Tag Archives: Florida

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

March 14, 2015Chatham County, Duval County, Economy, Florida, Georgia, Law, LNGChatham County, Claudia Collier, demand, Duval County, Economy, Elba Island, Florida, Georgia, Jacksonville, John S. Quarterman, Kinder Morgan, Law, LNG, Palmetto Project, prices, Sabal Trail, Savannah, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Steve WillisJohn S. Quarterman

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 →

If eminent domain is hardship to Mineral Interest Owners, it’s hardship to everyone else

March 5, 2015Alabama, Chambers County, FERC, Florida, Georgia, History, Law, Texas, WaterAlabama, caverns, Chambers County, drinking water, eminent domain, FERC, Florida, Floridan Aquifer, gas, Georgia, History, John S. Quarterman, Law, minerals, oil, salt, SpectraBusters, springs, Texas, Turtle Bay, Turtle Bayou, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

If affected salt and other minerals in subsurface caverns are enough to deny a FERC permit, drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer should be, too. The “first formal protest of Texas colonists against Mexican tyranny” was signed at Turtle Bayou, Chambers County, Texas, where an Alabama Company four years ago wanted to store natural gas underground with an associated pipeline that FERC denied. Communities and local governments throughout the Floridan Aquifer have signed protests against fossil fuel company tyranny in the form of the unnecessary, destructive, and hazardous Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline.

FERC denied that permit application for Turtle Bayou Gas Storage Company in 2011; one of only two pipeline applications that FERC’s John Peconom could find that FERC ever denied. The applicant appealed. FERC replied in Dockets CP10-481-002 and CP10-481-000, ORDER DENYING REQUEST FOR REHEARING OR RECONSIDERATION (Issued April 11, 2012), Continue reading If eminent domain is hardship to Mineral Interest Owners, it’s hardship to everyone else →

Sabal Trail contractor yards

March 2, 2015Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Georgia, WaterAlabama, contractor yards, Economy, environment, Florida, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

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

March 2, 2015Alabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, Law, Safety, WaterAlabama, Economy, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hazards, John Peconom, John S. Quarterman, karst, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Santa Fe River, sinkhole, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannee River, Water, Withlacoochee RiverJohn S. Quarterman

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 →

Sabal Trail announced pipe supplier contracts before filing with FERC

February 26, 2015FERC, History, LawAlabama, Berg Pipe, corruption, FERC, Florida, Georgia, History, John S. Quarterman, Law, Mobile, Panama City, Sabal Trail Transmission, Salzgitter, SpectraBusters, transparencyJohn S. Quarterman

Rubberstamp FERC process? Sabal Trail seems to think so, since it announced two contracts with Berg Pipe to manufacture pipe several days before it even formally filed with FERC for a permit, and the winning contractor announced a full week before that filing. Sabal Trail claimed economic benefits for Alabama and Florida, but apparently couldn’t come up any for Georgia. You can contact your local, state, and federal elected and appointed officials about this.

FERC published Sabal Trail’s formal filing 21 November 2015. Earlier that same week, 17 November 2015, Sabal Trail put out two press releases, one each for Alabama and Florida: Continue reading Sabal Trail announced pipe supplier contracts before filing with FERC →

LNG export approved and proposed

February 22, 2015British Columbia, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, LNG, Louisiana, MARAD, Martin County, Maryland, Nova Scotia, Oregon, TexasAmerican Petroleum Institute, API, British Columbia, Elba Island, FE, FERC, Florida, Georgia, John S. Quarterman, liquid natural gas, LNG, Louisiana, MARAD, Martin County, Maryland, Nova Scotia, Oregon, Quebec, SpectraBusters, TexasJohn S. Quarterman

How big is the LNG export gold rush? Here are maps of dozens of approved, proposed, and potential LNG export terminals, one of them even including Carib’s FE-authorized Martin County LNG export facility that FERC never seems to remember and Sabal Trail never talks about.

Update 2015-02-23: Now with the rest of the maps.

In addition to the approved LNG import and export terminals, there are more on this FERC map of Proposed North American LNG Export Terminals, including ones in Lake Charles (2 and 7), Sabine Pass (6), Plaquemines Parish (8 and 11), and Cameron Parish (13) Louisiana, Lavaca Bay (4) and Sabine Pass (9), Texas, Elba Island (5), Georgia, and Jacksonvile (14), Florida, as well as Coos Bay (1) and Astoria (3), Oregon, plus two in Kitimat (15 and 17) and one on Douglas Island (16), British Columbia. One of those proposed BC LNG export terminals is where Spectra Energy proposes to build not one but two pipelines. And even that ain’t all. Continue reading LNG export approved and proposed →

Port Dolphin LNG import to Florida from Louisiana and Texas?

February 22, 2015FERC, Florida, LNG, Louisiana, Maryland, TexasCove Point, FERC, Florida, Florida Southeast Connection, FSC, Gulfstream Pipeline, Hoegh LNG AS, John S. Quarterman, LNG, Louisiana, Maryland, Port Dolphin, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Texas, Williams CompanyJohn S. Quarterman

Our old friend Port Dolphin is back asking LNG import competing with or displacing Sabal Trail’s fracked methane pipeline, this time possibly shipping gas across the Gulf of Mexico from U.S. LNG export facilities.

Back in 2009 Port Dolphin got FERC approval for LNG import, but then there was a big recession, and the “shale gas revolution” (fracking) happened, resulting in most LNG import facilities filing for LNG export instead. But Port Dolphin wants to continue with imports, as Joe Fisher wrote for Natural Gas Intelligence, 20 October 2014, Would-Be Florida LNG Importer Sees Promise in Cross-Gulf Trade,

Florida does not have indigenous gas supply and historically has been served by two interstate natural gas pipeline with a third one planned, Sabal Trail (see Daily GPI, Oct. 24, 2013). Recently announced is a related north-to-south intrastate pipeline project (Florida Southeast Connection) (see Daily GPI, Oct. 10).

Rather than turn its LNG import project around to export liquefied U.S. gas — as other would-be import terminal developers/operators have done — Port Dolphin, which is a unit of Norway’s Hoegh LNG AS, still wants to make a go of importing LNG. It told FERC the project could even regasify domestically sourced LNG from the Gulf of Mexico, for instance.

Translation: Continue reading Port Dolphin LNG import to Florida from Louisiana and Texas? →

Laura Dailey spoke for SpectraBusters at clean water rally in Tallahassee

February 20, 2015Economy, Explosion, Florida, Hazards, Leak, LNG, Solar, WaterEconomy, explosion, Florida, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Laura Dailey, leak, Leon County, LNG, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Our Santa Fe River, Sabal Trail Transmission, Santa Fe River, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Thomas Edison, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

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 →

PR: SpectraBusters sends Outreach against Sabal Trail pipeline and for solar power to Rally in Tallahassee

February 17, 2015Florida, Solar, WaterFlorida, Fort White, FPL, Houston, John S. Quarterman, Laura Dailey, Leon County, NextEra Energy, Outreach, Rally, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sierra Club, solar, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tallahassee, Texas, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort White, Florida — Maximizing her speaking skills, Laura Dailey resigned from the SpectraBusters Board to be unanimously appointed Director of Community Outreach & Speaker’s Bureau, with first stop speaking against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and for solar power in Tallahassee Wednesday March 18th at the Floridians for Clean Water & Amendment 1 Rally in Tallahassee.

Laura Dailey said, “Who here loves to paddle our rivers and hike our scenic trails? WE are the stewards of these wonders, and we stand dangerously close to losing them to a company from Houston, Texas. A company woefully undereducated about our pristine landscape, and fragile Karst terrain, and who, until they came here, had no idea that our springs heartland is the single largest source of fresh spring water on earth!”

Remembering her excellent questions at the Continue reading PR: SpectraBusters sends Outreach against Sabal Trail pipeline and for solar power to Rally in Tallahassee →

Time to comment to FERC on Sabal Trail ignoring springs on Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers

February 1, 2015Florida, Hamilton County, Madison County, Safety, Suwannee County, Wateraquifer, conservation, Debra Johnson, dye, Ellaville Spring, Falmouth Cathedral Cave System, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Hamilton County, John S. Quarterman, Lime Spring, Lowndes County, Madison County, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Our Santa Fe River, pipeline, river, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Suwannacoochee Cave System, Suwannacoochee Spring Lime Run Spring, Suwannee Alliance for Sustainable Growth, Suwannee County, Suwannee River, Suwannee River Water Management District, SWRMD, Thomas S. Edwards Jr., Water, watershed, Withlacoochee River, WWALS, WWALS Watershed CoalitionJohn S. Quarterman

Here’s why you should ecomment to FERC and your elected officials right now. Sabal Trail filed key materials after FERC’s stated deadline, a Suwannee County, FL landowner points out in a FERC ecomment, also revealing Sabal Trail still didn’t address key springs upstream and down from its proposed new pipeline path, and said nothing about connecting caverns beneath the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers.

Here’s a call to action from Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson:

Good Morning,

I realize many of you have seen me (and a few others) navigate through a enormous amount of meetings, letters, social media announcements to stop the Sabal Trail Gas (fracked)Transmission Pipeline cutting through one of our most vulnerable areas of our World, the Florida Springs Heartland.

You have watched and read from the sidelines for nearly 2 years. It is time for you to act. Call it my Continue reading Time to comment to FERC on Sabal Trail ignoring springs on Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers →