Tag Archives: environment

Videos: Citizens against Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail pipeline to FERC in Albany, Moultrie, Valdosta, and Lake City

October 3, 2015Colquitt County, Columbia County, Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, Ethics, FERC, Florida, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, Law, Lowndes County, WaterAlbany, Colquitt County, Columbia County, community, compressor, Dougherty County, eminent domain, environment, Ethics, FERC, Flint River, Flint Riverkeeper, Florida, Floridan Aquifer, Fracking, Georgia, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Lake City, Law, Lowndes County, Moultrie, Okapilco Creek, Our Santa Fe River, people, property rights, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Valdosta, Water, Withlacoochee River, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

Citizens renamed Sabal Trail the Sinkhole Pipeline because it doesn’t belong in the sinkhole-prone karst limestone of the Floridan Aquifer. FERC can’t say they weren’t told, since videographers followed them through all four cities so far; see for yourself.

Albany, Monday 28 September 2015, videos by Thomas Swain

Moultrie, Tuesday 29 September 2015, videos by Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE)

“You tell us you’re sorry and it happens again”, said Continue reading Videos: Citizens against Sabal “Sinkhole” Trail pipeline to FERC in Albany, Moultrie, Valdosta, and Lake City →

Citizens oppose Sabal Trail in Albany, Moultrie, and Valdosta this week –WTOC, Albany, GA

September 28, 2015Brooks County, Colquitt County, Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, Law, Lee County, Lowndes County, Safety, Suwannee CountyAlbany, Brooks County, Colquitt County, compressor, Dougherty County, environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, Law, Lee County, Lowndes County, Mitchell County, Moultrie, Safety, SpectraBusters, Suwannee County, Terrell County, Valdosta, WTOCJohn S. Quarterman

Property rights, environment, health, and safety are why citizens oppose Sabal Trail, including tonight in Albany or Tuesday in Moultrie or Wednesday in Valdosta. Be sure to show up by 5:30 PM to sign up to speak.

Caitlyn Chastain, WTOC, 28 September 2015, Public meetings ahead for Sabal Trail Pipeline, starting today,

It’s a project that has gained a lot of attention and a lot of criticism.

Many people are concerned Continue reading Citizens oppose Sabal Trail in Albany, Moultrie, and Valdosta this week –WTOC, Albany, GA →

FERC sides with Sabal Trail in DEIS: Surprise!

September 14, 2015Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, Suwannee County, WaterAir, Albany, Beyond Extreme Energy, BXE, Carlton Fletcher, DEIS, Department of Environmental Protection, Dinorah Hall, Dougherty County, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, environment, fast, FERC, FL-DEP, Georgia, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, John Trallo, Pope Francis, Sane Energy Project, SpectraBusters, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Anybody who thought FERC would do a real Draft Environmental Impact Statement is disappointed. But they shouldn’t be surprised: FERC, 100% funded by the industries they “regulate”, is a rubberstamp machine. But that’s no reason to give up. It’s reason to stand up, and take advantage of many more opportunities to stop the unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous Sabal Trail pipeline and get on with renewable solar and wind power.

Carlton Fletcher, Albany Herald, 13 September 2015, FERC Sabal Trail ruling comes amidst protest: Group holds fasting vigil outside federal agency’s offices,

ALBANY — Even as a group started a fast in front of the agency’s Washington, D.C., offices and questions arose in Florida over the safety record of Spectra Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made it clear this week that it had no intention of standing in the way of construction of the proposed Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Local opponents Continue reading FERC sides with Sabal Trail in DEIS: Surprise! →

Three-week fast in front of FERC by BXE 9-25 September 2015

September 8, 2015Economy, Environment, FERC, Law, SolarBeyond Extreme Energy, BXE, Climate Change, Economy, environment, fast, FERC, fossil fuels, John S. Quarterman, Laudato Si, Law, pope, solar, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Many its members have already gotten flattened by the FERC rubberstamp process. They’ve been protesting outside and inside FERC meetings. They’ve gotten arrested and a judge acquitted one of them because FERC violated the First Amendment. Now Beyond Extreme Energy is escalating to a water-only fast outside FERC until Pope Francis arrives.

The pope who in his June encylical Laudato Si wrote that Continue reading →

Building the pipeline would endanger the quality of the ecosystem –Rosanne Lewis

August 6, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Georgia, Treescompressor, coyote, deer, Department of Natural Resources, Dougherty County, environment, FERC, GA DNR, Georgia, gopher tortoise, John S. Quarterman, pileated woodpeckers, quail, SpectraBusters, Trees, turkey, wetlandsJohn S. Quarterman

Will Spectra sue to avoid protecting gopher tortoises like it challenged a fine for not protecting the western toad? Here’s a comment on We are outraged…:

As a resident of Dougherty county, Georgia, I feel it imperative that I voice my opposition to the proposed path of the Sabal pipeline through the property behind my home. The land where the proposed pipeline is to be located is home to several endangered species, as well as several areas of wetlands. In walking the property during the winter months, we have seen gopher tortoises, Continue reading Building the pipeline would endanger the quality of the ecosystem –Rosanne Lewis →

We are outraged about a proposed gas pipeline cutting through our property!! –Sarah Phillips to GA-DNR

August 5, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, Georgia, Treesair quality permit, church, compressor, deer, Department of Natural Resources, Dougherty County, ducks, Education, environment, GA DNR, Georgia, gopher tortoises, habitat, John S. Quarterman, pileated woodpeckers, ponds, Religion, school, SpectraBusters, stewards, treasure, Trees, wetlands, wild turkeyJohn S. Quarterman

Yes, how about a public hearing run by GA-DNR where Sabal Trail actually has to answer questions in public? GA-DNR may not publish comments about that proposed Sabal Trail air quality permit, deadline August 7th, but we asked for citizens to copy SpectraBusters for publication, and this one did.

From: Sarah Phillips
Date: August 4, 2015 at 2:26:52 PM EDT
To: eric.cornwell@gadnr.org
Subject: Application #23350
Mr. Cornwell, I am a resident of Dougherty County, and we own the land behind our house through which Sabal Trail proposes to clearcut a wide swath to run their natural gas pipeline. These 800 acres are a habitat for several gopher tortoises, a few pileated woodpeckers, wild turkey, ducks and deer. We have wetlands and wet weather ponds. We are good stewards of this land, and we treasure it. We are outraged about a proposed gas pipeline cutting through our property!!

Dougherty County is the only Continue reading We are outraged about a proposed gas pipeline cutting through our property!! –Sarah Phillips to GA-DNR →

Call to Action by State Representative Darrel Bush Ealum

August 1, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Economy, Environment, GeorgiaAlbany, compressor, Darrel Bush Ealum, Dougherty County, Economy, environment, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Nathan Deal, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Now’s the time to ask your state legislators to help Rep. Ealum oppose Sabal Trail’s proposed fracked methane pipeline. Here’s a handy table of all the Georgia state House and Senate members from the counties along the proposed pipeline path.

You may want to mention the August 7th deadline for comments to GA-EPD about the proposed Albany compressor station.

And don’t forget to call Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and sign the petition to him, and you can still ecomment to FERC.

Urgent Alert

Call to Action by State Representative Darrel Bush Ealum (PDF)

Darrel Bush Ealum, State Representative, Georgia House District 153 met with Governor Deal to discuss the serious environmental and cumulative impact that the proposed SABAL Trail transmission line and compressor station will have on the posed nine counties it will pass through in Georgia.

Governor Deal was Continue reading Call to Action by State Representative Darrel Bush Ealum →

Comment to GA-EPD on Sabal Trail air quality permit application by 2015-08-08

July 25, 2015Compressor, Dougherty County, Environment, Georgia, LawAir, air quality, Albany, compressor, Dougherty County, environment, Eric Cornwell, GA EPD, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Law, Roger Marietta, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

An air quality permit for the proposed Albany compressor station is one of many local and state permits FERC requires Sabal Trail to get. This is a big one, because no compressor station, no pipeline.

Roger Marietta remarks:

You can email Georgia EPD prior to August 8th GA EPD: eric.cornwell@gadnr.org re: application # 23350 (Air Quality Permit Application) focus on methane and other toxic gases leaking and being blown off during pressure releases and unburnt gases and CO2 from the continuously running compressor station power turbines. Ask for a public hearing as well.

Recommend you send more than one comment and focus on a different issue each time.

Copy spectrabusters@gmail.com on your ecomment to GA-EPD and we’ll probably blog it.

And don’t forget to call GA Governor Deal and sign the petition to him.

Do it now, or you may hear that compressor sound in your sleep.

-jsq

Third Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Sabal Trail and Palmetto Project

July 22, 2015Economy, Environment, Georgia, History, LawAtlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Billy Morris, Economy, eminent domain, environment, Georgia, History, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, KMI, Law, legislature, Nathan Deal, Palmetto Project, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Atlanta has heard about Sabal Trail, Palmetto Project, and several other proposed pipeline projects three times now from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It’s time to act.

Greg Bluestein, AJC, Pipeline project fuels anger in Georgia,

Their proposal comes as pipeline projects — and controversy surrounding them — pop up across Georgia. A 157-mile Sabal Trail Pipeline that would cross nine southwest Georgia counties has sparked outrage in Albany and Valdosta. And Atlanta Gas Light wants to begin pumping gas from Coweta County to Dalton by 2017.

But Kinder Morgan’s proposal has struck a throbbing nerve, in part because of the length of the proposed pipeline — the 320-mile route stretches by Augusta, Savannah and Jacksonville — and in part because of the threat of eminent domain hanging over the landowners.

“Where do we draw the line? There are no reset buttons,” Troy Davis, a local landowner, said at one of the town hall meetings that Kinder Morgan called to calm fears about the project. “It will be a Kroger, a CVS, a Burger King that comes to this community and says, ‘Hey, we have a necessity for this.’ ”

That’s why the real solution is for the Georgia legislature to revoke eminent domain for private companies. But the legislature doesn’t meet until January, and we need to stop these pipelines before then.

About Kinder Morgan trespassing 1.7 miles into land owned by Billy Morris, who also owns the newspapers in Augusta and Savannah: Continue reading Third Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Sabal Trail and Palmetto Project →

Albany protester: we’ve been lied to from the beginning by Sabal Trail 2015-07-17

July 20, 2015Dougherty County, Economy, Environment, Explosion, Georgia, Law, Leak, Safety, WaterAlbany, Dougherty County, Economy, environment, explosion, Georgia, Jeff Hutchison, John S. Quarterman, Law, leak, Michelle Hutchison, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Seems like Albany, Georgia residents are reaching the same conclusion Searsmont, Maine residents reached after a compressor station blew out: “We’ve been lied to!”

Jarvis Robertson, WFXL, 17 July 2015, Residents continue fight against pipeline

Members of the community gathered Friday morning to let Sabal Trail Transmission know that they weren’t giving up on the fight.

A silent protest was held Friday morning in front of STT located on Evelyn Avenue.

Protestors are still concerned about damage the compression pipeline could do to the Albany-Dougherty area.

“There’s no reason for it to be in the city limits,” said Michelle Hutchison. “It could blow up and catch on fire. It needs to be Continue reading Albany protester: we’ve been lied to from the beginning by Sabal Trail 2015-07-17 →