Ted Yoho (FL-03) Town Hall in Ocala, FL tomorrow 17 March 2014

Florida, Gilchrist County, Hamilton County, Levy County, Madison County, Marion County, Suwannee County, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Congress member for all of the north Florida path of the proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline invites you to a Town Hall in Ocala Monday.

On Ted Yoho’s facebook page, this event:

Ocala Town Hall
Hosted by Congressman Ted Yoho
6:30-7:30pm Monday 17 March 2014
3733 SW 80th Avenue, Ocala, FL

Come join me for a Town Hall meeting on Monday, March 17th at Westport High School. I’ll be there to give an update on what is happening in Washington as well as answer any questions or concerns. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Hope to see you there!

Florida’s Third Congressional District includes part or all of all of the north Florida counties on the pipeline path: Madison County, Hamilton County, Columbia County, Suwannee County, Gilchrist County, Alachua County, Levy County, and Marion County.

Continue reading Ted Yoho (FL-03) Town Hall in Ocala, FL tomorrow 17 March 2014 →

Water supply more important than methane pipeline –Lauren Ritchie

Explosion, FERC, Florida, Lake County, Leak, Martin County, Osceola County, Safety, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“But this isn’t an issue just for tree-huggers. It’s one that every person who uses water ought to latch on to,” she wrote.

I added the links and the images below to what Lauren Ritchie wrote in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday, Move path for natural-gas pipeline to protect water supply,

Only a relatively small piece of a proposed natural-gas pipeline that is to cross three states would come through a corner of south Lake County, but the route is directly through one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Florida.

And, unfortunately, the pipeline is to be built by a company whose safety record is hardly sterling and whose tendency is to stare silently when asked questions about accidents.

I’d recognize the pipeline company from that description. Continue reading Water supply more important than methane pipeline –Lauren Ritchie →

Delays from the protracted permitting process have caused the project to become uneconomical –Tennessee Gas Pipeline 2008

Massachusetts, , , , , ,

Wouldn’t it be sad if Spectra, Williams, and FPL had to announce this?

Katy wrote for NoFrackedGasinMass.org 13 March 2014, ONCE UPON A TIME, TGP WANTED TO PUT A PIPELINE THROUGH WAKEFIELD, SAUGUS AND LYNNFIELD …,

“Tennessee Gas Pipeline regrets to inform you that its Essex-Middlesex Project is being terminated. Delays from the protracted permitting process have caused the project to become uneconomical to the extent that Tennessee and the project’s customer, DistriGas of Massachusetts, have agreed to discontinue the project.”

-jsq

Disappointing Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings –Bob Hastings

Alabama, Choctaw County, FERC, Russell County, Tallapoosa County, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bob Hastings of the Alabama Sierra Club reports from the Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings. -jsq

I attended both the Alexander City and Butler hearings, and was disappointed in both. There was apparently a lot of apathy and/or intimidation among people affected.

There were about 50-75 people at Alex City but only about 7 people spoke. I read the Alabama-Georgia-Florida Sierra Club statement, and got a few compliments after the meeting.

At Butler, there were only 7 people present (plus about 15 “company” employees who answered questions, but there were not many questions). Because of the small group, we sat in a circle with the FERC reps and listened to their statements and asked a few questions. No landowners made statements and I agreed to submit mine online. It was a long drive for not much information.

I was also told that about 25 people attended the Seale hearing but no one submitted comments (according to Bill Braun, a “first zero” for FERC hearings).

Bill Braun was the FERC representative (a contract environmental consultant) from Minnesota who described the projects at all three hearings in Alabama, along with Kara Harris.

FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club

Alabama, Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Fracking, Law, Safety, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Filed with FERC 14 March 2104 by Bob Hastings for Alabama Sierra Club about PF14-6. -jsq

Comments on the proposed Transco Pipeline Hillabee Expansion Project:

The Sierra Club is a national environmental organization promoting the protection of our natural environment and quality of life for all citizens. The Club has more than 1.5 million members and includes chapters in all states. The Alabama Chapter has approximately 3000 members.

The Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club has joined with the Georgia and Florida Sierra Club Chapters to oppose the proposed 650 mile Sabal Trail Pipeline that would carry natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing from Pennsylvania and Texas through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Since the purpose of the Hillabee Expansion project is to supply gas to the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, we also oppose the Hillabee Expansion project, and consider it undesirable and not needed.

Williams Partners, Inc., owners of the Transco pipeline, has a poor record of pipeline safety, and has had at least 35 reportable accidents since 2006, including the pipeline rupture and explosion on December 3, 2011, near Linden in Marengo County, Alabama. Fortunately this explosion, which devastated 65 acres of forest land, did not occur in a populated area where loss of life could have been tragic. Williams Partners should focus on upgrading the existing pipeline for improved safety rather than expanding its capacity.

The existing Transco pipeline cuts through Continue reading FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club →

Woman identified in last week’s Ewing, NJ gas explosion that destroyed dozens of homes

Explosion, New Jersey, New York, Safety, , , , , , , ,

This week, Harlem, last week, Ewing, NJ, 20 years ago, Edison, NJ: methane explosions that destroyed buildings and killed at least one person, according to investigors or local officials apparently caused by gas company. This is one downside to the fracked “natural” gas industry’s answer to cold weather in the U.S. northeast.

WPVI-TV wrote 6 March 2014, Woman killed in Ewing Twp. explosion identified as Linda Cerritelli,

It all began around 11:45 a.m. when utility company PSE&G got a call from contractor Henkels and McCoy that a worker had damaged a gas line while working on an electrical problem.

Crews were working on it about an hour later when—for reasons that are still not known—the gas line ignited.

At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Bert Steinmann said the gas line was marked out in the area where a contractor was working. Officials don’t know what went wrong.

PSE&G issued a statement saying it would not comment further until the investigation was complete.

Documents show Henkels and McCoy had been fined more than $100,000 by federal safety monitors for problems at two other New Jersey work sites. Continue reading Woman identified in last week’s Ewing, NJ gas explosion that destroyed dozens of homes →

Resolution: Sabal Trail Natural Gas Pipeline –Colquitt County Board of Commissioners

Agriculture, Colquitt County, Georgia, Law, Safety, , , , , , , ,

This is the text of the resolution passed by the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners, and here it is in PDF. -jsq

Resolution Number 2014-R-6.

RESOLUTION
COLQUITT COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
SABAL TRAIL NATURAL GAS PIPELINE

WHEREAS, Sabal Trail Natural Gas Pipeline proposes to construct a natural gas transmission pipeline that will bisect a large portion of Colquitt County, Georgia; and,

WHEREAS, Colquitt County, Georgia is the largest agricultural production county in the State of Georgia with numerous farms and agricultural infrastructure throughout the county and in the proposed path of the Sabal Trail Natural Gas Pipeline; and,

WHEREAS, there remains many concerns among area agricultural growers regarding the depth of the pipeline in agricultural areas.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Continue reading Resolution: Sabal Trail Natural Gas Pipeline –Colquitt County Board of Commissioners →

Spectra stands down on drilling core samples at the Santa Fe River, Florida

FERC, Florida, Gilchrist County, Law, Suwannee County, Water, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mighty Spectra stopped from drilling for now by local opposition in Suwannee and Gilchrist Counties, Florida! Why were they preparing to drill anyway, when they don’t have a permit, and haven’t even started the formal permitting process with FERC to get it? Why have they also been reported going on property without permission this week in Georgia?

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, president of Our Santa Fe River (OSFR), reports:

Sabal has started to stake the ground as to where to put what is called a drilling station. There are plans to put one station in Gilchrist and one in Suwannee. They intend to dig a tunnel under the river bed by directional bore drilling to connect the 2 sites. There have been NO permits issued for any of this; experts have not had time to review all the pertinent information on historical resources, biology, geology, etc… Residents in Gilchrist have not even signed papers allowing them access to their land for surveying purposes and now they are staking for core drilling samples!

Sabal is presently staking Gilchrist Cypress Shores property and plans to drill for core material so that they understand what is under the ground when they plan to bring in the heavy drilling equipment (years from now). Cart before the horse. The FERC has not even decided this is the route. We have important information that shows this is a Springs system and should not be put here and will present at scoping meetings.

Deborah Hogan called me last night to tell me Sabal will “stand down” till they have more information in the Suwannee County side. Sabal believes they are in the clear to do bore hole samples for directional drilling to put a drilling platform that will go under the River and connect to other side.

Sabal has no need to do these core samples now. to find their site location. There has been no approval of this route. The Environmental Impact Study EIS, has not been completed. The scoping meetings have not been done.

OSFR has also contacted Suwannee River Water Management District and Gilchrist County Administrator, Bobby Crosby, to stop the Gilchrist core sampling.

OSFR has called the following people for more info and to get them to stop.

Deborah Hogan, Sabal survey representative, 1-305-433-1700

and

John Peconom, FERC, 1-202-502-6352

Merrillee adds:

Environmental lawyer that represents IREPA, Christopher Byrd, also takes credit for stopping Sabal for the moment.

Maybe people would like to mention this at the Suwannee County Commission meeting 6PM Tuesday 18 March 2014. The FERC Scoping Meetings go to Florida that same day, starting in Lake Wales and heading up to north Florida the following week. And you can file ecomments with FERC at any time.

-jsq

Corporate power comes home –Jim Parker

Economy, Georgia, Law, Lowndes County, Safety, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Letter to the Editor in the Valdosta Daily Times yesterday. -jsq

How is it that one foreign corporation, that has just come into existence to do this project, can have greater power than all of the thousands of citizens affected, and their elected governments?

No, I’m not talking about the Keystone XL pipeline, but he issues are the same. This one wants to run a 36-inch gas pipeline through a number of states and counties, including Lowndes, affecting thousands of landowners. It’s known as Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC, and is the unholy offspring of Spectra Energy Corp. and NextEra Energy.

How can one foreign corporation (they’re from out of state), have so much power vis-avis the thousands of landowners and citizens of Lowndes County, that the citizens must give up Continue reading Corporate power comes home –Jim Parker →

Suwannee County Gas Pipeline Alert

Florida, Suwannee County, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Seen on Our Santa Fe River and Ichetucknee Alliance facebook pages today. Spectra Energy also proposed the Sabal Trail methane pipeline to go under the Withlacoochee River a second time just before it goes under the Suwannee River to enter Suwannee County. Why not just cross the Suwannee upstream of Ellaville where the Withlacoochee meets the Suwannee? Because that’s where Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park is. Maybe the Withlacoochee, Suwannee, Ichetucknee, and Santa Fe Rivers are also important to the culture of the entire area.

Gas Pipeline Alert:

Tuesday, March 18th, 6 pm, Suwannee County BOCC

North Central Florida, here is the next public meeting about Sabal’s gas highway in Suwannee County, cutting under a Springshed in the Santa Fe River, about 1/2 mile from the confluence of the Ichetucknee River.

Speak to Board about your concerns with a gas highway through Suwannee County and the Santa Fe River, near the Ichetucknee River (.66 miles away from the confluence). Fill out a card to speak when you arrive. You will have 3 minutes to address the Board. read more here: http://www.suwanneedemocrat.com/suwannee/x787212730/Suwannee-County-Commission-meeting-agenda-for-March-18-2014

SUWANNEE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
JUDICIAL ANNEX BUILDING
218 PARSHLEY STREET SOUTHWEST
LIVE OAK, FLORIDA 32064
TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR March 18, 2014, 6:00 P.M.
“14. Discuss Sabal Trail gas line. (David Hanna) 5 minutes”

See also:

And the FERC Scoping Meetings move to south Central Florida that same day, Continue reading Suwannee County Gas Pipeline Alert →