held to snow and bully landowners. And notice it’s always “80 percent survey approval”, yet we never get to see any list of landowners? Plus pipeline companies are always working to improve their safety record, except it never seems to improve. See below for some recent highlights of KMI’s long lack of safety record.

T.J. Lundeen, North Augusta Star, 21 May 2015, Palmetto Pipeline of confusion: Session in North Augusta leaves many baffled, Continue reading KMI playing same tricks for Palmetto as Sabal Trail did →