Tag Archives: FPL

Port Dolphin off Tampa already approved by FERC for LNG import

FERC, Florida, LNG, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Offshore deepwater LNG import project Port Dolphin was approved by FERC in 2009, despite interventions by a long list of other pipeline companies, FPL, and other entities. FERC granted Port Dolphin permission to interconnect with Gulfstream and Florida Gas Transmission, the two pipelines FPL requires Sabal Trail to connect to. What if Port Dolphin files to export LNG, as so many other import-permitted projects are doing?

Port Dolphin’s own website doesn’t seem to be responding. The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine has a cached copy from 12 January 2014, with this map:

Manatee Chamber of Commerce lists Port Dolphin’s contact information as: Continue reading Port Dolphin off Tampa already approved by FERC for LNG import →

Re: AES Ocean Express pipeline from Florida to Bahamas

Economy, FE, Florida, LNG, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yet another LNG export scheme linked with the so-called Southeast Market Pipelines Project, in addition to at least two more. Why should anybody give up their land for export profit for a few companies somewhere else? An undersea pipeline originally for import to Florida, now being promoted for LNG export because of U.S. surplus methane from fracking, already approved by the U.S. a decade ago, only waiting for approval by the Bahamas, which is being pressured by an international bank to do so. It would run from FPL’s Port Everglades “Clean Energy Center” in Broward County, a location linked since it was announced with FPL’s Florida Southeast Connection, which would get its gas from the Sabal Trail and Transco pipelines, starting with fracking in Pennsylvania and Texas.

Candia Dames wrote for dennisdamesonline.net 23 January 2004, AES Corp. Clears Hurdle For LNG Pipeline, Continue reading Re: AES Ocean Express pipeline from Florida to Bahamas →

JAX-based Crowley authorized to export LNG from Martin County, Florida

Duval County, FE, FERC, Florida, Law, LNG, Martin County, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why didn’t FERC or Sabal Trail or FPL or Williams tell us about LNG export to FTA countries authorized by FE in 2011, before Sabal Trail and the others even submitted their pre-filing applications to FERC?

The Carib Energy that has requested authorization for LNG export to non-FTA countries: we’ve heard of them before. Carib’s parent company Crowley Maritime is based in Jacksonville, FL, and Jaxport is also eyeing LNG export, plus a closer connection.

Remember, Crowley already has authorization from U.S. DoE’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) to export to Free Trade Agreement countries: Continue reading JAX-based Crowley authorized to export LNG from Martin County, Florida →

Spectra and TransCanada competing in LNG export in British Columbia

British Columbia, Economy, Environment, Fracking, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TransCanada, of the notorious Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, is also competing with Spectra Energy for fracked methane export through an LNG export terminal on the British Columbia coast, and Spectra just got another approval for its “corridor” for not one but two giant pipelines to the Pacific Ocean.

Gordon Jaremko wrote for GPI 4 April 2014, NEB OKs Spectra (Westcoast) Tolls; Major Expansion Planned to Serve Pacific LNG,

Spectra Energy (Westcoast) received approval from the National Energy Board (NEB) for the stable base of its agenda: a 2014-2015 tolls and tariff settlement with customers of its current capacity of 3 Bcf/d.

The deal enables the BC grid to focus on a plan aimed at almost quadrupling its capacity by becoming the principal conduit between northern shale deposits and proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals on the Pacific Coast.

The settlement was not opposed or even questioned Continue reading Spectra and TransCanada competing in LNG export in British Columbia →

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

Alabama, Economy, Environment, Florida, Georgia, Safety, Solar, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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? →

Sabal Trail at worst spot –expert in Gainesville Sun

Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Law, Martin County, Safety, Suwannee County, Water, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Florida newspaper reporters are not buying the pipeline company’s spin. Instead they write about the fragile limestone that holds our drinking water in the Floridan Aquifer, damage to which can easily turn a spring into a sinkhole. Wednesday, the Orlando Sentinel about Spectra’s safety record, and today Morgan Watkins wrote for the Gainesville Sun, Expert: Pipeline would cross Santa Fe at the worst spot,

Standing along the bank of the Santa Fe River near the riverside house in southern Suwannee County his family has owned since 1967, Kevin Brown pointed to the spot where a natural gas pipeline is expected to cross underneath the ground.

But Brown’s brother David, a geologist, and other concerned folks hope to persuade the company leading the project to select what they consider a safer crossing point….

The river and the surrounding area is pockmarked with springs and sinkholes. Exposed limestone — a crumbly, fractured rock — Continue reading Sabal Trail at worst spot –expert in Gainesville Sun →

FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club

Alabama, Economy, Environment, Explosion, FERC, Florida, Fracking, Law, Safety, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Filed with FERC 14 March 2104 by Bob Hastings for Alabama Sierra Club about PF14-6. -jsq

Comments on the proposed Transco Pipeline Hillabee Expansion Project:

The Sierra Club is a national environmental organization promoting the protection of our natural environment and quality of life for all citizens. The Club has more than 1.5 million members and includes chapters in all states. The Alabama Chapter has approximately 3000 members.

The Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club has joined with the Georgia and Florida Sierra Club Chapters to oppose the proposed 650 mile Sabal Trail Pipeline that would carry natural gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing from Pennsylvania and Texas through Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Since the purpose of the Hillabee Expansion project is to supply gas to the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, we also oppose the Hillabee Expansion project, and consider it undesirable and not needed.

Williams Partners, Inc., owners of the Transco pipeline, has a poor record of pipeline safety, and has had at least 35 reportable accidents since 2006, including the pipeline rupture and explosion on December 3, 2011, near Linden in Marengo County, Alabama. Fortunately this explosion, which devastated 65 acres of forest land, did not occur in a populated area where loss of life could have been tragic. Williams Partners should focus on upgrading the existing pipeline for improved safety rather than expanding its capacity.

The existing Transco pipeline cuts through Continue reading FERC should be promoting solar and wind, not new pipelines –Alabama Sierra Club →

Spectra CEO Greg Ebel excuses for lack of methane pipeline delivery

Economy, Florida, Solar, Texas, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How does Spectra’s northern cold snap excuse for fracked gas apply to Florida, the target for the Sabal Trail, Hillabee, and Florida Southeast Connection methane pipelines? And if Spectra CEO Greg Ebel gets his wish to export gas, which T. Boone Pickens already explained will drive up domestic prices, how will higher gas prices help northern cities? Maybe Spectra’s pipelines aren’t for warming up cold houses; maybe they’re for corporate profit at the expense of landowners, taxpayers, ratepayers, and all those “natural” gas bus riders who will be surprised when their fares go up. Maybe we should stop the Sabal Trail pipeline and see if the fracking house of cards falls apart.

Jonathan Fahey wrote for AP 10 March 2014, Natural gas industry struggles to keep promises,

There’s plenty of natural gas in the ground, everyone seems to agree. But the harsh weather this winter shows there are obstacles to producing it, and more pipelines have to be built.

The bitter temperatures boosted demand for natural gas to heat homes and businesses. But wells in some places literally froze, making it difficult for some drillers to keep gas flowing. And the high demand clogged pipelines, so even when there was enough production, the gas couldn’t get where it needed to go.

Shortages cropped up, and prices in some places soared to record levels. Californians and Texans were asked to reduce their power consumption because utilities were running low on gas to run power plants. Montana State University in Billings had to cancel classes for a day because of a natural gas shortage.

Jim Fuquay amplified that chilly northern point for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram 11 March 2014:

Prices in New England briefly spiked to record levels. Californians were asked to reduce their power consumption because utilities were running low on gas to run power plants.

If the problem is cold weather in the north, why does Spectra want to build a pipeline to sunny Florida?

Curiously, the Star-Telegram omitted this point from the AP story; I’ve emphasized the redacted point: Continue reading Spectra CEO Greg Ebel excuses for lack of methane pipeline delivery →

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:

Sabal Trail solar and wind misinformation

Alabama, Economy, Environment, FERC, Florida, Georgia, Solar, Trees, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A few weeks ago John Peconom of FERC referred me to Sabal Trail’s comments on solar power; something about all the area you’d have to clear to provide as much energy as that 36-inch pipeline. OK, I’ve looked, and it’s the same kind of disinformation Georgia Power used to spout about you’d need to clear an area the size of Atlanta to power Atlanta with solar power. Nevermind you already have an area that size: it’s called Atlanta! Rooftops, parking lots, streets, etc.: plenty of room. And Sabal Trail’s disinformation completely ignores that solar power (and wind) are growing far faster than methane energy production. If this is FERC’s justification for eminent domain to get fracked gas to Florida, it’s a very flimsy justification indeed. We shouldn’t expect anything more from a company that would profit by that eminent domain. But we should expect more from a tax-funded federal agency that is supposed to represent we the people.

Bear in mind that all new U.S. electric generation in September 2012 came from wind and solar. In October 2013 72.1% of all new U.S. capacity came from solar, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), using data from FERC itself. And FERC doesn’t even count the million solar rooftops that are going in.

In 10.3.3 Non-Gas Energy Alternatives in its Draft Resource Report 10: Alternatives (RR10), Sabal Trail correctly dismisses dirty and expensive coal, oil, and nuclear, and even hydro as major energy sources for flat Florida. However, what’s in there about wind and solar is just plain bogus. Continue reading Sabal Trail solar and wind misinformation →