Tag Archives: Economy

Canadian natives reject $1 billion offer from fossil fuel company: environment more important

A fossil fuel company can make a real financial offer when it wants to, not just the pocket change people in the U.S. southeast are being offered for easements for the Sabal Trail or Palmetto pipelines. And no offer is enough to outweigh the environmental damage, was the unanimous vote of a Canadian native group about a competitor of Spectra Energy.

Brent Jang, Globe and Mail, 8 May 2015, Environment dwarfs financial merit in LNG deal for B.C. First Nations,

For the Lax Kw’alaams in British Columbia, Thursday’s decision turned out to be simple — the environmental risks of a massive liquefied natural gas project far outweighed the financial rewards.

In the second stage of three votes, Continue reading Canadian natives reject $1 billion offer from fossil fuel company: environment more important

Duke Energy buys into Sabal Trail

Are Spectra and FPL running short on money so they have to take on a new investor? Has the opposition cost them $225 million already?

The AP story includes two misconceptions. After protests continuing into this year, a criminal trespass lawsuit against Sabal Trail, and multiple parties filing amicus briefs, this is all AP remembers:

The pipeline drew protests from southwest Georgia residents last year, who said they do not want a pollution-emitting compression station near their homes.

And despite Sabal Trail’s continued failure to demonstrate need, AP repeats this old canard:

Currently there are only two major pipelines that deliver natural gas to Florida. Both are nearing capacity.

Not if the Sunshine State gets on with solar power, like even the most corrupt state (Georgia) is doing.

Interestingly, there’s no press release from any of Sabal Trail, Spectra, NextEra, or FPL about this, but there’s this obviously slanted Duke Energy PR, 5 May 2015, Duke Energy buys 7.5% of previously announced Sabal Trail pipeline that will meet growing need for natural gas in Southeast U.S., Continue reading Duke Energy buys into Sabal Trail

Kinder Morgan campaign contributions to GA Gov. Deal and Lt. Gov. Cagle

Kinder Morgan contributed to the campaigns of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and to numerous other elected officials, similar to Spectra Energy PAC and many other pipeline companies or associated political action committees. Could this have something to do with how Georgia state officials are not being very helpful to the citizens who overwhelmingly oppose both Kinder Morgan’s proposed Palmetto petroleum products pipeline through eastern Georgia and Spectra’s proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline through southwest Georgia? Could it explain why the Georgia government seems to be treating both pipelines as if they were public-private partnerships with the state?

Searching Georgia Campaign Finance Commission campaign records show Kinder Morgan (KMI) subsidiary Southern Natural Gas (SONAT) contributed to a whole bunch of people, including Casey Cagle: Continue reading Kinder Morgan campaign contributions to GA Gov. Deal and Lt. Gov. Cagle

Why Georgia Doesn’t Need the Palmetto Pipeline –Poets Love Birds

The Suwannee River faces invasion by both Kinder Morgan’s Palmetto petroleum products pipeline and Spectra Energy’s Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. Plus the Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla, and St. Mary’s River are threatened by the Palmetto Project, Chattahoochee, Flint, Withlacoochee, and Santa Fe Rivers are threatened by Sabal Trail, plus most both projects is above the fragile Floridan Aquifer. All for no known local benefit; just to profit corporate greed.

Curtis and Norma Beaird, Poets Love Birds, 30 April 2015, Why Georgia Doesn’t Need the Palmetto Pipeline: Our Filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),

We are writing this article because we are very concerned about the proposed Palmetto Pipeline to be built in the state of Georgia. Kinder Morgan plans to build 360-mile pipeline that will run from Belton, South Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Savannah Riverkeeper, 218 miles of the pipeline will be in Georgia and 142 miles of the pipeline will be built in South Carolina. This pipeline would move refined petroleum products, to include denatured fuel ethanol. …

According to Push Back the Pipeline:

In the continental U.S., there are only 42 free-flowing rivers greater than 124 miles in length. Georgia contains five of these rivers, three of which are in the path of the proposed pipeline, Altamaha, Ogeechee, and Satilla Rivers. The Okefenokee Swamp is also the headwaters of the St. Marys and the Suwanee River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.

Georgia also contains most of the free-flowing 205-mile Alapaha River, which fortunately isn’t currently the target of any pipeline. However, Spectra Energy proposes to gouge its Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline under the 115-mile Withlacoochee River in Georgia. And Sabal Trail would cross the Suwannee River in Florida, so the Suwannee is a target of both pipelines: Palmetto in Georgia, and Sabal Trail in Florida.

Here’s Curtis Beaird’s FERC filing, which notes that Kinder Morgan has not proven any need Continue reading Why Georgia Doesn’t Need the Palmetto Pipeline –Poets Love Birds

Post a bond if Palmetto Pipeline is not for export –Steve Willis to Kinder Morgan in Savannah

Calling their bluff at their very first “public hearing”, longtime environmental activist Steve Willis told Kinder Morgan that if they didn’t want the public to believe that their pipeline is for export, when it so conveniently runs past KM’s proposed Elba Island LNG export terminal and to Jacksonville where Jaxport is gearing up for LNG export, they should post a $100 million bond. Watch the KM rep’s face as soon as Steve says “export”; sure looks like “OMG, he’s on to us!”

Steve noted there is no local demand for KM’s petroleum products, and exports drive up local prices anyway. You don’t have to believe Steve, you can believe Continue reading Post a bond if Palmetto Pipeline is not for export –Steve Willis to Kinder Morgan in Savannah

Sabal Trail contractor yards

300x388 Dougherty County, GA Compressor Station, CONTRACTOR YARD #2-3, in Sabal Trail Contractor Yards, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 20 February 2015 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

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

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

VSU S.A.V.E. protest for fossil fuel divestiture and against Sabal Trail pipeline

The cookout at Valdosta State made the news, with SpectraBusters.org No Pipeline signs.

Winnie Wright, WCTV, 12 February 2015, VSU Students Protest Against Controversial Pipeline,

Adrianna Taylor of SAVE [Students Against Violating the Environment] says, “We’re uniting all of the global divestment groups from across the world and trying to make a message to the fossil fuel industry and to local governments that we want change. We want you guys to divest from fossil fuels and make the switch to alternative fuels.”

Taylor also says the organization hopes the University will pledge not to invest any more money in fossil fuels.

Resolutions against the Sabal Trail pipeline have already been passed by Lowndes County, Valdosta, and five other counties and one other city (Albany) in Georgia and Florida. VSU divesting its fossil fuels would send another signal.

Also, how about Continue reading VSU S.A.V.E. protest for fossil fuel divestiture and against Sabal Trail pipeline

Spectra stock cut to hold; can CEO Greg Ebel explain 5 Feb 2015?

300x226 Spectra Energy (SE) and Spectra Energy Partners (SEP), in SE and SEP stock price for one year, by John S. Quarterman, for SpectraBusters.org, 16 January 2015 Maybe fossil fuel pipelines aren’t such a lucrative business after all? Funny how this Spectra downgrade comes right after the big announcement about EPA proposed methane rules. Can Spectra Energy CEO Greg Ebel explain this away to investors three weeks from now? How about OPEC driving the price of gas down and energy deals among U.S., China, and Russia tanking the U.S. LNG export market? Ebel’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.

Faye Duncan wrote for Dakota Financial News 16 January 2015, Spectra Energy Corp. Cut to “Hold” at Tudor Pickering, Continue reading Spectra stock cut to hold; can CEO Greg Ebel explain 5 Feb 2015?