Tag Archives: coal

Build FPL’s natural gas pipeline or not? –Palm Beach Post

June 2, 2014Economy, Environment, Florida, Fracking, Hazards, LNG, Martin Countycoal, Economy, environment, Eric Silagy, export, Florida, FPL, Fracking, Hazards, indirect, induced, jobs, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Martin County, NextEra Energy, oil, Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Post, Sabal Trail Transmission, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, T. Boone Pickens, windJohn S. Quarterman

FPL’s hometown newspaper never mentions solar or wind in an opinion piece asking whether you think the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is a good idea. You can comment directly in the newspaper. Maybe you’d like to send your comments to FERC, as well.

Palm Beach Post Opinion Staff wrote yesterday, Should FPL’s natural gas pipeline be built?

NextEra Energy, parent of Florida Power & Light, is contracting with Spectra Energy to run a natural gas pipleine 591 miles through the heart of the state, ending in Martin County.

FPL President Eric Silagy says the company needs the additional pipeline to provide redundancy and added capacity to the state’s existing natural gas pipleines. FPL is now the nation’s largest consumer of natural gas, he says.

It’s curious how FPL’s own projections in its 10-year plan don’t support Continue reading Build FPL’s natural gas pipeline or not? –Palm Beach Post →

The Halliburton fracking Loophole and LNG exports

June 1, 2014Economy, Environment, FE, FERC, Fracking, Law, LNGClean Water Cat, Climate Change, coal, CWA, Economy, Ed Markey, EIA, Energy Policy Act, environment, EPA2005, export, FE, FERC, Fracking, Halliburton Loophole, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, NEPA, nuclear, RCRA, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, review, Safe Drinking Water Act, SDWA, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

So FE proposes to follow the law, NEPA, specifically. How about we also repeal the Halliburton Loophole in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPA2005) that enables fracking and LNG exports?

The Office of Fossil Energy (FE)’s parent U.S. Department of Energy (DoE)’s writeup on EPA2005 doesn’t mention its fracking effects or liquid natural gas (LNG) storage or export. FERC’s writeup spells out that EPA2005 not just enabled but required LNG export:

Mandatory within 60 days after date of enactment
Continue reading The Halliburton fracking Loophole and LNG exports →

Duke gas plants to be fueled by Sabal Trail fracked methane

May 24, 2014Citrus County, FL PSC, Florida, Polk County, Suwannee CountyBartow, Citrus County, Citrus County Pipeline, coal, Crystal River, Duke Energy, Florida, Florida PSC, FPL, Hine Energy, John S. Quarterman, Live Oak, natural gas, NextEra Energy, nuclear, Polk County, Progress Energy, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee CountyJohn S. Quarterman

Tuesday May 27th Duke plans to file with FL PSC for approval to use Sabal Trail fracked methane at its former Crystal River nuclear site in Citrus County, Florida, and apparently for two other Duke plants in Suwannee County and Polk County. The Citrus County Commissioners have a Comprehensive Plan change for Duke on their agenda for that same day, May 27th, for a Public Hearing June 10th.

We already knew last December that Duke’s usual spokesman said Sabal Trail “plans to provide the gas” for Duke’s plant, which explains why Sabal Trail proposed last November a Citrus County Pipeline that goes right to Duke’s site. And now we have further confirmation.

Sabal Trail’s current top news story is by Robby Douglas in Citrus Daily 15 May 2014, Duke to build natural gas plant here, close coal plants, Continue reading Duke gas plants to be fueled by Sabal Trail fracked methane →

FPL supports solar power without spending money on it –FPL to FERC

April 25, 2014FE, FERC, Law, LNG, Martin County, Okeechobee County, SolarCape Canaveral, Carib Energy, coal, Crowley Maritime, EPA, export, FE, FERC, FL PSC, Florida Southeast Connection, Floridian LNG, John S. Quarterman, Law, LNG, Martin County, oil, Okeechobee County, Pam Rauch, Sabal Trail Transmission, SMP, solar, Southeast Market Pipelines, SpectraBusters, Transco, WilliamsJohn S. Quarterman

FPL doubled down on a need because it claims fracked methane is “clean”, in its FERC filing of 21 April 2014. FPL says it is “a strong supporter of solar power” even though it didn’t increase its solar capacity from 2010 to 2013 because of the lame baseload capacity excuse. FPL says it knows nothing about Export of Gas, even though Floridian LNG, located next to FPL’s Martin County “Clean Energy” Center right at the end of the Transco-Sabal-FSC pipeline, was approved for LNG export by the U.S. DoE Office Fossil Energy (FE) 14 November 2013, and Crowley Maritime’s Carib Energy was approved for export from Florida by FE 27 July 2011. And FPL says its ratepayers are not paying the costs of the pipeline, even though FPL VP of development and external affairs Pam Rauch argued in pring 29 July 2012 for a “Clean Energy” (fracked methane) Center at Cape Canaveral that was one of several mentioned by the Tampa Times 24 October 2014 as a reason for a new pipeline, and that same Pam Rauch filed PF14-2 with FERC for the Florida Southeast Connection (FSC) pipeline that connects from Sabal Trail to FPL’s “Clean Energy” Center in Martin County, next to Floridian LNG. FPL doesn’t seem to know what’s going on next to it, and maybe not what its own employees are doing. I hope EPA doesn’t consider the questions it filed with FERC the same day answered by this weak tea from FPL.

April 21, 2014
Ms. Kimberly D. Bose
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426
Subject: Southeast Market Pipelines Project
Docket Nos. PF14-1-000, PF14-2-000, and PF14-6-000
Dear Ms. Bose:
Florida Power & Light Company (“FPL”) hereby submits these comments in response Continue reading FPL supports solar power without spending money on it –FPL to FERC →

Less cost, more jobs, and better health with sun, wind, and water power for Florida, or a dirty destructive methane pipeline?

March 23, 2014Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Georgia, Safety, Solar, WaterAlabama, coal, death spiral, Duke Energy, Economy, Edison Electric Institute, environment, Florida, FPL, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, natural gas, NextEra Energy, nuclear, oil, photovoltaic, PV, rooftop, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, share prices, solar, solar farm, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, stocks, Wall Street Journal, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

How about we recognize every place is the worst place for the water-risking land-taking hazardous methane pipeline, and get on with sun, wind, and water to power Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and all the other states?

According to Stanford University researchers, we can do that, and we can do it 100% by 2050, using technology that’s already available. For Florida, that’s 20% rooftop solar PV (half residential and half commercial and governmental), 47.9% solar PV plants, 10% concentrating solar plants, 5% onshore wind, 15% offshore wind, 1% each wave and tide, 0.1% hydroelectric. So that’s 77.9% sun, 20% wind, 1% wave, 1% tide, and 0.1% hydro.

Requiring 0% nuclear, 0% coal, and 0% natural gas. That’s right, Florida doesn’t need methane to shut down coal and nukes. All the Sunshine State needs is sun, wind, and water.

With 355,500 construction jobs and 149,000 operation jobs, $20.1 billion or 3% of Florida’s GDP saved in avoided health costs, 2,210 Floridans not dead from air pollution.

Oh, and 42.9% less energy used over all, plus energy costs to customers cut more than in half.

Who are you going to believe? Researchers at Stanford who have no financial stake in the outcome? Or pipeline companies and utility companies that stand to profit from taking Continue reading Less cost, more jobs, and better health with sun, wind, and water power for Florida, or a dirty destructive methane pipeline? →

Methane pipeline rejected in New Jersey

January 11, 2014Cape May County, Economy, Environment, FERC, Hazards, Law, New Jersey, TreesBL England, blueberries, bobcats, Cape May County, coal, coastal plain, ecology, Economy, environment, FERC, Floridan Aquifer, FPL, fragile, Hazards, jobs, John S. Quarterman, Law, New Jersey, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, New Jersey Pinelands Commission, NJBPU, pine, Pine Barrens, Pinelands, Pinus Echinata, Sabal Trail Transmission, shortleaf pine, Sierra Club, South Jersey Gas, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, TreesJohn S. Quarterman

In the same coastal plain that contains the Floridan Aquifer with our drinking water, a commission just rejected a natural gas pipeline that would have gone through a pine fire forest with blueberries and bobcats much like ours. FERC should reject the Sabal Trail pipeline.

Wayne Parry wrote for AP 10 January 2014, Natural gas pipeline for N.J. Pinelands rejected,

Pemberton Township, N.J. — A New Jersey agency tasked with protecting the ecologically fragile Pinelands region narrowly defeated a proposal Friday to run a 22-mile natural gas pipeline through it….

“This is a great victory for the Pinelands and the environment of the region,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Today the commissioners said the Pinelands are not for sale.”

“The Pinelands is host Continue reading Methane pipeline rejected in New Jersey →

Solar learns faster than any other energy source –Citi GPS

December 14, 2013Economy, Fracking, HazardsCiti GPS, coal, Economy, efficiency, export, Fracking, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, learning rate, LNG, methane, natural gas, nuclear, opportunity, solar, SpectraBusters, windJohn S. Quarterman

Just as natural gas has beaten coal in less than five years, solar power is already beating gas, so betting on LNG exports or even fracked methane for domestic power is a bad investment. These are some implications of a new Citi GPS report.

The switch from gas to solar is already happening in Germany and in the U.S., according to Citi GPS in Energy Darwinism: The Evolution of the Energy Industry, October 2013, page 9:

…moreover, solar steals the most valuable part of electricity generation at the peak of the day when prices are highest. This effect has already caused the German utilities to release profit warnings, with some gas power plants in Germany running for less than 10 days in 2012, all of which makes some utilities reluctant to build new gas plants given fears over long term utilisation rates and hence returns.

And not just in Germany; see page 84:

This is not a ‘tomorrow’ story, as we are already seeing utilities altering investment plans, even in the shale-driven U.S., with examples of utilities switching plans for peak-shaving gas plants, and installing solar farms in their stead.

Wind is also beating coal; page 9 again:

Wind is already overshadowing coal in the second quartile. While wind’s intermittency is an issue, with more widespread national adoption it begins to exhibit more baseload characteristics (i.e. it runs more continuously on an aggregated basis). Hence it becomes a viable option, without the risk of low utilisation rates in developed markets, commodity price risk or associated cost of carbon risks.

By no “commodity price risk” they allude to wind requiring no fuel. And that’s also true of solar, as they spell out on page 90: Continue reading Solar learns faster than any other energy source –Citi GPS →