Tag Archives: Alabama

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

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

SpectraBusters moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al.

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.

300x222 All three dockets selected, in How to intervene, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 17 December 2014 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.

A flood of motions to intervene filed: still two days to go to Sabal Trail deadline

The trickle turns to a flood of motions to intervene being filed for the FERC dockets of Sabal Trail, Transco’s Hillabee Expansion Project, and Florida Southeast Connection. Two elected county governments have filed, one of them in all three dockets. Other counties and cities and even states can dod the same.

Be sure to file in all three dockets: CP15-17, CP15-16, and CP14-554. It’s not enough to list them in your filing documents or description: you must file them on each docket. If you don’t find your filing in FERC’s docket search for each of the three dockets, you need to go back and file again in the other dockets. Here’s how to file for multiple dockets in a single Continue reading A flood of motions to intervene filed: still two days to go to Sabal Trail deadline

Nonami Oglethorpe moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al.

Ted Turner’s Nonami plantation near Albany, Georgia 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.

Intervenor is a landowner with land laying both within the proposed right-of-way corridor for the Sabal pipeline and within very close proximity to one of Sabal’s proposed compressor stations, thus exposing its property to condemnation and deleterious effects associated with the construction and operation of a natural gas transmission pipeline and deleterious effects of a compressor station.

Filed with FERC 22 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141222-5003, “Motion to Intervene of Nonami Oglethorpe, LLC under CP15-17.” Continue reading Nonami Oglethorpe moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al.

Gulf Restoration Network moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al.

An environmental organization protecting the Gulf of Mexico and the wetlands and the streams and rivers flowing into it 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.

GRN is concerned that the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, and other components of the Southeast Market Pipelines Project, is not justified by any existing need and that their construction and operation will unnecessarily destroy coastal wetlands and impair water quality in rivers and streams in Alabama and Florida, with attendant impacts on the Gulf.

Here’s how to file a motion to intervene. GRN’s was filed with FERC 19 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141219-5312, “Motion to Intervene of Gulf Restoration Network, Inc. under CP15-17, et al”. -jsq Continue reading Gulf Restoration Network moves to intervene on Sabal Trail et al.

Southern Company Services intervenes in Sabal Trail at FERC

A subsidiary of Southern Company, parent of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Gulf Power (Florida) has filed a motion to intervene in FERC docket CP15-17 for Sabal Trail Transmission’s pipeline:

Southern Company “SCS is a current customer of Transco, and the operations of Sabal Trail will traverse the Alabama, Florida and Georgia service territories of SCS’s operating affiliates.”

Filed with FERC 17 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141217-5122, Continue reading Southern Company Services intervenes in Sabal Trail at FERC

Florida Gas Transmission intervenes in Sabal Trail CP15-17

How simple a motion to intevene can be: organization name, contacts, and Basis for Intervening. Filing to intervene gets your foot in the door for any further filings or legal actions or participation in hearings. It does not require filing major legal documents at the outset (or ever). It does require filing your motion to intervene by 24 December 2014. It would be prudent not to wait until the last day: you never know when FERC’s efiling system might be down.

This motion to intervene is by Sabal Trail’s competitor Florida Gas Transmission, which is, according to Kinder Morgan:

The Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) pipeline is an approximately 5,500-mile system that transports natural gas from south Texas to south Florida. FGT is owned by Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC, a 100% owned subsidiary of Citrus Corp. Citrus Corp is a 50/50 joint venture between Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) and Energy Transfer.

FGT didn’t mention in this filing, but it knows sinkholes. Just a year ago FGT had to move its pipeline off of the famous 25-acre sinkhole in Assumption Parish, Louisiana.

Filed with FERC 9 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141209-5136, “(doc-less) Motion to Intervene of Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC under CP15-17.” Continue reading Florida Gas Transmission intervenes in Sabal Trail CP15-17

Happy Thanksgiving!

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!

Opposes Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County –Lowndes County Commission

Escalating from the Chairman’s letter of 11 April 2014, perhaps after listening to requests from citizens, the Lowndes County Commission passed a resolution wanting no part of Sabal Trail in the county or in the state of Georgia.

Update 2014-11-25: Well, according to Joe Adgie in the Valdosta Daily Times today, “Even though the missive has already been mailed [to FERC], the resolution will not be formally voted on until the county commission’s next meeting in December [9th].”

Filed with FERC in docket CP15-17 on 21 November 2014 as Accession Number: 20141121-5242, but that was a Friday and FERC doesn’t work on weekends, so it actually appeared Monday 24 November 2014.

300x52 Commissioners, in Lowndes County Commission Work Session, by John S. Quarterman, 10 November 2014 RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas has proposed to build a $3.7 Billion, 460mile natural gas line known as Sabal Trail, and;

WHEREAS, The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has concerns regarding personal property rights Continue reading Opposes Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County –Lowndes County Commission

Sabal Trail formal FERC filing CP15-17

300x388 Cover, in Sabal Trail CP15-17 20141121-5032, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 21 November 2014 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