Tag Archives: Government

Sanford Bishop would like to hear from you about the Sabal Trail pipeline

April 20, 2014LawCongress, GA-02, Government, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sanford Bishop, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

The proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline is number 1 on the topic rotation on Rep. Sanford Bishop’s Congressional (GA-02) website:

Sabal Trail Pipeline
We would like to hear from you about the proposed Sabal Trail Transmission Gas Pipeline project.

The links lead to a page that says:

The proposed Sabal Trail Transmission Gas Pipeline project would transport up to a billion cubic feet of natural gas each day through about 24 miles of Dougherty County on its 465-mile route from central Alabama to central Florida. The natural gas carried by the pipeline is intended to provide electricity for a large portion of the state of Florida.

You can voice your opinion about the proposed pipeline by mail, telephone or electronically:

MAIL:
Kimberly D. Bose
Secretary of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street N.E., Room 1A
Washington, DC, 20414
EMAIL:
e-filing@ferc.gov
WEBSITE:
www.ferc.gov
PHONE:
(202) 502-8258

That contact information is all for contacting FERC. While no doubt Rep. Bishop himself is most interested in hearing from constituents, it doesn’t say just constituents, nor was his listening session in Albany limited to just constituents.

Congressman Bishop’s own own contact page does say he is only able to reply to e-mails from constituents.

Here’s how to find your own representative. And here are links to contact information for every Congress and statehouse member and county commission and city council of county seats of counties in all three states (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) along the proposed pipeline path.

-jsq

News about yesterday’s Sanford Bishop pipeline listening session in Albany, GA

April 18, 2014Agriculture, Dougherty County, Georgia, Health, Law, Safety, WaterAgriculture, Albany Herald, aquifer, Dougherty County, Fox 31, Georgia, Government, Health, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Sanford Bishop, sinkhole, SpectraBusters, WALB, WaterJohn S. Quarterman

Here are two news reports (oddly, WALB doesn’t seem to have filed one) on yesterday’s listening session with U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02). These are brief extracts; there’s more in each article.

Cody Long wrote for Fox 31 yesterday, Deadline nears to hear pipeline comments,

There were about 50 people who showed up to the Government Center in downtown Albany. Some voiced their concerns to commissioners and the congressman about the Sabal Trail Transmission Gas Pipeline Project.

The pipeline would run through 24 miles of Dougherty County and would be capable of transporting up to one billion cubic feet of natural gas each day.

However, it would run through portions of privately owned land which Continue reading News about yesterday’s Sanford Bishop pipeline listening session in Albany, GA →

Extend the comment period –Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02)

April 16, 2014Agriculture, Dougherty County, Environment, FERC, Georgia, LawAgriculture, Congress, Dougherty County, environment, FERC, GA-02, Georgia, Government, Greenlaw, John S. Quarterman, Law, Sabal Trail Transmission, Sanford D. Bishop, scoping, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Filed with FERC 16 April 2014 with special subject “Congressional Submittal submitted in FERC PF14-1-000 by US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES”. Rep. Bishop is listening to citizens about the pipeline 10AM Thursday 17 April 2014 in Albany, GA.

SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
SECOND District, Georgia
COMMITTEE on Appropriations….
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
April 14, 2014

Ms. Cheryl A. LaFleur
Acting Chairman
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20426

Dear Acting Chairman LaFleur: Continue reading Extend the comment period –Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) →

Corporate power comes home –Jim Parker

March 13, 2014Economy, Georgia, Law, Lowndes County, SafetyBill Slaughter, citizens, corporation, Economy, Georgia, Government, John S. Quarterman, Law, Lowndes County, Michael G. Noll, property rights, Sabal Trail Transmission, Safety, Spectra Energy, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

Letter to the Editor in the Valdosta Daily Times yesterday. -jsq

How is it that one foreign corporation, that has just come into existence to do this project, can have greater power than all of the thousands of citizens affected, and their elected governments?
No, I’m not talking about the Keystone XL pipeline, but he issues are the same. This one wants to run a 36-inch gas pipeline through a number of states and counties, including Lowndes, affecting thousands of landowners. It’s known as Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC, and is the unholy offspring of Spectra Energy Corp. and NextEra Energy.
How can one foreign corporation (they’re from out of state), have so much power vis-avis the thousands of landowners and citizens of Lowndes County, that the citizens must give up Continue reading Corporate power comes home –Jim Parker →

Spectra Energy — Be the Best it Can Be –Mike Benard

December 16, 2013Dougherty County, Georgia, Lowndes County, Pennsylvania, Texas9 December 2013, Andrea Grover, Brian Fahrenthold, compressor, Dougherty County, EPA, Ethics, Georgia, Government, Greg Ebel, Gretchen Quarterman, History, Houston, John S. Quarterman, LAKE, Law, LCC, leak, Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange, Lowndes County, Lowndes County Commission, Mike Benard, natural gas, Pennsylvania, PHMSA, pipeline, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Steckman Ridge, Texas, transparency, Valdosta, VDT, WALB, Work SessionJohn S. Quarterman

Mike Benard sent this today to Spectra’s Andrea Grover, copied to a long list of news media and local, state, and federal elected and appointed officials and employees. For local background, see Spectra reps unfamiliar with Spectra fines @ LCC 2013-12-09. -jsq

Ms. Grover:

Those of us property owners who are already Spectra Energy “stakeholders” (the company’s term), want Spectra Energy to be the best it can be, consistent with its publicly stated commitment to Stakeholder Engagement, Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability.

Reference link: http://www.spectraenergy.com/Sustainability/Economic/Acting-with-Integrity/

To that end, and regarding your activities as a “Director of Stakeholder Outreach” on behalf of Spectra Energy’s proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, property owners in Georgia report that you are asserting the following at public meetings:

• You assert that property owners at Spectra Energy’s Steckman Ridge compressor facility in Bedford County, PA are “happy” despite ongoing problems there and a consistent lack of response from Spectra Energy to its “stakeholders.”

FACT: I speak for more than a dozen families who live next to or near the problematic compressor facility; and your statement is incorrect and misleading. What facts do you have to support such a disingenuous allegation? A ring of health, water and operational complaints surround this facility that began operations in 2009. Based on unofficial record keeping by neighbors, there have been nearly 60 shutdowns, blowdowns and related incidents at the Steckman Ridge compressor station and underground natural gas storage facility between August 2009 and the present. And there is much more, as you know.

• You assert that uncontrolled releases of methane and other hydrocarbons that happen too frequently at the Steckman Ridge compressor facility are “normal.” Let’s hope not. Your assertion is uninformed and misleading.

FACT: Recall the March 9-10 incident Continue reading Spectra Energy — Be the Best it Can Be –Mike Benard →