Category Archives: Law

Comment to GA-EPD on Sabal Trail air quality permit application by 2015-08-08

An air quality permit for the proposed Albany compressor station is one of many local and state permits FERC requires Sabal Trail to get. This is a big one, because no compressor station, no pipeline.

Roger Marietta remarks:

You can email Georgia EPD prior to August 8th GA EPD: eric.cornwell@gadnr.org re: application # 23350 (Air Quality Permit Application) focus on methane and other toxic gases leaking and being blown off during pressure releases and unburnt gases and CO2 from the continuously running compressor station power turbines. Ask for a public hearing as well.

Recommend you send more than one comment and focus on a different issue each time.

Copy spectrabusters@gmail.com on your ecomment to GA-EPD and we’ll probably blog it.

And don’t forget to call GA Governor Deal and sign the petition to him.

Do it now, or you may hear that compressor sound in your sleep.

-jsq

Third Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Sabal Trail and Palmetto Project

Atlanta has heard about Sabal Trail, Palmetto Project, and several other proposed pipeline projects three times now from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It’s time to act.

Greg Bluestein, AJC, Pipeline project fuels anger in Georgia,

Their proposal comes as pipeline projects — and controversy surrounding them — pop up across Georgia. A 157-mile Sabal Trail Pipeline that would cross nine southwest Georgia counties has sparked outrage in Albany and Valdosta. And Atlanta Gas Light wants to begin pumping gas from Coweta County to Dalton by 2017.

But Kinder Morgan’s proposal has struck a throbbing nerve, in part because of the length of the proposed pipeline — the 320-mile route stretches by Augusta, Savannah and Jacksonville — and in part because of the threat of eminent domain hanging over the landowners.

“Where do we draw the line? There are no reset buttons,” Troy Davis, a local landowner, said at one of the town hall meetings that Kinder Morgan called to calm fears about the project. “It will be a Kroger, a CVS, a Burger King that comes to this community and says, ‘Hey, we have a necessity for this.’ ”

That’s why the real solution is for the Georgia legislature to revoke eminent domain for private companies. But the legislature doesn’t meet until January, and we need to stop these pipelines before then.

About Kinder Morgan trespassing 1.7 miles into land owned by Billy Morris, who also owns the newspapers in Augusta and Savannah: Continue reading Third Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Sabal Trail and Palmetto Project

Do not allow Sabal to profit at the expense of thousands of people in our region –Winfred J. Dukes, GA House District 154

The state representative for Albany wrote to FERC today: “It is difficult to persuade anyone to settle in a community where billions of cubic feet on methane gas are being released annually.” Other elected and appointed officials can do the same. And you can still ecomment to FERC and ask Governor Deal to oppose Sabal Trail like he opposes the Palmetto pipeline. You and your elected and appointed officials can write like Winfred Dukes did:

The proposed Sabal pipeline will have a devastating economic impact on our community. It will cause a decline in property values. It will halt the investment the city and others have made in that area. It will impact the health of our citizens. Do not allow Sabal to profit at the expense of thousands of people in our region.

Filed with FERC as Accession Number: 20150721-5028, “Comment of Winfred J. Dukes under CP15-17.” Continue reading Do not allow Sabal to profit at the expense of thousands of people in our region –Winfred J. Dukes, GA House District 154

Extend the Sabal Trail comment period for up to 90 days –Albany, GA to FERC

This is See also the Dougherty County Commission letter referenced in the WFXL news story. Remember, you can still ecomment to FERC and ask Governor Deal to oppose Sabal Trail like he opposes the Palmetto pipeline.

300x388 this newly proposed site is literally on top of one of the Citys independent wells, in Extend the Sabal Trail comment period for up to 90 days --Albany, GA to FERC, by City of Albany, Georgia, for SpectraBusters.org, 21 July 2015 Filed with FERC 21 July 2015 as Accession Number: 20150721-5039, “Comment of City of Albany responding to Sabal Trail’s letter dated July 16, 2015 under CP15-17.”

City of Albany
POST OFFICE BOX 447
Albany, Georgia
31702-0447

DOROTHY B. HUBBARD
MAYOR Continue reading Extend the Sabal Trail comment period for up to 90 days –Albany, GA to FERC

Bad new compressor location, and need 90 days more comment period –Dougherty County Commission to FERC

Go Dougherty! Where are the rest of our County Commissions with their concerns about Sabal Trail suing their citizens, drilling test wells, and preparing to bore under our rivers, fields, forests, and near our schools and homes? You can still contact them, and Governor Deal, and ecomment to FERC.

Follow this link to the text of the Albany letter and here’s news by Tracey Smith, WFXL, 20 July 2015, County commissioners take united stand against Sabal Trail,

At Monday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, every board member signed a letter to send to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

While members of the board have Continue reading Bad new compressor location, and need 90 days more comment period –Dougherty County Commission to FERC

Albany protester: we’ve been lied to from the beginning by Sabal Trail 2015-07-17

Seems like Albany, Georgia residents are reaching the same conclusion Searsmont, Maine residents reached after a compressor station blew out: “We’ve been lied to!”

Jarvis Robertson, WFXL, 17 July 2015, Residents continue fight against pipeline

Members of the community gathered Friday morning to let Sabal Trail Transmission know that they weren’t giving up on the fight.

A silent protest was held Friday morning in front of STT located on Evelyn Avenue.

Protestors are still concerned about damage the compression pipeline could do to the Albany-Dougherty area.

“There’s no reason for it to be in the city limits,” said Michelle Hutchison. “It could blow up and catch on fire. It needs to be Continue reading Albany protester: we’ve been lied to from the beginning by Sabal Trail 2015-07-17

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

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

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

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

It’s not a short list; basically nothing Dougherty County 300x391 20150406-5144-30464227-001, in FERC still stonewalling Dougherty County Commission and landowners about Sabal Trail, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 6 April 2015 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

300x387 A Resolution Opposing the Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC Natural Gas Pipeline, in Moultrie, GA resolution against Sabal Trail, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 6 May 2015 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