And it’s within a few miles of a school, notes
Bishop June Burr, retired NASA engineer.
As videographer Thomas Swain says:
Continue reading You will hear that Sabal Trail compressor sound in your sleep –June BurrBishop Burr is well heeled on emission standards and the potential with potential calamities associated with pumping stations. PAY ATTENTION!
No accountability, no jobs, no benefits: how about no pipeline?
Sasha Lenninger, WFXL, 13 July 2015, County commissioner’s concerns over pipeline,
During Monday’s Dougherty County Commission meeting, one commissioner brought up thoughts about the Sabal Trail Pipeline….
“What kind of measures do we have in place to protect our citizens from the hazards or even during the construction process that doing the heavy construction could damage the right of ways, the roads, and the water systems? If it becomes contaminated, what kind of measures do we have in place to hold them accountable,” asked [Commissioner Harry] James…
“We already have gas lines in the county but you’re only talking six to 10 inch lines. Now you’re talking about Continue reading What kind of measures do we have in place to hold Sabal Trail accountable for contamination? –Harry James 2015-07-13
Polite complaints to FERC, even demands, aren’t working, not even from elected officials at every level, city (Albany), county (Dougherty), state (Georgia), and federal. Now they are escalating to demonstrations and flooding FERC with comments while getting in the news.
Tracey Smith, WFXL, 9 July 2015, Top leaders meet to stop the Sabal Trail,
For years local leaders have been fighting against the Sabal Trail pipeline and the compressor station set to be built in Albany and Dougherty County. Now it’s time for the final push against the project.
Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, Georgia State Representative Winfred Dukes, County Commissioner John Hayes, Albany Commissioner Roger Marietta and other top leaders all got together in one room, for one reason: to stop the Sabal Trail from happening.
Their concerns range from Continue reading Albany and Dougherty County, GA leaders meet to stop Sabal Trail
Two protests in one day; three in a week: Dougherty County is haunting Spectra! You can join them this evening at 5:30 PM, and you can help from anywhere by commenting to FERC, signing a petition to the Georgia governor, and contacting your elected and appointed officials.
Carlton Fletcher, Albany Herald, 17 July 2015, Albany pipeline protesters take cause to Sabal Trail office | PHOTO GALLERY: Group gathers for silent protest at local office of pipeline contractor
A group of between 30 and 40 protesters gathered at the Sabal Trail Transmission office on Evelyn Avenue Friday to voice their continued opposition to the $3.5 billion natural gas pipeline that is projected to pass through Dougherty County on the way from central Alabama to central Florida.
The group also is opposed Continue reading Sabal Trail protested in Albany, GA this morning, again this evening 2015-07-17
Spectra Keep Out, say Dougherty County protesters Friday. (PDF)
Keep Spectra Energy’s
Sabal Trail
OUT
Dougherty County, GAThe Sabal Trail compressor station and pipeline will endanger and devalue our community.
Join us in a silent protest at Sabal’s office
Friday, July 17 from 9:30 a.m.
1301 Evelyn Avenue,
in front of the Dougherty County jail.This is our community and our county. Bring your Continue reading Silent Protest to Keep Sabal Trail out of Dougherty County, GA 2015-07-17
A FERC comment submission form appears along with a letter by Roger Marietta, Albany City Councilman, in the Georgia Sierra Club newsletter based on the recent Albany Herald silent protest story about Spectra Energy of Houston Texas’ invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and its Albany compressor station. Excerpt:
It is clear that the Sabal Trail Pipeline will destroy our local environment, and is hazardous to private property, health, and the local economy. The evidence has shown that this massive pipeline is not needed; Continue reading Sierra Club FERC comment submission form for Sabal Trail Albany Compressor
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
Does FERC care about Albany and Dougherty County’s water supply?
Filed with FERC 19 May 2015 as Accession Number: 20150519-5141, “Letter of concern for City of Albany’s water supply under CP15-17”:
City of Albany
POST OFFICE BOX 447
Albany, Georgia
31702-0447
Via Electronic Filing
May 19, 2015
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E., Room 1A
Washington, D.C. 20426RE: Southeast Market Pipelines Project
Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC
Docket No. CP15-17-000
Docket No. CP14-16-000
Docket No. CP14-554-000Dear Secretary Bose:
We wish to point out a special feature Continue reading Albany wells in Sabal Trail’s path
There’s still time to comment on one methane rule proposed by the EPA, which was partly prompted by outside comment to start with. So far, the only comments are by fossil fuel industry consortiums. Why should they have all the fun? Here’s how to post your own comments. And there may be another rule announced today.
Posted by the EPA, 9 December 2014, Greenhouse Gas Reporting: 2015 Revisions and Confidentiality Determinations for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems,
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing revisions and confidentiality determinations for the petroleum and natural gas systems source category of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. In particular, the EPA is proposing to add calculation methods and reporting requirements for greenhouse gas emissions from gathering and boosting facilities, completions and workovers of oil wells with hydraulic fracturing, and blowdowns of natural gas transmission pipelines between compressor stations. The EPA is also proposing well identification reporting requirements to improve the EPA’s ability to verify reported data and enhance transparency. This action also proposes confidentiality determinations for new data elements contained in these proposed amendments.
Pipelines between compressor stations would affect the compressor stations proposed for the Sabal Trail pipeline. The proposed rule also spells out in numerous places that it’s about distribution pipelines, too. And the proposed rule was partly motivated by requests from concerned parties: Continue reading EPA natural gas greenhouse gas reporting proposed rule 2014-12-09
Sinkholes opening under the Flint or Chattahoochee Rivers, more hazardous waste from the proposed Albany, Georgia compressor station, these are a few of the things the Georgia Climate Change Coalition moved to intervene to prevent Sabal Trail Transmission from doing wiht its proposed pipeline.
It is highly likely that this pipeline would suffer from malfunction and damage,
as the region it would cross is typically prone to the spontaneous opening of sink holes, such that would cause an infrastructure project of this type to fail….
The construction and operation of the compressor facility in Albany Georgia would contribute to the hazardous waste produced by Georgia’s existing electricity infrastructure.
Here’s how to file a motion to intervene with FERC.
GCCC filed with FERC 26 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141226-5005, “(doc-less) Motion to Intervene of Georgia Climate Change Coalition under CP15-17, et. al..”
Submission Description: (doc-less) Motion to Intervene of Georgia Climate Change Coalition under CP15-17-000, et. al..
Submission Date: 12/24/2014 10:56:07 PM
Filed Date: 12/26/2014 8:30:00 AM
Dockets
CP15-17-000 Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC submits its Abbreviated Application for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Related Authorizations for the Sabal Trail Project – Volumes I, III, and IV. CP15-16-000 Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC submits an application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for its Hillabee Expansion Project CP14-554-000 Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and for Related Authorizations of Florida Southeast Connection, LLC under CP14-Filing Party/Contacts: Filing Party, Signer (Representative), Other Contact (Principal)
Georgia Climate Change Coalition athenscompost@gmail.comBasis for Intervening:
The Georgia Climate Change Coalition seeks to intervene in the permitting process of the Sabal Trail Transmissions natural gas pipeline because of many obvious threats the construction poses to our natural environment in Georgia, and in other states as well. In Georgia the Sabal Trail pipeline would cross both the Flint and the Chattahoochee Rivers, and their watersheds. The Flint river is the most endangered river in Georgia. Construction of the pipeline would greatly disturb these water systems. Both these river systems provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people as well as providing wildlife habitat.
It is highly likely that this pipeline would suffer from malfunction and damage, as the region it would cross is typically prone to the spontaneous opening of sink holes, such that would cause an infrastructure project of this type to fail. The region is known as the Karst limestone aquatic system, and the aquifer would be polluted by a natural gas spill from this pipeline.
Another pressing concern of the Georgia Climate Change Coalition regards the proposed compressor station in Albany Georgia. As a statewide coalition we are concerned with the effects of climate change and pollution on Georgia as a whole. We are most concerned by the fact that the facility would operate on electricity generated by Georgia’s coal-fired power grid. Georgia is home to the dirtiest coal fired power plants in our nation, and is among the ten dirtiest places in the world due to the particulate ash and water pollution generated by our coal fired power plants. The construction and operation of the compressor facility in Albany Georgia would contribute to the hazardous waste produced by Georgia’s existing electricity infrastructure.
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