Tag Archives: FERC

Methane pipeline safety record questioned –Lauren Ritchie

Corrosion, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Leak, Maine, Martin County, New York, Osceola County, Safety, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A reporter for a major newspaper is calling Spectra on its safety record, and calling Spectra’s responses “not good enough”! After thirty years of Spectra safety promises, that’s putting it mildly. A Maine resident put it this way after the Spectra’s Searsmont compressor blowout: “we were clearly lied to”.

Lauren Ritchie wrote for the Orlando Sentinel today, Safety record of natural-gas pipeline partner raises concerns,

Spectra Energy Corp. along with FPL’s parent, NextEra Energy, would bury the 473-mile Sabal Trail pipeline expected to carry 1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas to just south of Orlando in Osceola County, where it would connect to another line for eventual delivery to FPL in Martin County.

Spectra’s safety record, however, leaves something to be desired.

Take, for example, the company’s Texas Eastern pipeline, a 9,200-mile Spectra project connecting Texas with the markets in the Northeast.

Between 2006 and 2013, the company had 21 “incidents” along the line, causing Continue reading Methane pipeline safety record questioned –Lauren Ritchie →

Fight the Fracking Pipeline in Florida

Florida, Okeechobee County, Osceola County, Suwannee County, , , , , , , , ,

PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, 16 March 2014 — Florida forms the field for the pipeline fight this week, at a Suwannee County Commissioners meeting and three FERC Scoping Meetings. Plus later a SpectraBusters panel on the issues.

FERC Scoping Meetings*:
This week’s calendar:
SpectraBusters Panel:
In Conjunction with:

FERC Scoping Meetings*:

Continue reading Fight the Fracking Pipeline in Florida →

Disappointing Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings –Bob Hastings

Alabama, Choctaw County, FERC, Russell County, Tallapoosa County, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bob Hastings of the Alabama Sierra Club reports from the Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings. -jsq

I attended both the Alexander City and Butler hearings, and was disappointed in both. There was apparently a lot of apathy and/or intimidation among people affected.

There were about 50-75 people at Alex City but only about 7 people spoke. I read the Alabama-Georgia-Florida Sierra Club statement, and got a few compliments after the meeting.

At Butler, there were only 7 people present (plus about 15 “company” employees who answered questions, but there were not many questions). Because of the small group, we sat in a circle with the FERC reps and listened to their statements and asked a few questions. No landowners made statements and I agreed to submit mine online. It was a long drive for not much information.

I was also told that about 25 people attended the Seale hearing but no one submitted comments (according to Bill Braun, a “first zero” for FERC hearings).

Bill Braun was the FERC representative (a contract environmental consultant) from Minnesota who described the projects at all three hearings in Alabama, along with Kara Harris.

Spectra stands down on drilling core samples at the Santa Fe River, Florida

FERC, Florida, Gilchrist County, Law, Suwannee County, Water, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mighty Spectra stopped from drilling for now by local opposition in Suwannee and Gilchrist Counties, Florida! Why were they preparing to drill anyway, when they don’t have a permit, and haven’t even started the formal permitting process with FERC to get it? Why have they also been reported going on property without permission this week in Georgia?

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, president of Our Santa Fe River (OSFR), reports:

Sabal has started to stake the ground as to where to put what is called a drilling station. There are plans to put one station in Gilchrist and one in Suwannee. They intend to dig a tunnel under the river bed by directional bore drilling to connect the 2 sites. There have been NO permits issued for any of this; experts have not had time to review all the pertinent information on historical resources, biology, geology, etc… Residents in Gilchrist have not even signed papers allowing them access to their land for surveying purposes and now they are staking for core drilling samples!

Sabal is presently staking Gilchrist Cypress Shores property and plans to drill for core material so that they understand what is under the ground when they plan to bring in the heavy drilling equipment (years from now). Cart before the horse. The FERC has not even decided this is the route. We have important information that shows this is a Springs system and should not be put here and will present at scoping meetings.

Deborah Hogan called me last night to tell me Sabal will “stand down” till they have more information in the Suwannee County side. Sabal believes they are in the clear to do bore hole samples for directional drilling to put a drilling platform that will go under the River and connect to other side.

Sabal has no need to do these core samples now. to find their site location. There has been no approval of this route. The Environmental Impact Study EIS, has not been completed. The scoping meetings have not been done.

OSFR has also contacted Suwannee River Water Management District and Gilchrist County Administrator, Bobby Crosby, to stop the Gilchrist core sampling.

OSFR has called the following people for more info and to get them to stop.

Deborah Hogan, Sabal survey representative, 1-305-433-1700

and

John Peconom, FERC, 1-202-502-6352

Merrillee adds:

Environmental lawyer that represents IREPA, Christopher Byrd, also takes credit for stopping Sabal for the moment.

Maybe people would like to mention this at the Suwannee County Commission meeting 6PM Tuesday 18 March 2014. The FERC Scoping Meetings go to Florida that same day, starting in Lake Wales and heading up to north Florida the following week. And you can file ecomments with FERC at any time.

-jsq

Reports of Sabal Trail going on property without permission

FERC, Georgia, , , , , , , ,

According to reliable sources, Sabal Trail is going on people’s property without permission, repeatedly, today. This is in Georgia.

Everyone please be on the lookout.

Anyone willing to take pictures and send them, we can post them anonymously.

If anyone is willing to go on the record, that’s even better.

Pipeline companies should be aware that people take trespassing seriously.

-jsq

Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company Denied by FERC

Chambers County, FERC, Law, Liberty County, Texas, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the denied application Kevin Bowman gave me, and that John Peconom also gave me:

Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company, LLC Docket No. CP10-481-000

ORDER DENYING APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE AUTHORIZATIONS
(Issued June 16, 2011)
1. On August 9, 2010, Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company, LLC (Turtle Bayou) filed an application in Docket No. CP10-481-000 under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA),1 requesting a certificate of public convenience and necessity under Part 157, Subpart A, of the Commission’s regulations2 authorizing the construction and operation of a salt dome natural gas storage facility and associated pipeline facilities in Chambers and Liberty Counties, Texas. In addition, Turtle Bayou seeks a blanket certificate under Part 157, Subpart F, of the Commission’s regulations to engage in certain eligible construction activities3 and a blanket certificate under Part 284, Subpart G, of the regulations to provide open-access transportation services, including storage service.4 Turtle Bayou also requests authority to charge market-based rates for its storage services, and accordingly seeks a waiver of certain filing, accounting, and reporting requirements. As discussed below, the Commission denies Turtle Bayou’s application for the requested certificate authorizations.

1 15 U.S.C. ยง 717f(c) (2006).

2 18 C.F.R. Part 157 (2011).

3 Id.

4 18 C.F.R. Part 284 (2011).

There’s also this: Continue reading Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company Denied by FERC →

Keyspan LNG and Algonquin Pipeline denied by FERC

FERC, Law, Rhode Island, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the denied application that John Peconom gave me:

KeySpan LNG, L.P. and Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC

KeySpan LNG, L.P. Docket Nos. CP04-223-000 and
CP04-293-000
Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC Docket No. CP04-358-000
ORDER DENYING AUTHORIZATION UNDER SECTION 3
AND DISMISSING CERTIFICATE APPLICATION
(Issued July 5, 2005)
  1. In this proceeding, KeySpan LNG, L.P. (KeySpan) requests authority under section3 of the Natural Gas Act to site, construct, and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at its existing LNG storage facility in the City of Providence, Rhode Island.1 In a related application, Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC (Algonquin) requests authority under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act to construct and operate 1.44 miles of 24-inch diameter pipeline in order to transport natural gas from KeySpan’s proposed terminal to Algonquin’s existing interstate pipeline system.2
  2. In essence, KeySpan is proposing Continue reading Keyspan LNG and Algonquin Pipeline denied by FERC →

Orders Denying Certificates

Colquitt County, FERC, Georgia, Law, Lowndes County, Rhode Island, Texas, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Given months to find them, all FERC could come up with for orders denying certificates was for two liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities. Each did have an associated pipeline request, but neither was for a stand-alone pipeline application. I do thank John Peconom and Kevin Bowman for providing these documents. However, really, is this all there is?

I asked John Peconom of FERC for a list of denied pipeline applications at the Moultrie makeup Sabal Trail Open House 27 January 2014, and again after the Valdosta FERC Scoping Meeting 4 March 2014, and each time Peconom said he would get me a list, including the actual orders denying some pipelines. At the Moultrie FERC Scoping Meeting 5 March 2014, I pointed out to the hundred-or-so attendees that I still hadn’t gotten a list.

After the Moultrie meeting, Kevin Bowman of FERC gave me a slip of paper with this written on it:

Turtle Bayou Gas
CP10-481-000
June 2011

See separate post.

Then John Peconom of FERC sent me an email message with these two links in it: Continue reading Orders Denying Certificates →

Sabal Trail same old at Albany FERC Scoping Meeting

Agriculture, Dougherty County, Economy, FERC, Georgia, Hazards, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spectra is claiming to have learned lessons from their safety record they previously repeatedly claimed they were not familiar with.

Josh Rhoden reported for WALB 3 and 4 March 2014, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission holds pipeline hearing,

Guenevere Perry and her mother Dianne came out to Monday night’s meeting, they’re worried about the effect the pipeline may have on their property value.

“Some of the concerns that would be more imminent to citizens in the area would be property value,” said Guenevere Perry.

Critics say Spectra energy, one of the companies involved in the project, has had three major explosions in Oklahoma, Canada, and Nebraska. But Andrea Grover with the Sabal Trail Project insists spectra has a good track record.

“Spectra energy really has a good safety record, we have the best in the industry, we take a lot of lessons learned and apply them to our programs,” said Andrea Grover, Sabal Trail Transmission.

So now she’s familiar with Spectra’s safety record after for months she wasn’t? When did Spectra learn all these lessons, and when Continue reading Sabal Trail same old at Albany FERC Scoping Meeting →

Tackle the Pipeline at the Root: Alabama FERC Scoping Meetings

Alabama, Choctaw County, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Lowndes County, Meetings, Mississippi, Russell County, Tallapoosa County, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, 8 March 2014 — SpectraBusters invites everyone to tackle the pipeline at its root this coming week in Seale, Alexander City, or Butler, at your only chances in Alabama to testify in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about the fracked methane pipelines proposed by Williams Transco, Spectra Energy, and FPL. Plus later a SpectraBusters panel on the issues.

FERC Scoping Meetings:
This week’s calendar:
SpectraBusters Panel:
In Conjunction with:

FERC Scoping Meetings:

5PM Sabal Trail discussion
Pipeline representatives will be present.
6PM FERC presentation

about the process
and the pipelines


Docket number PF14-6: Hillabee Expansion Project
Docket number PF14-1: Sabal Trail Transmission
Docket number PF14-2: Florida Southeast Connection
Then citizens can speak

at the podium


Have what you say transcribed by a court recorder
for the Commission’s administrative record.

This week’s calendar:

Monday, March 10, 2014
Russell County
PF14-1 Sabal Trail
West Georgians can cross
the Chattahoochee River 		Russell County High School
4716 Old Seale Highway
Seale, AL 36875
(334) 855-4378
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Tallapoosa County
Where PF14-6 and PF14-1 connect
plus a compressor station 		Central Alabama Community College
Betty Carol Graham Technology Center
1675 Cherokee Road
Alexander City, AL 35010
(256) 234-6346
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Choctaw County
PF14-6 Hillabee Expansion Project
begins at Transco Station 85
plus a compressor station 		Butler Civic Center
108 North Academy Avenue
Butler, AL 36904
(205) 459-3795
next to Mississippi

Or e-mail to efiling@ferc.gov or file online with FERC:
https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx
Or call 202-502-8258, or mail written comments to:

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary;
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;
888 First St. N.E. Room 1A;
Washington, D.C. 20426.

Use Docket number PF14-1 for Sabal Trail Transmission,
or PF14-6 for Hillabee Expansion Project.

See calendar for Georgia last week and Florida the following two weeks:
http://spectrabusters.org/calendar/

SpectraBusters Panel:

There’s more to be done so there’s another meeting later…

3PM Saturday 29 March 2014
Lowndes County, GA		SpectraBusters Panel
Pipeline? No!

Elected officials and candidates for public office are invited to a SpectraBusters panel discussion in Lowndes County, Georgia. Topics will include potential pipeline routes, property rights (eminent domain, property values), water issues (aquifer, sinkholes, springs), whether Florida even needs more power, better power sources (solar, wind, conservation, and efficiency), noise, health, and hazards. SpectraBusters and allies from all states are invited, and are encouraged to hold panels elsewhere.
Sabal Trail, Spectra, FPL, Williams, and Duke: we don’t come to your internal company meetings, and you’ll hear from us at the Scoping Meetings.

Why: Spectra Energy, which had compressor station leaks in Maine in January and in Pennsylvania last year, plus multiple fines by Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for corrosion and leaks, and a record $15 million EPA fine for PCB contamination, proposes a hundred-foot-wide gash through our lands for their huge 36 inch Sabal Trail gas pipeline from Alabama through Georgia to feed Florida Power and Light (FPL) and Duke Energy for no benefit to local citizens and rate hikes for FPL customers. A one-time payment is not enough for decreased property values, permanent destruction, and hazards of leaks and explosions, when FPL and Spectra and Duke would profit forever. The gas comes from fracking in Pennsylvania and Texas, destroying watersheds, farmlands, and drinking water. Conservation, efficiency, and solar power are cheaper and bring jobs and energy here where we need them.

In Conjunction with:

Environmental Awareness Organization of Auburn University (EAOAU).
https://auburn.collegiatelink.net/organization/eao

Greenlaw protects clean air and water.
http://greenlaw.org/

New York Climate Action Group (NYCAG) the Spectra struggle (and Williams Transco Rockaway Lateral Pipeline in the Rockaways of Queens, NY and the LNG port resistance in Long Beach, NY).

Occupy the Pipeline, who fought the NYC extension on the Spectra Pipeline.
http://occupythepipeline.blogspot.com

Our Santa Fe River, protecting our most vital and vulnerable natural resource…water.
http://www.oursantaferiver.org/wp/

Sane Energy Project: to fight fossil fuel and nuclear infrastructure, and encourage renewable infrastructure.
http://www.SaneEnergyProject.org

Shale Property Rights, formerly Spectra Energy Watch.
http://www.shalepropertyrights.com/blog/

Sierra Club, America’s largest and oldest grassroots environmental group, exploring, enjoying, and protecting the environment since 1892.
http://www.sierraclub.org

Stop the Pipeline: No eminent domain, preserve local character and environment, and pipelines == fracking.
http://www.StopThePipeline.org

Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.) Valdosta State U.
http://ww2.valdosta.edu/vsu/stuorg/save/

Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE): clean and sustainable energy sources.
http://www.wiregrass-ace.org/

WWALS Watershed Coalition, Willacoochee, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and Little River Systems in south Georgia and north Florida.
http://www.wwals.net/

SpectraBusters: We ain’t afraid a no pipeline!
Landowners and others opposed to the Sabal Trail gas pipeline through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Contact:
spectrabusters@gmail.com
http://spectrabusters.org
www.facebook.com/spectrabusters

Garrett Kizer
Lee County, AL
850-420-3854

Danielle Jordan
Lowndes Co., GA
229-300-7422

Beth Gordon
Levy Co., FL
352-528-0111

###

See also these presentation materials.

And see also these previous meetings: