Category Archives: LNG

Spectra stock cut to hold; can CEO Greg Ebel explain 5 Feb 2015?

January 17, 2015British Columbia, Economy, Environment, EPA, Florida, Law, Leak, LNGBritish Columbia, Economy, environment, EPA, Greg Ebel, Hold, John S. Quarterman, Law, leak, LNG, methane, Sabal Trail, Sabal Trail Transmission, SEC, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, stock, Tudor PickeringJohn S. Quarterman

Maybe fossil fuel pipelines aren’t such a lucrative business after all? Funny how this Spectra downgrade comes right after the big announcement about EPA proposed methane rules. Can Spectra Energy CEO Greg Ebel explain this away to investors three weeks from now? How about OPEC driving the price of gas down and energy deals among U.S., China, and Russia tanking the U.S. LNG export market? Ebel’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.

Faye Duncan wrote for Dakota Financial News 16 January 2015, Spectra Energy Corp. Cut to “Hold” at Tudor Pickering, Continue reading Spectra stock cut to hold; can CEO Greg Ebel explain 5 Feb 2015? →

SpectraBusters moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al.

December 24, 2014Economy, Environment, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, History, Law, LNG, Safety, Wateraccountability, Alabama, Beth Gordon, disaster, Economy, Edison, eminent domain, environment, EPA, FERC, Florida, FPL, Gainesville Sun, Georgia, Hazards, History, insurance, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, New Jersey, Safety, soil, SpectraBusters, taxpayer, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

No domestic need for the fracked methane, which Spectra Energy’s CEO has said it wants to export; no insurance despite Spectra’s track record of safety violations; environmental destruction of water and soil: for these and other reasons SpectraBusters, Inc. has filed a motion to intervene with all three parts of the fracked methane pipeline project including Sabal Trail, using a form of filing that other groups could copy.

How can eminent domain be conferred on Sabal Trail, where there is no benefit to the public, there is zero provision for disaster accountability, and no real attempt at a real environmental impact study? Along with the EPA, a taxpayer funded agency, we’d like answers to these questions that we have posed to FERC for the past year.

Here’s how you or your organization can file a motion to intervene.

Filed with FERC 24 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141224-5069, “Motion to Intervene of SpectraBusters, Inc. under CP15-17, et. al..” Continue reading SpectraBusters moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al. →

Hamilton County, FL moves to intervene with FERC on Sabal Trail

December 19, 2014FERC, Florida, Hamilton County, Law, LNG, WaterFERC, Florida, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, land, Law, LNG, motion to intervene, property rights, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

A first: a county moves to intervene! Hamilton County, Florida, which was also the first to pass a resolution against the pipeline; a resolution that was instrumental in getting Sabal Trail to move off the Withlacoochee River in Florida. All the other counties that have passed resolutions: you can also file motions to intervene.

Filed with FERC 18 December 2014, Accession Number: 20141218-5333 as “Motion to Intervene of Hamilton County, Florida Board of County Commissioners under CP15-17.” (PDF)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Docket No. CP15-17-000

Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC

MOTION TO INTERVENE

COMES NOW Hamilton County, a political subdivision of the State of Florida, identified in Section 7.24, Florida Statutes, by its Board of County Commissioners (“Intervenor”), pursuant to Rules 212 and 214 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the “Commission”), 18 C.F.R. §§ 385.212 and 385.214, Section 15(a) of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. § 717n), and moves to intervene as a party to this proceeding. In support thereof, Intervenor shows as follows:
Continue reading Hamilton County, FL moves to intervene with FERC on Sabal Trail →

FGS intervenes as likely customer of Sabal Trail

December 10, 2014FE, FERC, Florida, Law, LNG, Martin Countyexport, FE, FERC, FGS, FLiNG, Florida, Florida LNG, Florida Southeast Connection, Floridian Natural Gas Storage Company, FSC, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, Martin County, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

LNG “storage, vaporization and truck loading facility” FGS just spelled out that it wants gas from the end of this pipeline chain in Florida, in its motion to intervene on Sabal Trail’s FERC docket. Remember, FGS’ apparently PCB-contaminated site is on the same Warfield Blvd as FPL’s Martin County “Clean Energy Center” and as LNG-export-authorized FLiNG Energy’s storefront, with an FPL pipeline running right down that same road. And FLiNG says it is “located immediately adjacent to Floridian Natural Gas Storage”. Do you still claim, Sabal Trail, that your fracked methane isn’t for export?

This motion is even simpler than FGT’s motion to intervene. Remember: file before 24 December 2014.

Filed with FERC 9 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141209-5082, “(doc-less) Motion to Intervene of Floridian Natural Gas Storage Company, LLC under CP15-17.” Continue reading FGS intervenes as likely customer of Sabal Trail →

Sabal Trail is bullying its way –Alton Burns to FERC Chair

December 3, 2014Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Law, LNG, WaterAlton Burns, Coolidge, environment, FERC, Florida, Floridan Aquifer, geology, Georgia, Green Swamp, Ichetucknee River, John S. Quarterman, karst, Law, limestone, LNG, overpumping, pollution, Rainbow River, rivers, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, SpectraBusters, springs, Thomas County, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Email FERC Commissioners directly, and it still gets filed as an ecomment, as a Thomas County, Georgia resident demonstrated. And remember FERC could pick Alternative 3 which goes through Thomas County.

Filed with FERC 1 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141201-4002,

From: Alton Burns
Date: November 27, 2014 at 10:55:20 PM EST
To: <cheryl.lafleur@ferc.gov>
Subject: Re: PF14-1-000 Sabal Trail Transmission LLC
Dear Chairman LaFleur,
Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC is seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for its 300 mile Florida natural gas pipeline and will submit its preferred pipeline route soon. This certificate should be denied. When determining the issue of ‘need’, Sabal Trail’s own Draft Resource Report states: Continue reading Sabal Trail is bullying its way –Alton Burns to FERC Chair →

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2014Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, LNG, Solar, WaterAlabama, Allies, Economy, environment, Florida, FPL, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, Hillabee Expansion Project, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Thanksgiving, Water, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Dear SpectraBusters and Allies,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to all who get out on the street, into the halls of government, or on the media: public awareness is the key to winning this fight.

Thanks to all who quietly and often anonymously help Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving! →

Sabal Trail formal FERC filing CP15-17

November 21, 2014Alabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, LNG, Solar, WaterAlabama, Economy, eminent domain, FERC, Florida, FPL, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, LNG, NextEra Energy, property rights, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, taxes, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Have Dougherty and Colquitt County sold us out to Sabal Trail? Sabal Trail’s FERC filing seems to say so.

One day after Transco’s Hillabee, Sabal Trail filed CP15-17 21 November 2014 in ten submissions with dozens of PDF files. So Andrea Grover’s “sometime later this year” turns out to be today.

The first submission alone is 581 pages, none of which mention any of the words solar or photovoltaic, nor LNG or export, according to a PDF search. A search for privileged finds that, though. Continue reading Sabal Trail formal FERC filing CP15-17 →

Sabal Trail pipeline not in the public interest

November 17, 2014FE, FERC, Florida, Hazards, History, Law, LNG, Marion County, SafetyFE, FERC, Florida, Government, Hazards, History, Laura Dailey, Law, LNG, LNG export, Marion County, Ocala, Safety, smell test, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

SpectraBusters op-ed published by Ocala newspaper. And the Sabal Trail pipeline still don’t pass the smell test.

Ocala Star-Banner, 16 November 2014, Sabal Trail pipeline not in the public interest.

Illustrated version, with links to the evidence: It don’t pass the smell test: FPL’s extra natural gas pipeline —SpectraBusters.

-jsq

Why accepting a natural gas easement is a bad deal

November 16, 2014Environment, Ethics, FE, FERC, Fracking, Hazards, History, Law, LNG, Solareasement, environment, Ethics, FE, FERC, Fracking, Government, Hazards, History, John S. Quarterman, Jon Wellinghoff, Kinder Morgan, KMI, Law, LNG, LNG export, national security, solar, SONAT, Southern Natural Gas, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Here are a few things you get with a pipeline easement: no right to grow trees on it, limited right to put up fences, and if you do, you have to have gates in them that the pipeline company can put their own lock on. But you do get to continue to pay taxes on land you can no longer fully use; land that now contains a potentially corrosive, leaky, explosive hazard that you can’t tap for your own use. And you do get pipeline company contractors coming through at their convenience to mow or otherwise clear the right of way. Contractors who may be somewhat unclear on where the right of way ends and your trees, for example, start. Without ever having to notify you then or tell you later what happened. And it’s even worse than that: you may get another pipeline, and meanwhile the pipeline company will claim rights over local governments and developments. All while the world has changed and the sun has risen on a better way.

All bets are off if there’s a pipeline break

Continue reading →

FERC recovers cost of operations through charges and fees from the industries it regulates –FERC FY14 Budget

November 12, 2014Alabama, Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, History, Law, LNG, Lowndes County, Maryland, Suwannee County, WaterAlabama, appropriation, charges, compressor, Congress, corruption, Cove Point LNG, Dougherty County, Economy, environment, Federal Power Act, fees, FERC, Florida, FPA, Georgia, Hamilton County, History, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, Lowndes County, Maryland, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, SpectraBusters, Suwannee County, Treasury, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Don’t believe FERC is funded by the industries it regulates? Well, let’s look beyond FERC’s own About web page to its actual funding request to Congress. Maybe that will motivate you to ecomment to FERC right now, and to contact your local, state, and national elected and appointed officials.

Acting Chairman Cheryl A. LaFleur, FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, FY 2015 Congressional Performance Budget Request,

Full Cost Recovery

The Commission recovers the full cost of its operations through annual charges and filing fees assessed on the industries it regulates as authorized by the Federal Power Act (FPA) and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. The Commission deposits this revenue into the Treasury as a direct offset to its appropriation, resulting in no net appropriation.

Clear enough that FERC is 100% funded by the industries it regulates?

That may seem like a win for the taxpayers. But is it a win for you the local landowners Continue reading FERC recovers cost of operations through charges and fees from the industries it regulates –FERC FY14 Budget →