Category Archives: Water

FERC trusts pipeline companies to self-regulate: result…

March 3, 2015Environment, FERC, Hazards, History, Law, Safety, Waterenvironment, Exxon Valdez, FERC, Hazards, History, Iroquois Gas Transmission System L.P., Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, streams, U.S. Department of Justice, Water, wetlandsJohn S. Quarterman

In one case:

“In the largest penalty in an environmental case since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Connecticut-based Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company will pay $22 million in criminal and civil fines for violating federal environmental and safety laws, the United States announced today [23 May 1996].
The company and four of its high-level officers and supervisors pleaded guilty to numerous criminal violations of the Clean Water Act including failure to clean up or restore damage to nearly 200 streams and wetlands as a result of rushing to meet construction deadlines.”

That’s even larger than the U.S. EPA fine of $15 million in 1989 against Spectra’s Texas Eastern Pipeline for spilling PCBs at 89 sites, although not when you add in the $18.6 million fine by Pennsylvania plus $200 million for cleanup.

Yet Iroquois Gas Transmission System L.P. touts Continue reading FERC trusts pipeline companies to self-regulate: result… →

Sabal Trail contractor yards

March 2, 2015Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Georgia, WaterAlabama, contractor yards, Economy, environment, Florida, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

It’s not just the pipeline or the compressor stations: Sabal Trail has filed maps of contractor yards, some of them miles away from the pipeline path, at least one next to an airport (Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia).

Filed with FERC as Accession Number: 20150220-5131, “Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC submits supplemental information on adopted alternatives and information on other reroutes and modifications under CP15-17.”, RR1_Vol-II-A_FIGURE-1.1-2_YARDS.PDF and RR1_Vol-II-A_FIGURE-1.1-3_YARDS.PDF. Continue reading Sabal Trail contractor yards →

FERC tells Sabal Trail to fix 17 pages of errors

March 2, 2015Alabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Law, Safety, WaterAlabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, John Peconom, John S. Quarterman, karst, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

John Peconom of FERC has told Sabal Trail to provide copious detailed information by 27 March 2015, including numerous items about karst limestone, such as:

Utilize publicly available LiDAR data and cave information to further characterize karst areas crossed by the Project facilities.

and

Provide summary assessments of the Direct Pipe, open cut, aerial, and intersect crossing methods as alternatives to the proposed HDD crossings of the Withlacoochee River in Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Georgia and the Suwannee River, Santa Fe River, and Withlacoochee Rivers in Florida. Also, summarize any modified HDD techniques/methods considered at these specific crossings.

Is this just FERC helping one of its funding organizations (FERC is 100% funded by the industries it “regulates”)? Or maybe even FERC is getting tired of Sabal Trail?

Filed with FERC 27 February 2015 as Accession Number: 20150227-3071, “Letter requesting Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC to file within 30 days the Environmental Information Request for the Sabal Trail Project under CP15-17.” Continue reading FERC tells Sabal Trail to fix 17 pages of errors →

Laura Dailey spoke for SpectraBusters at clean water rally in Tallahassee

February 20, 2015Economy, Explosion, Florida, Hazards, Leak, LNG, Solar, WaterEconomy, explosion, Florida, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Laura Dailey, leak, Leon County, LNG, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Our Santa Fe River, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Thomas Edison, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Floridian’s Clean Water Declaration Campaign, facebook, 18 February 2015,

Laura Dailey of SpectraBusters brought a strong message in favor of solar energy and against the pipeline that’s proposed to cross the springs heartland.

More about Laura Dailey, Director of Community Outreach & Speaker’s Bureau. And a few more of her notes for that speech:

Throughout history, the smart investor has bet his money on the future. Today, colleges and universities, even major corporations are divesting from fossil fuels. Why? Because fossil fuels are the new DINOSAURS, and we already know how that story ends! Even Duke Energy, just last week committed $225 million to the development of Solar energy. Think of the water that can be saved!

Since 2006, the cost of solar panels Continue reading Laura Dailey spoke for SpectraBusters at clean water rally in Tallahassee →

PR: SpectraBusters sends Outreach against Sabal Trail pipeline and for solar power to Rally in Tallahassee

February 17, 2015Florida, Solar, WaterFlorida, Fort White, FPL, Houston, John S. Quarterman, Laura Dailey, Leon County, NextEra Energy, Outreach, Rally, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sierra Club, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tallahassee, Texas, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort White, Florida — Maximizing her speaking skills, Laura Dailey resigned from the SpectraBusters Board to be unanimously appointed Director of Community Outreach & Speaker’s Bureau, with first stop speaking against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and for solar power in Tallahassee Wednesday March 18th at the Floridians for Clean Water & Amendment 1 Rally in Tallahassee.

Laura Dailey said, “Who here loves to paddle our rivers and hike our scenic trails? WE are the stewards of these wonders, and we stand dangerously close to losing them to a company from Houston, Texas. A company woefully undereducated about our pristine landscape, and fragile Karst terrain, and who, until they came here, had no idea that our springs heartland is the single largest source of fresh spring water on earth!”

Remembering her excellent questions at the Continue reading PR: SpectraBusters sends Outreach against Sabal Trail pipeline and for solar power to Rally in Tallahassee →

What Sabal Trail wants to do to our rivers

February 5, 2015Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hazard, Hazards, History, Noise, Safety, Wateraquifer, Black Warrior River, Cahaba River, Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Coosa River, Dirty Dozen, drilling, Flint River, Flint Riverkeeper, Floridan Aquifer, frac-out, Georgia Water Coalition, Hazards, HDD, Horizontal Directional Drilling, John S. Quarterman, Ochlockonee River, Our Santa Fe River, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Tallapoosa River, Tombigbee River, Withlacoochee River, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

After a long string of safety incidents and later-contradicted assertions in the media, would you trust Sabal Trail to drill under your rivers in your aquifers and near your farms, schools, homes, and springs?

Here’s stage two of Sabal Trail’s three-stage horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method, according to its document How We Cross Rivers and Streams,

The second stage involves enlarging the pilot hole to a diameter that will accommodate the pipeline. The enlargement process involves the use of hydraulic cutting with drill bits and jet nozzles and hydraulic motors Continue reading What Sabal Trail wants to do to our rivers →

Time to comment to FERC on Sabal Trail ignoring springs on Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers

February 1, 2015Florida, Hamilton County, Madison County, Safety, Suwannee County, Wateraquifer, conservation, Debra Johnson, dye, Ellaville Spring, Falmouth Cathedral Cave System, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, Lime Spring, Lowndes County, Madison County, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Our Santa Fe River, pipeline, river, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannacoochee Cave System, Suwannacoochee Spring Lime Run Spring, Suwannee Alliance for Sustainable Growth, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, Suwannee River Water Management District, SWRMD, Thomas S. Edwards Jr., Water, watershed, Withlacoochee River, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

Here’s why you should ecomment to FERC and your elected officials right now. Sabal Trail filed key materials after FERC’s stated deadline, a Suwannee County, FL landowner points out in a FERC ecomment, also revealing Sabal Trail still didn’t address key springs upstream and down from its proposed new pipeline path, and said nothing about connecting caverns beneath the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers.

Here’s a call to action from Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson:

Good Morning,

I realize many of you have seen me (and a few others) navigate through a enormous amount of meetings, letters, social media announcements to stop the Sabal Trail Gas (fracked)Transmission Pipeline cutting through one of our most vulnerable areas of our World, the Florida Springs Heartland.

You have watched and read from the sidelines for nearly 2 years. It is time for you to act. Call it my Continue reading Time to comment to FERC on Sabal Trail ignoring springs on Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers →

Oil pipeline leak into Yellowstone River, upstream from Little Missouri National Park, Williston, and Bismark

January 19, 2015Leak, Montana, North Dakota, WaterBismark, Bridger Pipeline, Glendive, John S. Quarterman, Lake Sakakawea, leak, Little Missouri National Grassland, Makoshika State Park, Missouri River, Montana, North Dakota, SpectraBusters, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Williston, Yellowstone RiverJohn S. Quarterman

The oil may never reach Bismark because it will pollute Lake Sakakawea on the Missouri River first. Or it could go all the way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico and join BP’s oil. Pipelines leak. Let’s stop building more of them. Solar power is faster, cheaper, and far safer.

Jessica Summers, Bloomberg news, 18 January 2015, Oil Spills Into Yellowstone River After Montana Crude Pipe Leak,

Oil pumped in the Bakken leaked from a pipeline into the Yellowstone River near Glendive in Montana on Saturday.
Continue reading Oil pipeline leak into Yellowstone River, upstream from Little Missouri National Park, Williston, and Bismark →

Sabal Trail is an insurgent invader; pipeline opponents are environmental patriots

January 9, 2015Alabama, Environment, Florida, Georgia, History, Law, Safety, WaterAlabama, Education, eminent domain, environment, Florida, FPL, Georgia, Government, History, insurgent, John S. Quarterman, Law, patriot, redcoat, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Transco, Water, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

The pipeline companies are invading insurgents, acting against the stated directions of local elected governments. Pipeline opponents, fighting for their land, water, air, safety, and children, are patriots.

Merriam Webster defines insurgent as:

a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government

~~Five~~ Six counties and two cities in Georgia and Florida have so far passed resolutions against the Sabal Trail pipeline, and four state representatives have complained to FERC about it: here’s a list. That’s in addition to the other state and federal agencies that have complained to FERC. And in addition to the hundreds of individuals who have spoken at Sabal Trail’s Open Houses and FERC’s Scoping Meetings, overwhelmingly opposing the pipeline. And in addition to the numerous landowner, environmental, and political organizations that have passed resolutions, filed with FERC, and in many cases intervened with FERC against Sabal Trail’s application for a permit.

So if you see the people willing to put their time, money, and in many cases their freedom on the line; when you see the media call them insurgents, you know it’s a lie. Like Americans against invading redcoats, pipeline opponents are patriots.

One of many lies deliberately promoted by the fossil fuel industry. Eamon Javers wrote for CNBC 8 November 2011 Oil Executive: Military-Style ‘Psy Ops’ Experience Applied, Continue reading Sabal Trail is an insurgent invader; pipeline opponents are environmental patriots →

No eminent domain for water-threatening unnecessary Sabal Trail pipeline –GA Rep. Dexter Sharper District 177

January 7, 2015Economy, Explosion, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, Hazards, Law, Lowndes County, Safety, Solar, Trees, WaterAgriculture, Dexter Sharper, drinking water, Economy, Education, eminent domain, explosion, Florida, Floridan Aquifer, forestry, Form 10-K, FPL, Georgia, Hamilton County, Hazards, insurance, John S. Quarterman, karst, Law, LCDP, limestone, Lowndes County, Lowndes County Democratic Party, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, SEC, solar, SONAT, Southern Natural Gas, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Trees, Valdosta, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

The state representative for Valdosta and parts of Lowndes County cited their two resolutions and enumerated lack of need for a pipeline, threatening letters from Sabal Trail, alternative routes next to a school, ill effects on business including on forestry and agriculture and private property valuations, potential sinkholes due to drilling under the Withlacoochee River, including on the preferred route, or anywhere in the fragile karst limestone containing the Floridan Aquifer, plus Spectra Energy’s own SEC filings say it doesn’t have insurance to cover the kinds of safety problems in Spectra’s own history nor those pointed out by Southern Natural Gas Company. Dexter Sharper noted local evidence that solar power is cheaper and safer, and echoed the Lowndes County Democratic Party in writing:

“…we have a moral obligation to leave our children and grandchildren with an earth as safe, beautiful, and majestic as the one bequeathed to us by our parents and grandparents.”
For all these reasons, on behalf of my constituents and the citizens of Lowndes County and the state of Georgia, I oppose the Sabal Trail pipeline anywhere in the County of Lowndes or the State of Georgia.
I urge that FERC reject any permit for the Sabal Trail pipeline, or at the very least move it entirely out of the State of Georgia.

Filed 7 January 2015 with FERC as Accession Number: 20150107-5100, “Comment of Dexter Sharper, Georgia State Representative, District 177, under CP15-17.” Continue reading No eminent domain for water-threatening unnecessary Sabal Trail pipeline –GA Rep. Dexter Sharper District 177 →